Catalans 27-18 Leeds: Player ratings and major talking points

For the second week in a row, Catalans overturned a halftime deficit against the Leeds Rhinos to claim a famous win. It really does seem like Catalans may be the team to beat in 2021.

Major Talking Points:

1. McNamara proving he can be a Champion coach

What on earth does he say to his players at halftime? Two weeks in a row his halftime team talk has turned things around against a challenging Leeds side. Everything the Dragons were doing wrong in the first half was put right in the second as they played with discipline and composure carefully dismantling the opposition.

2. Leeds missing their big hitters

The Rhinos, for the second week in a row, simply ran out of steam although this time it was for different reasons. Leeds were forced to field a stand-off and a hooker on the bench alongside a 20-year-old loose forward. They simply didn’t have the physicality and energy to match Catalans in the second half. Had Mikolaj Oledzki, Bodene Thompson or King Vuniyayawa played it might have been different. However, the outing will help the development of Sam Walters and Jarrod O’Connor.

3. Josh Drinkwater the most underrated player in Super League?

The Catalans number seven is often overlooked when we’re talking about Super League’s stars or even Catalans’ key player. However, it cannot be disputed that he is at the heart of their success this year. He kicked Leeds to death in the second half and led his side masterfully even without James Maloney alongside him. Yes, he came up with a huge error in the first half but he more than made amends in the second.

Player Ratings:

Catalans
29 Sam Tomkins – 8
2 Tom Davies – 6
4 Dean Whare – 6
3 Samisoni Langi – 7
5 Fouad Yaha – 8
1 Arthur Mourgue – 7
7 Josh Drinkwater – 9
8 Gil Dudson – 7
14 Alrix Da Costa – 7
17 Mickael Goudemand – 8
11 Matt Whitley – 7
12 Mike McMeeken – 7
13 Benjamin Garcia – 7
Substitutes
15 Benjamin Jullien – 6
16 Paul Seguier – 7
28 Sam Kasiano – 9
30 Jordan Dezaria – 7

Leeds
16 Richie Myler – 7
24 Luke Briscoe – 6
4 Konrad Hurrell – 7
3 Harry Newman – 7
2 Tom Briscoe – 8
15 Liam Sutcliffe – 6
7 Luke Gale – 6
18 Tom Holroyd – 6
9 Kruise Leeming – 6
10 Matt Prior – 6
11 Alex Mellor – 6
22 Sam Walters – 6
17 Cameron Smith – 8
Substitutes
14 Brad Dwyer – 6
23 Callum McLelland – 6
25 James Donaldson – 6
26 Jarrod O’Connor – 6