A DISASTROUS start to the game cost Widnes dear as they went down 32-16 to Catalans Dragons at the Stade Gilbert Brutus.

Denis Betts men found themselves 18-0 adrift after only 15 minutes and were always chasing the game from then on.

To their credit, they refused to fold and with a relatively inexperienced side showed some good touches.

Coach Betts rang the changes with Rhys Hanbury, Chris Dean, Kevin Brown, Joe Mellor, Eamon O'Carroll, Gil Dudson and Danny Tickle missing from the team that beat Warrington 30-10 four days earlier.

In came Declan Hulme, Patrick Ah Van, Tom Gilmore, Grant Gore, Phil Joseph and Ben Kavanagh.

In warm, sunny conditions, Catalans took the game to the Vikings from the kick-off.

Centre Willie Tonga opened the scoring on five minutes as Widnes failed to deal with an awkwardly bouncing Morgan Escare kick and the score was quickly doubled to 12-0 when Eloi Pelissier romped under the posts after second row Ellitt Whitehead had made the break.

When another Escare kick caused chaos in the Vikings defence on 12 minutes, this time the lively fullback followed up himself and with Thomas Bosc adding his third conversion from wide out, the home side were 18-0 to the good.

Having finally secured some possession in the opposition half, Widnes went close when Gilmore dummied through but he lost the ball with the line in sight and Lloyd White had a try chalked off for a ball steal.

However, it wasn't long before the Dragons were back at the other end and left winger Mathias Pala scored on the overlap.

Things took a turn for the worst on 27 minutes, if such a thing was possible, when substitute Matt Whitley was sin-binned for a late hit on Scott Dureau.

Not for the first time this season, the Vikings didn't make a bad fist of playing short-handed as Gilmore sent Jack Owens in at the corner with a lovely long pass to make it 22-4 at the break.

The Dragons showed some early threat in the second half as Zeb Taia was held up over the line and a Whitehead break came to nought, but it was Widnes who narrowed the back when Stefan Marsh wriggled over for a six-pointer from a Gilmore flat pass.

Catalans responded with a break up the left by Pala and when he was stopped short, Pelissier burrowed his way over for his second try of the game and Dureau restored his team's 18 point advantage with the conversion.

On the hour mark an intelligent Dureau kick into the in-goal saw winger Damien Cardace win the race for the touchdown and the Dragons were back in full control at 32-10.

But Widnes were nothing if not game and Phil Joseph sent Alex Gerrard racing to the posts with a short ball after White had made good ground up the middle.

With a better start who knows what may have happened.

Catalans: Escare; Cardace, Pomeroy, Tonga, Pala; Bosc, Dureau; Garcia, Henderson, Casty, Taia, Whitehead, Baitieri. Subs: Anderson, Mounis, Pelissier, Bousquet.

Widnes: Craven; Owens, Hulme, Marsh, Ah Van; Gilmore, Gore; Joseph, White, Kavanagh, Galea, Leuluai, Gerrard. Subs: Phelps, Heremaia, Whitley, Manuokafoa. Referee: B Thaler"

Attendance: 9,863.