After last weeks gruelling game against St George Illawara, the Warrington Wolves were backing up with a trip to Perpignan to take on the Catalans Dragons, with two Super League points the prize on offer.

Todd Carney was making his long-awaited debut for the French side who would be without Bosc, Pelissier and Elima. Warrington were still without the services of Stefan Ratchford and coach Tony Smith had elected to drop Richie Myler as his side looked to match blow for blow with the physical Dragons.

The first half would unfold as a catalogue of mistakes from the visitors which would be capitalised upon by the 'Sang et Or' as their own solid defence kept the Wolves at bay for the full forty.

On eight, Chris Hill gave away a penalty for interference at the play the ball and the Dragons moved the ball through many pairs of hands before Willie Tonga found a gap to open the account. Dureau added the extras with a boot which would prove to be on great form all afternoon.

On twenty-three a try saving tackle from Escare saw Hill held-up over the line and two minutes later the home side were deep in the Wolves red zone when Dureau through a dummy and Oldfield went on the overlap to score one-handed in the corner. Dureau made it 12-0.

With just over ten minutes of the half remaining Duport went for thirty metres off a Taia pass and once again Dureau kicked brilliantly from close to the touch line for an 18-0 half time lead.

In the opening ten minutes of the second half it looked like the fightback was on. Warrington registered their first try after an attempted intercept by Dureau saw him knock on, and the Wolves moved the ball wide with Atkins feeding Monaghan to score in the corner. O'Brien kicked the extras.

On forty-nine Duport knocked-on two metres from his own line. An offside Tonga went to collect the ball but knocked it into the hands of Wheeler who picked up to round the defence and score. O'Brien made it 18-12 and it seemed that the Wolves were now in the ascendancy.

On fifty-three a Dureau penalty after a high tackle took the sting out of the fightback and when Oldfield and Escare combined on the hour mark to push the Dragons eighty metres downfield a fast play the ball saw Zeb Taia running against a broken defence to push over.

Within a couple of minutes Taia scored under the sticks, this time after Carney had dummied and gone through a gap. Dureau made it 32-12 and there was no chance of a comeback, even for the Wolves.

Philbin and Oldfield exchanged four-pointers in the last quarter of an hour, both tries being converted, to give the Dragons three first home win against the Wolves for three years by the convincing score of 38-18.

Despite flattering to deceive at the start of the second half, the Wolves were never in this game. They made some shocking first half errors but the Catalans defence was responsible for shutting out the Wolves an increasing their frustration.

The Dragons leapfrog the Wolves into fourth spot in the table, on points difference, and you have to wonder how much the World Club Challenge took out of the visitors.

Dragons: Escare, Oldfield, Pomeroy, Tonga, Duport, Carney, Dureau, Anderson, Henderson, Lima, Taia, Whitehead. Subs: Garcia, Bosquet, Maria, Baitieri

Wolves: Russel, Monaghan, Bridge, Atkins, Penny, O'Brien, Wheeler, Hill, Clark, Sims, Currie, Laithwaite, Westwood. Subs: Harrison, Higham, Asostasi, Philbin.

Referee: Ben Thhaler
Attendance: 8,946