RFL CHAIRMAN Nigel Wood has paid tribute to the Catalans Dragons and Wigan for staging the first Super League game in Paris since the days of the Paris St Germain club in 1997.

The game celebrated the 30th year since the initial launch of Super League in Paris in 1996 and twenty years since the Dragons entered Super League.

The game was held at the Stade Jean Bouin on Saturday evening in front of 12,525 spectators, including an estimated 7,000 Dragons fans who had made the trip north, with Wigan winning 40-16 after running up a 30-6 scoreline at half-time.

Earlier in the afternoon Pia had defeated Carcassonne 31-30 in a thrilling French Super XIII Final.

The previous evening the Dragons had treated guest and sponsors to a floating celebration on the River Seine.

“it was an excellent occasion, befitting of the Dragons’ 20th anniversary in the Super League in one of the world’s great cities,” said Wood.

“There was great support from Wigan, who I’m sure enjoyed the event, while the Catalan club put on a terrific event for partners and sponsors on the Friday evening.

“Creating a double header with Carcassonne v Pia for the French title worked exceptionally well and a thrilling 31-30 result set up the Super League game splendidly.

“It will be interesting to see whether the French Federation seek to repeat the celebration and make a Paris fixture a regular part of the calendar.”

Next year Wigan and Warrington are planning a Super League fixture in the Irish capital Dublin at a date yet to be confirmed, while they may also be joined on the same weekend by Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity.