Faatili hat-trick as Trinity rout hapless Dragons

Betfred Super League

Wakefield (10) 58

Tries: Hamlin-Uele, Tate 2, Faatili 3, Pitts, Myers, Tevaga, Pratt, Trueman Goals: Lino 7

Catalans (10) 10

Tries: Staines, Sexton Goals: Sexton

Prop Caius Faatili scored a hat-trick inside 17 minutes as Wakefield Trinity came from behind to thrash Catalans Dragons and go fourth in Super League.

The New Zealander twice showed good pace to get on the end of Jake Trueman grubber kicks, and in between those scores literally crawled over the line on his knees, dragging a tackler, in a remarkable show of strength.

The French outfit had stormed into a 10-0 lead inside the first 11 minutes and looked like running away with the game, with Trinity not getting on the scoreline until the 25th minute when Caleb Hamlin-Uele forced his way over.

With Dragons' kicker Toby Sexton earlier missing a conversion and a penalty, Will Tate's try made it all square at half-time before the home side ran in nine second-half tries against the stunned Dragons.

The French outfit have been an enigma this season, looking unstoppable one week, unpalatable the next, but they have not won on their travels since early March and went into the game with three defeats in the past four games.

In the opening spell they looked like the team that has seen off reigning champions Hull Kingston Rovers and early pace-setters Warrington Wolves and Leeds Rhinos, as Charlie Staines and Sexton scored devastating tries down the Wakefield right flank.

Trinity coach Daryl Powell made changes to shore up his team and it paid dividends as Hamlin-Uele powered over and then Will Tate capitalised on a Tommy Makinson error to make it 10-10 at half-time.

Faatili stole the show after that, beating full-back Staines in a foot-race for his first try, then driving the ball up and offloading for Jay Pitts to add another.

The 24-year-old is something of a cult figure in Wakefield, and after Jayden Myers had finished off Trueman's classy, looping pass, the big prop somehow forced his way over the line on all fours despite being tackled well short of the line.

He again showed good pace to reach another Trueman grubber to complete his first senior hat-trick before Jazz Tevaga, back from suspension, finished off a fine inside pass from Mason Lino, who added seven conversions on the night.

Dragons were a bedraggled outfit by this point and as large gaps began opening up in their defence Oliver Pratt strolled over for his 13th Super League try of the season and Trueman, who had crafted the win, scored a try of his own after slick work from Tray Lolesio before Tate added his second of the night.

Wakefield head coach Daryl Powell told BBC Radio Leeds:

"We started really sloppy, defensively, we were running backwards a hell of a lot at the start of the game and conceded a couple of soft tries. Catalans started really well and we just didn't go with it.

"We gradually got a bit of field position and got a couple of chances which we took and in the second half I felt we were awesome. Our middle unit was so powerful and punched holes consistently, and we took our chances.

"We scored nine tries in the second half which is an unbelievable effort in a half of football. We defended well, our attack was powerful, the middle unit was so good and Jake Trueman is playing at the top of his game at times and today was one of those times."

Wakefield: Rourke; Myers, Pratt, Hall, Tate; Lino, Trueman; Pitts, Scott, Nikotemo, Rodwell, Smoothy, McMeeken.

Interchanges: Tevaga, Hamlin-Uele, Faatili, Lolesio

Catalans: Staines; Makinson, Aispuro-Bichet, Faataape, Cotric; Sexton, Dodd; Allen, Tison, Navarrete, Lipowicz, Condon, Garcia.

Interchanges: Maria, Wilson, Leeming, Lis

Referee: Aaron Moore.