With two games of the regular season remaining, the Leeds Rhinos had their eyes firmly on second spot but knew that they needed a massive points win over a Catalans Dragons side who are destined to finish the season in a very disappointing ninth place in the table.

The Dragons were given a twenty-six-point start on the coupon, the Rhinos loss of the in-form Jake Connor not concerning the bookmakers who couldn’t see anything other than a comprehensive Leeds victory.

For Leeds the win was crucial, as was improving their points difference, as depending on results over the next two weeks they could still finish as high as second, or as low as fifth in the table.

Tommy Makinson spilled the kick-off and conceded a goal line drop out but despite the Rhinos having a set in the Dragons ten, the defence held strong.

A Theo Fages 40-20 on ten minutes gave the Dragons a chance to attack the Rhinos line and they made the pressure tell with back-to-back sets after the Rhinos got hands on the ball twice. On thirteen, the Rhinos conceded their first try in almost three hours of play when Ugo Tison scooted from acting half back to go over from eight metres after wrong-footing Brodie Croft. Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet added the conversion for a surprise but not undeserved 6-0 lead.

Leeds were finding it hard going, the Dragons putting in their best performance for many weeks.

With three minutes of the half remaining a swinging Leeds arm gifted Aispuro-Bichet a gift of a penalty goal to extend the lead to 8-0, the Dragons taking the advantage into the break.

A Luke Keary 20-40 and a couple of tackles into the set the Rhinos stole the ball illegally, Aispuro-Bichet kicking the penalty goal to put the Dragons into double figures.

Repeat offences from the dragons inside their own twenty was finally too much for referee Smith who sent Romain Navarette to the sin-bin on fifty-six. Leeds were laying siege to the Catalans line but there was some respite when Morgan Gannon spilled the ball with the line begging. The Rhinos still ten adrift and starting to panic.

On sixty-three the old man Ryan Hall finally got the Rhinos on the board as he leapt to take a pinpoint Brodie Croft kick to the corner, land in goal, and ground. Lachie Miller was wide with his conversion attempt, Leeds back within six.

Gannon spilled the ball a metre short of the line on sixty-nine as Leeds pushed for the equalising try, Leeds were the only team in the game, the Dragons running on empty but still holding the lead.

On a rare foray into the Leeds half Kery went for a drop goal which came back off the upright, wasn’t collected by Miller under the tackle from the kicker, the ball bouncing into goal to be grounded by Julian Bousquet. The video referee was consulted who gave the try and when Aispuro-Bichet added the conversion the visitors had a 16-4 lead.

With three minutes remaining Brodie Croft found a gap in the defence to jog in for a try but Miller missed a simple conversion as he rushed to kick, the coaches head in his hands.

This was a sensational defensive effort from the Catalans Dragons who took their rare chances when they came for a famous and most unexpected win. It was a potentially damaging loss for the Rhinos who could now conceivably slip to fifth in the table. It will certainly serve as a wake-up call for Brad Arthurs men, but Leeds looked like a weaker side without the presence of Jake Connor.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller (G 0/2), Hall (T), Newman, Simpson, Hankinson, Croft (T), Sinfield, Jenkins, O’Connor, Oledzki, Gannon, McDonnell, Palasia. Subs: Watkins, Lisone, Bentley, Holroyd. 18^th Man: Ackers. 

Catalans Dragons: Aispuro-Bichet (G 4/4), Makinson, Cotric, Smith, Yaha, Keary, Fages, Dezaria, Tison (T), Navarrete (SB on 56), Sims, Soronen, Garcia. Subs: Bousquet (T), Satae, Séguier, Zénon. 18^th Man: Rougé.

Half-Time: 0-8.

Full-Time: 8-16.  

Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-8 : HT:  0-10, (SB), 4-10, 4-14, 4-16, 8-16 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Catalans.

Referee: Jack Smith.