Catalans Dragons 20-16 St Helens: Player ratings and major talking points

In a superb, fast-paced and physical affair in France, Catalans edged Champions St Helens to underline their credentials in 2021. It was a mouth-watering contest that at times went from end to end and was sheer brutality at others. In the end the Dragons came out on top and now sit level with Saints in the table.

Major Talking Points:

1. Like the good old days

Back to normal has been the ambition of the whole world for nearly 15 months and today things felt like the good old days. One thousand Catalans fans were allowed in the stadium and despite being small in the number they were enough to create the hostile and intimidating atmosphere the Dragons are famous for. It was wonderful to see and hear them again.

2. Saints not quite hitting the mark in 2021

Despite going into the game unbeaten, it’s widely acknowledged that Saints haven’t been their usual brilliant selves in 2021. The Champions haven’t scored as many points as in previous years and often find themselves in close games relying on their defence to pull them through. To still be in the mix at the top despite that is commendable but they need to sharpen things up or more defeats will follow.

3. Are Catalans the real deal?

They’ve just beaten the Champions in the most difficult circumstances. They lost star player Sam Tomkins before the game had even started causing a major re-shuffle of the side set to take on the Saints. Despite that, they were gutsy, smart and exciting to watch. They’ve won six of their opening seven and could very well be a real title contender this season.

Catalans
1 Arthur Mourgue – 8
2 Tom Davies – 8
4 Dean Whare – 7
20 Mathieu Laguerre – 7
5 Fouad Yaha – 7
6 James Maloney – 7
7 Josh Drinkwater – 7
8 Gil Dudson – 6
9 Michael McIlorum – 7
10 Julian Bousquet – 7
15 Benjamin Jullien – 7
12 Mike McMeeken – 8
13 Benjamin Garcia – 7
Substitutes
14 Alrix Da Costa – 6
17 Mickael Goudemand – 6
22 Joel Tomkins – 7
28 Sam Kasiano – 6

St Helens
1 Lachlan Coote – 8
3 Kevin Naiqama – 6
4 Mark Percival – 8
18 Jack Welsby – 6
5 Regan Grace – 7
6 Jonny Lomax – 7
7 Theo Fages – 7
15 Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook – 6
9 James Roby – 6
17 Agnatius Paasi – 6
11 Joel Thompson – 6
14 Sione Mata’utia – 6
13 Morgan Knowles – 6
Substitutes
8 Alex Walmsley – 6
16 Kyle Amor – 7
20 Joe Batchelor – 6
21 Lewis Dodd – 7