Wigan 42-0 Catalans: Warriors slay Dragons with seven try rout
Last Updated: 31/03/19 8:29pm
Sam Tomkins endured a miserable return to Wigan with Catalans Dragons as the Warriors ran in seven tries for a 42-0 win and claim their first back-to-back wins in Super League this season.
Tomkins, who left the Warriors at the end of last season to move to the south of France, was booed with nearly every touch of the ball as he was unable to light a fire under a less-than-impressive Dragons outfit.
Wigan, who were solid in defence, led by just eight at the break, with Joe Burgess grabbing his first try of the season in only his second game after returning from a serious knee injury, while Zak Hardaker kicked a conversion and penalty.
The Warriors ran in six more tries in the second half, Burgess adding two more to complete his hat-trick while George Williams, Oliver Gildart, Hardaker and Jarrod Sammut also crossed as the defending champions cruised to victory.
Wigan had the better of the opening exchanges. Burgess and Liam Paisley went close to getting on the end of a Williams kick, while Sammut and Joe Bullock both went close to scoring.
Wigan finally got on the score sheet in the 20th minute following some individual brilliance from Sammut. The former London Broncos scrum-half collected his own neat chip and chase on the fourth to put Wigan on the front foot. The ball was then spread to the left and Williams' pinpoint kick was collected by Burgess and he touched down. Hardaker converted for a 6-0 lead.
It was a brutal opening 40 minutes, with both teams fronting up in defence with chances few and far between. The Dragons' best chance came when Tony Gigot made a half-break and was brought down by Liam Byrne. A penalty on the hooter saw Hardaker extend Wigan's lead to 8-0 from 38 metres.
The Dragons improved slightly after the break and Matty Smith picked up a loose ball from a Willie Isa mistake and set Brayden Williame clear, but he was caught and brought down by Dan Sarginson. The visitors had an overlap on the right but a poor offload from Sam Kasiano saw Burgess clear the danger for the Warriors.
The Warriors were the first to score in the second period with an outstanding team try. Paisley was put through a gap and he had the vision to send a looping ball to Gildart, who then drew in the cover defence to offload for Burgess to acrobatically dive over in the corner. Hardaker was unable to add the extras as Wigan now led 12-0.
Wigan were determined to keep the Dragons scoreless and debutant Morgan Smithies epitomised that determination as he was involved in a group tackle that prevented Lucas Albert from scoring.
Wigan then turned defence into attack as they once again moved the ball to their right. Gildart was sent clear and he showed the Dragons defence a clean pair of heels before turning the ball back inside from Williams to race over and score. Hardaker converted to make it 18-0.
Another penalty from Hardaker saw him extend the lead to 20 points, while Gildart capped off a fine individual performance with a 70-yard interception to end this game as a contest in the 62nd minute.
Wigan were having fun by now and Burgess sealed his hat-trick thanks to a one-on-one ball steal on Whitley to race away under the posts. Hardaker and Sammut both produced moments of brilliance to register their first tries for the club as the Warriors romped home.
