Two sides outside the six met for a round eighteen fixture in Perpignan as a forlorn Catalans Dragons looked to keep their season alive as they faced the Warrington Wolves, eighth playing ninth, although neither side would improve their league position with the points on offer in the early evening kick-off.

The bookies had made the Wolves slight favourites for a win on their travels and had given the home side a six point start on the coupon, but the weather was likely to be a leveller after heavy rain and thunderstorms.

Warrington took the points in the only previous meeting of the season, an 18-12 win at the Halliwell-Jones at the end of February, but the losers knew that a loss today could spell the end of their play-off hopes.

Sam Tomkins was a late withdrawal with an injury in the warm-up, eighteenth man Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet brought in at full back.

The Dragons should have taken the lead on ten with a simple penalty but an injured Tommy Makinson missed the conversion badly and limped back to join his teammates.

Two minutes later Warrington were offside after a high kick was knocked on, Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet taking over the kicking duties and slotting the ball between the uprights.

On fourteen the Wolves were in front when debutant Zack Gardner was first to react and ground a delightful Marc Sneyd grubber kick to the in-goal area. Sneyd was unable to add the extra two but the visiting support had found their voice.

The second Wolves try came on twenty, a break from George Williams found Connor Wrench in support who went twenty before passing back inside to his skipper to slide over. With Sneyd limping, Josh Thewlis hit the target for a 10-4 lead, the Wolves had found another gear.

The Dragons were offside at a fumbled kick on twenty-five Sneyd back with the kicking tee and making no mistakes for 12-2.

Six from the interval, Jordan Crowther took a Williams grubber in the Dragons goal area and grounded in a big puddle before aquaplaning dead in goal. Josh Thewlis was again on target with the boot for 18-2, the Wolves now cruising and in total control at the interval.

The fifty-first minute saw some respite for the Dragons when Denive Balmforth scooted from dummy half to weave through the defenders and score from ten metres out. Aispuro-Bichet added the conversion for 8-18.

It was game on as the game hit the hour mark. Aispuro-Bichet picked up a loose ball ten from the Wolves line and went over under the tackle, grounded short but was then pulled over the line by the Wolves defender and got the ball on the ground in goal. The Dragons full back added a touchline conversion to reduce the Warrington lead to four points.

The Dragons rode their luck on seventy-three. A Keary bomb wasn’t dealt with by Josh Thewlis and bounced into the hands of Aispuro-Bichet who found Balmforth to sidestep his tackler and go in for his second of the night. Aispuro-Bichet added another goal to put his side into a slender lead with just over five minutes remaining.

On seventy-seven a brilliant chip to the corner was collected and grounded by Josh Thewlis for the try which crushed the Dragons and sealed the win. Thewlis took as much time as he could with the conversion which he slotted through the sticks for 24-20.

It was a tremendous Dragons fightback, but in the end it was in vain as Warrington snatched a victory from the jaws of defeat. Warrington draw level on points with Wakefield Trinity but trail them on a massive points difference, the Catalans Dragons are now seven away from the sixth play-off place with ten games remaining and a very slender chance of making the six. It was a great game for the neutrals and Wolves fans, but heartbreaking for the Dragons supporters.

Catalans Dragons: Aispuro-Bichet (T, G 4/4), Makinson (G 0/1), Laguerre, Cotric, Yaha, Keary, Rougé, Satae, Da Costa, Navarrete, Pangai Jr, Séguier, Partington. Subs: Dezaria, Bousquet, Maria, Balmforth (2T). 18^th Man: Darrélatour.

Warrington Wolves: Dufty, Thewlis Josh (T, G 3/3), Wrench, Gardner (T), Thewlis Jake, Williams, Sneyd (G 1/2), Yates, Powell, Vaughan, Stone, Fitzgibbon, Currie. Subs: Harrison, Ratchford, Philbin, Crowther (T). 18^th Man: Thomas.

Half-Time: 2-18.

Full-Time: 20-24.

Score Progression: 2-0, 2-4, 2-8, 2-10, 2-12, 2-16, 2-18: HT: 6-18, 8-18, 12-18, 14-18, 18-18, 20-18, 20-22, 20-24 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Catalans – Warrington – Square – Catalans - Warrington.

Referee: Liam Rush.