Wakefield Trinity 56 Catalan 14: Tautai powers Wakefield to first win as Dragons collapse

The match was over as a contest at half-time following a powerful performance by Tautai, who scored the first two tries before laying on the next for Jon Molloy.

Reece Lyne crossed for a brace of his own and Jarrod Sammut kicked six goals to give Wakefield a 32-0 half-time lead.

Pita Godinet became the third player to grab a double in the early stages of the second half before Daniel Smith and Paul Sykes helped themselves to tries, with Elliot Whitehead and Leon Pryce replying for the visitors.

Prop Nick Scruton and winger Chris Riley made their Wildcats debuts, while Matty Wildie and Molloy featured for the first time this season from the bench.

Brent Webb gifted the Wildcats the lead in the 13th minute, dropping Sammut’s spiralling high kick to allow Tautai to dive on the loose ball for a try, before having the ball stripped 10 metres from the Catalan line and Sammut stepped up to kick Wakefield into an eight-point lead.

The big Samoan continued to take centre stage as he burst through a gap before showing a good turn of pace and strength to touch down.

Catalan were clearly rattled by Tautai and failed to stop another marauding run from the restart, with Molloy on hand to receive a forward-looking pass to score.

There was no letting up from the hosts as Paul McShane put a neat kick in behind the Dragons defence which was well finished by Lyne, who quickly added his second after a Sammut kick.

Godinet ghosted through the Dragons defence to score the first try of the second half, before he intercepted Pryce’s pass and sprinted 100 metres to go over.

The Dragons replied via through Whitehead (2) and Pryce but normal service was resumed when Smith touched down McShane’s kick and Sykes finished from Richard Mathers’s pass, both converted by Sammut to complete a perfect day with the boot.

Wakefield Trinity: Mathers, Fox, Sykes, Lyne, Riley, Sammut, Godinet, Scruton, McShane, Tautai, Lauitiiti, Kirmond, Washbrook. Substitutes: Wildie, Ryan, Molloy, Smith.

Catalan Dragons: Webb, Vaccari, Oldfield, Taia, Escare, Pryce, Barthau, Lima, Mounis, Paea, Anderson, Whitehead, Baitieri. Substitutes: Pelissier, Fakir, Baile, Garcia.

Referee: B Thaler (RFL).

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