Veteran Pat Richards back to where it all began at Wigan

Pat Richards kicks the ball the begin the match.

On February 11, 2006, a 23-year-old Richards played his first game of Super League and thought he had marked it with the match-winning try, only for the Catalans to fight back with two late scores to claim a memorable 38-30 victory in their historic opening game in Perpignan.

That try was the first of 167 in Wigan colours for the Australian, who racked up 2,462 points from 224 appearances in eight years before returning to the Wests Tigers at the end of the 2013 season.

That was meant to be his swansong but, two years later, Richards is back after signing a two-year deal with the Dragons and will make his 200th Super League appearance against his old club at the DW Stadium this evening.

“I thought how ironic that is,” Richards said. “My first game in Super League was against Catalans and now my first game back is against Wigan. It’s funny how things work out.

“In rugby league, you can’t really look too far ahead and predict where you are going to be. At the time, I was quite happy to go back to the NRL and I really enjoyed my time at the Tigers.

“But an opportunity came up to play for Catalans and live in France and that was something that really appealed to me and my family at this stage of my career.”

Richards, who turns 34 later this month, is remembered with such fondness at Wigan, where he won two Super League titles, two Challenge Cups and the Man of Steel award in 2010, that they named a meeting room after him.

Wigan coach Shaun Wane said: “He’s a great player and an even better man off the field. His family are coming over early and staying with mine.”

Wigan, Grand Final runners-up for the last two years, will be looking to extend their proud unbeaten record at the DW Stadium, where they last tasted defeat in June 2014, while the Dragons are desperately hoping to improve their sorry record on the road having won just two away games in 2015.

Catalans also give debuts to Richie Myler, Paul Aiton, Justin Horo, Glenn Stewart and Dave Taylor, but winger Jodie Broughton misses out through injury, along with Remi Casty and half-back Thomas Bosc.