IT would be naïve to say this result was a bolt that sprung completely from the blue.

Not many people gave this Warrington Wolves side much chance of breaching what has been a pretty much impregnable Perpignan fortress, and it duly went to form.

That in itself is a sad indictment of this increasingly disappointing campaign, but perhaps the most galling thing for anyone of a Wire persuasion will be how the game ended, with their side wilting in the French heat.

It could be said that this was simply the pressure telling – Catalans had spent most of the game banging on the door and as their visitors flagged from the extra defending, they booted it off its hinges.

However, conceding 26 points in the final 15 minutes is simply not good enough for a side with the kind of individual quality Warrington have.

Did they throw the towel in when things started to go against them? Mitchell Pearce’s controversial try and a couple of questionable penalty calls from referee Liam Moore, for example?

Only those on the field can really answer that, but Daryl Powell’s post-match musings about there being mentality issues within the squad certainly point to that.

And if that is the case, why is it so? Do you not think the 500 fans who spent hard-earned money in spite of spiralling living costs to cross the Channel and watch you deserve better than such a collapse?

I’m minded to think back to just over a year ago, when The Wire won 24-8 in Perpignan in a performance full of grit, togetherness and defensive resilience. Of the 17 players who turned out that day, 10 were in the side for this game.

What has gone so badly wrong in that time?

Granted, for at least half of the game we did see signs of the kind of spirit that earned a result in Perpignan last year.

They turned away wave-after-wave of pressure – plenty of it self-inflicted – and it raised hopes that maybe, something special may have been on the cards.

For that to have happened, though, they needed to be clinical and composed on the ball and instead, they were frantic and disjointed.

Yes, another new half-back pairing will not have helped but there is surely enough experience between George Williams and Stefan Ratchford to have mustered a little more than one try and a solitary repeat set.

Joe Bullock attempting a kick on the third tackle during one particular set summed up Wire’s display with ball in hand.

While Sam Tomkins has to be commended for his defending in both situations, Wire will be thinking they should have made more of long-distance breaks in either half from Matty Ashton and Connor Wrench, too.

Wrench can be pleased with his display out of position on the wing, as can Josh Thewlis who was excellent at full-back again before succumbing to an injury he tried to play through.

Aside from that, though, not many individuals can emerge with much credit.

With St Helens on the horizon, there is a chance things could get worse before they get better.