IF Warrington Wolves are to make a victorious return to action, Robbie Mulhern is clear about what he and his teammates must do.

The Wire head to Perpignan to take on Catalans Dragons on Saturday aiming to become the first visiting side to win a Super League game at the Stade Gilbert Brutus this season.

It is perhaps the toughest test Super League has to offer at the moment, but front-rower Mulhern says The Wire know where the key to victory lies.

“From minute one, we’ve got to match their intensity,” he told the Guardian.

“It’s no secret how big their pack is as well as the experience and quality within it, but it’s up to us to match that.

“If we do that and hang in there with them, we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“I guess that’s typical of any game, really – you’ve got to be on it from minute one to minute 80 or you won’t get away with it.”

Warrington Guardian:

Robbie Mulhern in action against Catalans Dragons last year. Picture by SWPix.com

Identifying how to tame the Dragons and actually accomplishing it are, of course, two very different things but The Wire do have relatively recent history of doing so.

Indeed, they were one of the last teams to win a Super League game in Perpignan, triumphing 24-8 behind closed doors at the Brutus last April.

In the 14 league home games Catalans have played since then, however, they have lost only once.

“Last year, there was no crowd and usually when you go over there, the atmosphere is quite partisan and hostile,” said Mulhern.

“I think we can use that in our favour – you have to relish playing in atmospheres like that.

“I think this would be on par with going away to Saints as being the toughest test. Saints are flying but Catalans have got a great team.

“Steve McNamara (Dragons head coach) has been there a while, he’s implemented his philosophies and you can see them in action because they play great stuff.

“It’s always tough going over there but it’s a challenge the lads are relishing.”

Both sides come into the game having had a fortnight’s break as the campaign hits a fragmented period.

For the next month, The Wire will be playing games in twos before a pair of breaks – the first for the Challenge Cup Final and the second for international fixtures.

Having been beaten handsomely by Wigan Warriors last time out, Mulhern admits the break was not ideal in a certain sense but insisted it has been used positively.

Warrington Guardian:

Mulhern in action against Wigan. Picture by Mike Boden

“Some of the lads were desperate to have another game quickly but I think having a bit of time off was a blessing in disguise,” he said.

“We’ve had chance to forget about it, we’ve worked on some stuff and we’re better prepared going into this game.

“A lot of the lads have been around the game long enough now, though, to get it out of the system after a couple of days.

“The more you think about it and the things you wish you’d have done differently, it does you no good really.

“We review it as a team but then we forget about it and try to take the lessons into the next game.

“We had three days off to just chill out but other than that, we’ve trained right through.

“We’ve done a lot of skills-based things to really try and pick up on things we’ve not been too good at over the course of the season.

“We’ve focused on our good-ball stuff – building pressure, trying to get repeat sets – and we’ve been looking really sharp in training with it.

“Hopefully we can take that into the game on Saturday.”