Ugly scenes mar Catalans win over Warrington

James Gordon

Fighting on and off the pitch marred the end of Catalans’ 30-10 win over Warrington in Perpignan.

The Dragons had made the most of a 10 minute period in the second half when the Wolves were down to 12 men to pull away and secure two points to lift themselves back in to the top five.

They had led 8-4, before Warrington took the lead early in the second half.

It’s the Wolves’ fifth Super League defeat in seven games, but all the talking points were about the ugly scenes on the hooter, as a brawl on the pitch resulted in two red cards being shown – to Micky McIlorum and Sam Tomkins plus a second yellow to Jake Mamo.

But even worse were the scenes off the pitch, as fans were seen trying to climb in to the hospitality area at the Stade Gilbert Brutus with reports of items being thrown.

Both clubs have been approached for comment.

Warrington have since issued a statement: “Warrington Wolves are deeply disappointed with the incidents at the conclusion of tonight’s fixture at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

“The club is working in conjunction with Catalans Dragons and Super League to gather further information, and determine the appropriate action required.

“The club does not condone this behaviour and strongly believes that scenes like this have no place in our sport. We sincerely believe that this behaviour does not reflect the vast majority of our loyal and supportive fan base following the team in France this weekend.”

Dragons Chairman Bernard Guasch added: “We are shocked at what happened at the end of the today’s game.

“The Gilbert Brutus Stadium has always been a festive place and we are saddened with the scenes we saw tonight.

“We have never witnessed such incidents in 13 years in the Super League. We are now waiting for the CCTV footages before making any decision.”