Catalans Wary of Wounded Warriors Who See Victory in the Stars

Catalans Dragons will leave one sporting scandal behind today fearing the backlash from another as they aim to become the first foreign club to reach a Challenge Cup final. The Dragons players, who have been absorbed by the daily drugs updates from the Tour de France, expect a Wigan side that have been docked four points for breaching the salary cap to draw on their troubles for extra motivation ahead of their semi-final against the French club at Warrington tomorrow.

The Wigan coach, Brian Noble, refused yesterday to discuss the points deduction imposed on his team on Wednesday night, other than to say "it hasn't been a distraction because we knew a decision was coming". However, his captain, Sean O'Loughlin, could not resist a good-humored reference to the damage done to the Warriors' Super League prospects.

"July's been a good month for us because we've played all the teams above us in the table," he said, referring to victories over Bradford and Leeds followed by last Friday's highly creditable defeat at St Helens. Then he realized that Wigan have now slipped from fourth to ninth and added with a grin: "Oh no, we haven't now, have we?"

With only six league games remaining Wigan face an uphill struggle to avoid missing out on the top-six play-offs for the third consecutive season. But this year's Challenge Cup has always been the priority for the club's owner, Dave Whelan, who said it was "written in the stars" that Wigan would win the first final at the new Wembley, just as they had marked the first rugby league fixture at the Empire Stadium in 1929 by beating Dewsbury 13-2.

Thousands of Wigan supporters have already bought their tickets for the final, aware that the allocation of 10,000 for each of the competing clubs will be inadequate for their first appearance at the national stadium since their defeat by Sheffield Eagles in 1998. The bookmakers share their view that the Warriors have struck lucky by avoiding Bradford and St Helens in the last four, giving the Catalans a 14-point start on the handicap coupon.

But that must be worrying for Noble, who recognizes that, with players such as their mercurial New Zealand scrum-half Stacey Jones and the Australian veteran Jason Croker, the Catalans have too much big-match experience to be taken lightly.

"If we show any signs of complacency, we will be in trouble," Noble said yesterday. He need only remind his players of their fortunate Super League victory in Perpignan back in February to ram home that message. However, by deciding on Warrington as the "neutral" venue, and eschewing the option of taking the tie to Barcelona, the Rugby Football League have loaded the dice in Wigan's favour - a huge irony, given the current bitter state of relations between the governing body and Super League's rogue club.

Wigan received another boost this week when Stuart Fielden, the Great Britain prop whose £450,000 transfer from Bradford last June is at the root of their problems, was cleared to play despite being concussed against St Helens last Friday. However, it is Trent Barrett, the Australian stand-off with the potential to grace the new Wembley as his compatriot Brett Kenny did the old in Wigan's classic 1985 victory against Hull, who makes it impossible to back against them tomorrow.

Wigan Warriors (probable) Richards; Calderwood, Bailey, Vaealiki, Colbon; Barrett, Leuluai; Fielden, Higham, Paleaaesina, Hock, Fletcher, O'Loughlin (capt). Interchange (from) McIlorum, Goulding, Hansen, Prescott, O'Carroll.

Catalans Dragons (probable) Greenshields; Khattabi, Wilson, Mogg, Duport; McGuire, Jones (capt); Chan, Quigley, Guisset, Raguin, Croker, Mounis. Interchange Ferriol, Griffi, Gossard, Fellous, Touxegas.

TV: BBC2, 3pm tomorrow