There can have been few more mouth-watering prospects for the opening round of Super League XXI as the bookies favourites, Wigan Warriors, came up against a new-look Catalans Dragons at the DW Stadium.

On a dry pitch in good conditions this had the promise of a cracker...but we got driving rain, a mudbath and a game littered with errors.

Pat Richards, Richie Myler and Paul Aiton were all famous Super League names making their competitive debuts for the French side who made a habit of losing on the road last season. It was always going to be tough as they were up against a Wigan side, sporting just one new signing in Willie Isa, who were on the back of an unbeaten season on their home ground.

The conditions, with driving rain and an increasingly soggy pitch, had dominated the opening fifteen minutes with handling errors from both sides. Then when Inu lost the ball on the ground it was picked up by Michael McIlorum who walked five paces, and ground by the posts. Matty Smith hit the upright with what looked like a simple conversion, demonstrating perfectly the deteriorating conditions.

Two minutes later and McIlorum got his second from short range, off a Williams pass. This time Smith made no mistake with the boot and within the space of two minutes the Warriors had opened out up a ten point lead.

As the half wore on the mistakes became more widespread with Wigan not letting the Dragons have a monopoly on the spilt ball, and it was the visitors who ended the half pressuring the Dragons line but with nothing to show for their efforts.

With just eighty seconds on the second half clock the Dragons managed to do something they'd not for the first forty minutes as Justin Horo got his hand on a bouncing ball to ground before it was kicked dead by the Wigan defence. Pat Richards kicked the extras and the Catalans were right back in the game.

Matty Smith kicked a relieving penalty on fifty-two from in-front of the posts to take the Wigan lead back out to a converted try.

A Wigan try from Liam Farrell four minutes from the end was chalked off after Charnley was judged to have pushed a Catalans defender off the ball. But the game ended with the visitors pinned in their own twenty as Wigan picked up the two points.

Catalans were their own worst enemy on the first half and the Warriors found a two minute purple patch to take a ten point lead and ultimately win the match. It wasn't pretty, the conditions made sure of that, and the game and outcome tells us very little about what will happen over the rest of the season.

But it's Wigan who join the Wolves, Saints and Hull FC with opening round wins.

Wigan Warriors: Tierney, Charnley, Gelling, Sarginson, Manfredi, Williams, Smith (2G), Flower, McIlorum (2T), O'Loughlin, Isa, Farrell, Bateman. Subs: Clubb, Powell, Tautai, Sutton.

Catalans Dragons: Gigot, Yaha, Inu, Duport, Richards (G), Carney, Myler, Anderson, Aiton, Bosquet, Steward, Horo (T), Baitieri. Subs: Taylor, Pelissier, Mounis, Elima.

Referee: Ben Thaler

Attendance: