Catalans Dragons look to bounce back from opening day defeat as Wakefield Trinity make the trip to France

Catalans Dragons take on Wakefield Trinity at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, with last season’s Super League Grand Final runners-up in search of their first win of the new season.

On the opening day of the season, the Dragons were defeated 28-8 by reigning Super League Champions, St Helens at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

With their first home game of the season coming up, Steve McNamara’s side face Wakefield, who are also searching for their first win of the season.

In the game on Merseyside, Catalans had two players carded with Gil Dudson receiving a yellow card and new signing Dylan Napa shown a straight red.

Both players will have to refer to a tribunal to determine how long they will be banned for by RFL after the challenges the individuals made were bad enough that they could not receive a standard ban.

With Catalans hoping to kickstart their campaign, missing the powerful forwards will be a tough pill to swallow for the Perpignan-based side.

McNamara has named his squad to face the side from West Yorkshire, in which they will of course be without Dudson and Napa.

While they will be without the two props, they also miss Julian Bousquet and Arthur Mourgue through injury.

Every game is an important one in the Betfred Super League, however, Saturday will be even more important for the Dragons as they look to kickstart their 2022 season, and if they are to reach the same or similar heights to what they managed in last year’s campaign, Wakefield are a team they need to be beating.

Trinity themselves will be hoping they can leave France on Saturday night having won their first game of the new season after they were narrowly beaten 16-12 by Hull FC.

Head Coach Willie Poching has selected a side he thinks was good enough to have beaten Hull and will be good enough to go to Perpignan and get the victory.

Wakefield boast strong attacking options with wingers Tom Johnstone and Tom Lineham, formally of Hull FC and Warrington Wolves, alongside halfback Mason Lino who will also offer a threat to the Catalan defence.

The game will be the penultimate match of the second round with Salford Red Devils’ game against Toulouse Olympique concluding the weekend’s fixtures on Sunday.

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