Wakefield Trinity coach Chris Chester hopes his side can build on Wigan performance in France

Catalans beat a second string Leeds side 34-6 on Wednesday, but 12 of their points came in the final four minutes and Trinity boss Chris Chester reckons Rhinos’ performance can be a template for his side.

He said: “It shows it doesn’t matter who is out on the field, as long as you are all together and you want to work hard and you’ve got that enthusiasm and correct attitude, it goes a long way.

“I was impressed with the performance from Leeds, considering the team Catalans had out.

“It gives you hope.

“We go there as underdogs, but this will be their third game in 10 days.

“There will be a lot of tired bodies and it’s important we complete our sets and look to tire them out towards the back end of each half.”

Trinity have lost all their seven games since rugby league resumed following coronavirus, including league and Coral Challenge Cup defeats by Catalans.

But they gave Wigan Warriors a fright last week and Chester insisted: “I think there were lots of positive signs, we were very physical and we can take a lot from that performance and from what [Wigan coach] Adrian Lam had to say afterwards.

“He said it was the hardest game they’ve had since lockdown and that’s kind of a blueprint now - it is a benchmark of where we need to be consistently, week-in, week-out.

“We will keep pretty much the same 17 this week and it’s the first time since lockdown we’ve been able to do that. There’s certainly some building blocks there to work with and work from and we’re looking for another positive performance this week.”

The travel to Catalans, for an early afternoon kick-off, adds to Trinity’s challenge, but Chester - whose players went into voluntary lockdown for a spell after the Wigan game in a bid to end the club’s coronavirus problems - insisted they can and will cope.

“We are going there and back in a day,” he said. “It is going to be an early start and a late finish, but we are ready.

“The guys have had four or five days at home not being able to do anything, but they came in Wednesday and we had a couple of really good sessions on Wednesday and Thursday.

“We are starting to get some players back and by next week we should have the majority of the squad to pick from, which is a real positive for us.”

A limited number of fans will be allowed into tomorrow’s game and - though they will not be cheering for Trinity - Chester said that is a plus.

“It will be nice to have some kind of atmosphere,” he stated.

“It is always hostile when you go to Catalans, they are in your face and on your back, but it will be nice to play in front of some fans. “It is something we have missed at Belle Vue and it will be nice to keep them quiet.”

Chester has named a 20-man squad, rather than the usual 21 and will select from the players on duty against Wigan, plus Brad Walker, Romain Navarrete and Innes Senior.

The 17 Catalans players who beat Leeds are all included in their squad for tomorrow, along with David Mead, Benjamin Jullien, Mickael Goudemand and Samisoni Langi.

Catalans Dragons: from Mead, Langi, Folau, Yaha, Maloney, Drinkwater, Casty, McIlorum, Moa, Whitley, J Tomkins, Garcia, Bousquet, Davies, Jullien, Goudemand, Romano, Baitieri, Mourgue, Kasiano, S Tomkins.

Wakefield Trinity: from A Walker, Johnstone, Tupou, Lyne, Jones-Bishop, Miller, K Wood, Arona, Ashurst, Westerman, Pitts, Kopczak, Green, Tangata, Crowther, B Walker, Tanginoa, Navarrete, Gigot, Senior.

Referee: James Child (Dewsbury).

Kick-off: Tomorrow, 2pm UK time.

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Thank you Laura Collins