Thursday 2 April 2015 22:23, UK
Wakefield remain rooted to the bottom of the Super League table after they were hammered 40-4 by Catalans Dragons at Belle Vue.
Both sides have struggled of late and that was evident in a tense and nervous opening to the game, but the visitors eventually took command and ran in seven tries, including a second-half hat-trick from Damien Cardace.
The win ended the French side’s three-match losing run and inflicted a sixth successive defeat on the injury-hit Wildcats.
The Dragons broke the deadlock in the 18th minute when Benjamin Garcia touched down after being played in by Ian Henderson following a fine break down the left by Mathias Pala.
Scott Dureau added the conversion and he was on target again five minutes later after he had helped feed Willie Tonga for a try out wide, with confidence now starting to flow through the visitors.
The Wildcats also suffered another injury blow when French prop Mickael Simon was forced off with a leg problem.
Wakefield gifted the Dragons a third try in the 26th minute when some poor handling saw the ball go to ground near their own goal line and Ben Pomeroy hacked through to score unopposed, with Dureau adding the conversion and a penalty shortly afterwards to make it 20-0.
The home side had chances to narrow the deficit as Joe Arundel failed to collect Craig Hall’s poor pass, while Dureau dealt with Paul McShane’s grubber kick on the try-line.
But any hopes of a comeback were ended on the stroke of half-time when Elliott Whitehead barged his way over in the corner for Catalans’ fourth try with Dureau again landing his conversion attempt.
The one-way traffic continued after the break as the visitors extended their lead when Cardace was the first to react to Dureau’s kick in behind the home defence.
Dureau was again the architect of a second try for Cardace in the 58th minute with a long pass out wide for the right winger to touch down again, although he blotted his copybook as he missed his first kick for the extras.
Cardace notched his hat-trick of tries with eight minutes remaining after being set up by Thomas Bosc this time.
Dureau was off target once again with his conversion attempt and Wakefield had the final word as Chris Riley touched down for their first points right on the final hooter.
