Last weekend’s positive coronavirus tests for a number of Hull FC players had thrown this weekends round nine fixtured into turmoil. Wakefield Trinity were scheduled to play against St Helens while the Catalans Dragons should have been Salford Red Devils, the side forced into self-isolation as a result of playing Hull FC last weekend. Instead the opening game of round nine saw Trinity against the Dragons iun a game held at the Totally Wisked Stadium in St Helens.

Both sides were missing stars, Trinity without free scoring winger Tom Johnstone, try scorer in the one point loss to Wigan last week, while the French side were missing the services of Israel Folau who bagged a try in last weekends big win over the Castleford Tigers.

The Dragons were favourites to pick up the win which would  lift them to second in the table but Trinity were only given a four point start on the handicapping.

Most of the early prssure came from the Dragons and the Wakefield line was breached after seven minutes when Josh Drinkwater put Matt Whitley through a gap. James Maloney added the conversion for a 6-0 lead.

Two minutes later Fouad Yaha broke the line and via the hands of the supporting Sam Tomkins found Samisoni Langi to take the pass for the second try of the game. Maloney was again accurate with the boot for 12-0 after twelve minutes.

Sam Tomkins created the third Dragons try as the French side looked unstoppable. He put in a fantastic miss out pass which found youngster Tom Davies on the wing to go in on the overlap and score in the corner. Maloney added the conversion, the Dragons scoring at a rate of more than a point a minute with Trinity looking bewildered.

After interference at the play the ball by David Fifita, Maloney added a penalty to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Trinity were in disarray as Davies got his second of the half, again down the right wing, and this time thanks to David Mead making the break and drawing in the defenders to put his winger free. Maloney hit the near post with his conversion attempt.

Trinity stemmed the tide in the last fifteen minutes of the game, managing to keep their line intact and going into the break trailing by 24-0.

With under a minute on the second half clock, Sam Tomkins ripped through a broken Trinity defence and passed out to Tom Davies to run in for his hat-trick try. Maloney was accurate with the boot to bring up thirty points. The Dragons eyes now on a win by forty-three points or more that would see them to the top of the league on points difference.

A simple try from Julian Bousquet, taking the ball at first receiver and shrugging off a couple of tackles to score. Maloney added the two for 36-0, Trinity getting a whooping with no sign of a fightback this week.

Fouad Yaha scored the seventh Dragons try of the afternoon when he did well to take a dreadful bounce pass from Whitley, picking up the ball behind his stride but able to move the ball forwards and ground. Maloney again hit the near upright with the conversion attempt. Catalans now one try away from topping the table.

On sixty-three minutes Yaha leapt to take a high kick from Tomkins and pass back inside to Whitley to walk in unopposed to score under the sticks. Maloney added the conversion from in front of the uprights for 46-0, the slaughter almost complete.

On sixty-nine Matt Whitley set up a fight for the match ball as he went in for his hat-trick try, sprinting fifty metres to score under the sticks and bring up the Dragons fifty. Sam Tomkins deputised as kicked and added the conversion for 52-0.

Langi completed his brace on seventy-five leaping to take a Drinkwater cross-field kick to collect the ball and drop over the line to ground. Tomkins kicked the extras for 58-0 to ensure that it would be the top of the table, at least until the end of the evening kick-off.

This was the complete performance from the Dragons against a Trinity side who looked disorganised and disinterested. Ten tries and nine goals without any response from their opponents as Tomkins and Drinkwater bossed the game and the backs filled their boots. This was a complete eighty from the French side who just a fortnight ago were in the depths of dispair.

Trinity: Gigot, Kay, Lyne, Tupou, Kershaw, Miller, Hampshire, Kopczak, Wood J, Tanginoa, Pitts, Ashurst, Westerman. Subs: Wood K, Fifita, Navarrete, Tangata.

Dragons: Tomkins S (2G), Davies (3T), Langi (2T), Mead, Yaha (T), Maloney (7G), Drinkwater, Casty, McIlorum, Moa, Whitley (3T), Tomkins J, Garcia.  Subs: Bousquet (T), Jullien, Baitieri, Kasiano.

Referee: Chris Kendall.

Half-Time: 0-24.

Full-Time: 0-58.

Ground: Totally Wicked Stadium, St Helens