A gutsy Leeds side failed to claim a fifth consecutive win in the wet at Headingley. They fell to an impressive Catalans side, who despite a slow first half, continued their fine form.
Major Talking Points:
1. Champion mentality from Catalans
Winning when not at your best is something associated with champions and the Dragons did just that tonight. They were 18-8 down and with 12 men at halftime. They withstood a storm of pressure from an in form Leeds side and came up with a brilliant 10 minute period to exploit a tired Rhinos defence. It was the stuff of champions.
2. Valiant Rhinos fall short
They were brilliant in the first half but their recent run of fixtures showed in the second as they ran out of steam. They look much better than at the start of the season and dominated the league leaders for large periods of the game. They’re on the right track and with some rest could continue their good form despite the loss.
3. Too many games?
Which brings me to my next point: are we expecting players to play too many games? Tonight was a brilliant contest sullied by errors that you wouldn’t expect from some of the league’s top players. Perhaps the demands on them are lessening the product through fatigue.
Player Ratings:
Leeds
16 Richie Myler – 7
24 Luke Briscoe – 6
4 Konrad Hurrell – 6
15 Liam Sutcliffe – 8
2 Tom Briscoe – 6
9 Kruise Leeming – 7
7 Luke Gale – 6
18 Tom Holroyd – 8
14 Brad Dwyer – 7
10 Matt Prior – 7
11 Alex Mellor – 7
12 Rhyse Martin – 7
20 Bodene Thompson – 6
Substitutes
17 Cameron Smith – 6
19 King Vuniyayawa – 6
25 James Donaldson – 6
26 Jarrod O’Connor – 6
Catalans
29 Sam Tomkins – 7
2 Tom Davies – 6
4 Dean Whare – 7
3 Samisoni Langi – 6
5 Fouad Yaha – 7
6 James Maloney – 6
1 Arthur Mourgue – 9
10 Julian Bousquet – 6
13 Ben Garcia – 7
22 Joel Tomkins – 6
11 Matt Whitely – 7
12 Mike McMeeken – 7
17 Mickael Goudemand – 6
Substitutes
14 Alrix Da Costa – 7
16 Paul Seguier – 6
24 Jason Baitieri – 6
28 Sam Kasiano – 7
Warrington Wolves
Exiled Super League star makes rugby league return
Huddersfield Giants
“Do your job!” – Sky Sports pundits take aim at ‘selfish’ Jake Connor
Warrington Wolves
Sam Burgess makes decision on future following South Sydney links
Huddersfield Giants
Jake Connor takes swipe at Leeds Rhinos fans
