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James Maloney has helped blast the Super League wide open with a masterclass for Catalans Dragons while Wigan's Jackson Hastings was another Aussie matchwinner.
Catalans Dragons have set the Super League alight with a 20-16 victory over table-topping champions St Helens at Stade Gilbert Brutus which featured a man-of-the-match performance from Australian standoff James Maloney.
The Aussie influence didn't end there on Saturday as Maloney's masterclass followed Jackson Hastings dropping a goal with three minutes remaining to extend Wigan's best start to a Super League season with a 17-16 win over his old club Salford.
But Bevan French, another of Wigan's star Aussies, had to come off in the first half with injury.
At the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan, a late revival by the champions led to a frantic finish but Saints couldn't quite finish the job as they crumbled to their first defeat of the season.
Maloney, the veteran NRL star who's playing some of his best rugby league at 34, put Catalans ahead with an early penalty and then weaved his way through the Saints defence for a try on 26 minutes.
Australian fullback Lachlan Coote got Saints on the scoreboard with a penalty just before halftime but the champions buckled early in the second half when Mike McMeeken's clever blind flick put Kiwi centre Dean Whare over the line, Maloney's conversion stretching Catalans' lead to 14-2.
Saints hit back with a Mark Percival try but Coote couldn't convert then Ben Jullien crossed for Catalans, Maloney converting from the touchline to make it 20-6.
Percival bagged his second try on 71 minutes then Regan Grace crossed to make it a four-point ball-game with just three minutes left.
A series of late penalties had the French supporters, including Dragons President Bernard Guasch, howling at referee Robert Hicks but the Dragons managed to resist a late Saints onslaught and left the fans singing for the first time this year.
For Catalans, a second home game looms against Wigan and, after this performance, they must go into that one as favourites.
Earlier, Hastings had shown a cool head to send over the one-pointer and put Wigan in front for the first time in a match they looked destined for long periods to lose.
Wigan coach Adrian Lam reckoned it was an "ugly" victory at the AJ Bell Stadium, before the former Salford halfback delivered the sucker punch.
"Salford deserved at least a point out of that game, I thought they were really courageous. I felt for them as a team - we got away with that one," said Lam.
Of French's injury, he said: "It looks like lower hamstring strain, though I'm not sure what level. That will get checked tomorrow and we'll get some clarity on the damage."
