WARRINGTON Wolves are about to return to action after a fortnight’s break from fixtures.

They were beaten soundly by Wigan Warriors last time out and things do not get any easier for The Wire as they head to Perpignan to take on Catalans Dragons.

Here, sports reporter Matt Turner chats to head coach Daryl Powell about the lead-up to the game and the match itself…

MT: After the Wigan, you said this month would give you a little more time to work so with that in mind, how have you used these two weeks?

DP: We’ve obviously spent a bit of time with different combinations. We’ve had injuries to half-backs of late so getting those combinations tuned in has been important.

It’s been a good couple of weeks but ultimately, it’s about performances and we’ve got a good opportunity on Saturday and then next week against the two best teams in the competition from last year.

We have to step forward so we’ve worked hard on combinations and team unity, and our defence needs to improve so we’ve spent a fair bit of time there.

> Click here for the latest injury news from the Warrington Wolves camp ahead of Saturday's game

Warrington Guardian:

Wire were beaten by neighbours Wigan Warriors in their last fixture. Picture by Mike Boden

MT: By the sounds of what we’re hearing from you and the players, the right things are happening on the training pitch so have you been able to put more of a finger on why it’s not translating to game day?

DP: I think we just need to get more control in our game. We need to kick better to give our defensive starts more of a chance.

If you look back at the Wigan game, we started loose defensively and that’s obviously an area we have to improve.

We got back level and had a really good set straight after that but put a really loose kick in. Riley’s had some excellent bits of play in the two games he’s played but he put a couple of loose kicks in.

Our defensive durability is not what it needs to be and it’s something we have to continue to work on and improve against the better sides because they really make you pay when you don’t defend well.

Our tryline defence has got to improve – it’s those sorts of areas that we need to continually work on and with the ball, we need to finish our sets better to give ourselves more chance to get control.

> Click here to read the thoughts of Wire prop Robbie Mulhern on the trip to Catalans

Warrington Guardian:

Daryl Powell has called for more control from his half-backs. Picture by Mike Boden

MT: All of that will be tested pretty rigorously in Perpignan on Saturday you’d imagine?

DP: It will be. By all accounts it’s going to be 25 degrees as well so it will be pretty warm, as you’d expect at this time of year.

We’re kicking off at 6 o’clock so it may not have too much of an impact, but we’ve got to be mindful of it and physically, we’re going to be under pressure.

They’ve got a big pack with the likes of Julian Bousquet and Sam Kasiano, they’re an aggressive team and they’ve got some very smart players.

One thing they have done is bring through some excellent young French players. I really like Ben Garcia – he leads their pack very well.

It’s a big challenge – a physical one and a tactical one. They do certain things with the ball that you need to be able to defend. We’re aware of it but we’ve got to deal with it on the day.

Warrington Guardian:

The Wire boss had particular praise for Catalans Dragons skipper Ben Garcia. Picture by SWPix.com

MT: Rob Butler’s departure was confirmed this week – a move that’s good for both parties in that he gets to go out and play and you can clear some salary cap room?

DP: I felt Rob wasn’t quite where we needed him to be to be in our team.

We’re looking to have outstanding standards across everything we do and Rob needed to play, so this was a good opportunity for him.

> Click here for more details on Rob Butler's move away from the club

Warrington Guardian:

Rob Butler was allowed to join Wakefield Trinity this week. Picture by Mike Boden