Wigan had to defend ferociously in the opening quarter

Wigan coach Brian Noble said an outstanding effort in defence had been the key to his side's superb 50-28 play-off win over Catalans Dragons.

The Warriors ran in nine tries in the south of France, but Noble paid tribute to their hard work without the ball.

"This team is better with a boot at their throat. In these situations, it was important they stood up to be counted - they did," said Noble.

"It was the effort in that first 15 minutes that kept us in the picture."

Catalans Dragons made a strong start to the match, monopolising possession in the opening minutes and forcing Wigan onto the back foot.

But the Warriors, who also had to contend with the fervent home support inside the Stade Gilbert Brutus, kept their composure and held out until a breakaway try from Dimitri Pelo after 19 minutes.

And having fallen behind, Wigan quickly hit back with tries from George Carmont, Trent Barrett and Richie Mathers to go into the break 14-10 ahead.

"Catalans are a big team and you have to be physically up to it," added Noble.

"The start of the game was really hard in relation to our defence and that desire set us up when the score was 20-20.

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Wigan's win keeps their dreams of a first Grand Final since 2003 alive, but they will have to beat Leeds at Headingley on Friday in the final eliminator in order to get to Old Trafford.

"We have to recognise that this is the time of year when you have to play your best football and not get carried away with what has gone on," said Noble.

"We have done really well this year to get ourselves into a position where we have a chance. But Leeds will be a tough challenge."

While Wigan have at least one more match to look forward to, the defeat brought the Dragons' outstanding season to an anti-climatic end.

It also marked the final match at the club for their coach Mick Potter, with the Australian coach taking on the challenge of replacing the ultra successful Daniel Anderson at St Helens next season.

"We were disappointed with our execution in the first half," said Potter.

"We missed some opportunities. We hoped they weren't going to come back to haunt us but they did.

"You can't do that in semi-finals. The scoreboard was tight, and everything we tried we came up with the wrong option.

"As the pressure built, the scoreboard ran away from us. But the score is not a true reflection of the match."

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