Leeds Rhinos hosted Catalans Dragons at Headingley and fell to a shock defeat with Catalans Dragons putting in their best performance of the season.
Les Dracs won 16-8 with their hosts simply not performing and seeing their hopes of a top two finish dwindle.
Jake Connor was replaced by Jack Sinfield in the major change for Leeds whilst Keenan Palasia, Tom Holroyd and Max Simpson also returned. Those changes paled in comparison to the eight that Joel Tomkins made, three of which were enforced through suspension.
It looked like it could be a long night for Catalans when Tommy Makinson dropped the kick off but they recovered well with the first of two first-half Theo Fages’ 40/20s given them their first territory. After forcing a couple of repeat sets, Ugo Tison darted over from dummy-half.
A penalty from Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet close to the half made it 8-0 with another penalty coming ten minutes into the second period to extend it to 10-0 after Brodie Croft inexplicably kicked on the first and wasted a set.
Romain Navarrete was then sent to the sin bin for a high shot as the Dragons scrambled desperately to defend five sets in a row but their reserve finally broke when Ryan Hall claimed a Brodie Croft kick to score his 264th Super League try.
Croft then lost the ball in two sets with Catalans gaining their first territory. They opted for one but Luke Keary’s drop goal hit the post before he then hammered Lachie Miller, as Julian Bousquet pounced on the loose ball to score and make it 16-4.
Brodie Croft then gave Leeds a chance with three minutes to go but Lachie Miller’s skewed conversion ended any hope of a comeback, as Leeds fell to a 16-10 loss.
Here are all the key talking points from a shocking night at Headingley.
Leeds Rhinos v Catalans Dragons talking points
Connor absence telling
Leeds were not at the races at all in terms of their individual performances but they have found ways to win in spite of struggling individuals this year. One person they haven’t won without, simply by merit of the fact he had been ever-present before today, was Jake Connor and his absence was very evident.
The spine didn’t click at all and not just because of Jack Sinfield with both Brodie Croft and Lachie Miller looking below their best. The decision to leave Andy Ackers off the bench also meant that no change of pace at hooker could be made.
Tonight’s result means that Leeds are unlikely to sneak second so Connor could be rested again next week where more questions will be asked of whether Leeds can win without their star man.
Play-offs blown wide open
Catalans were priced as large as 25/1 with some bookmakers whilst Leeds were heavy odds on favourites and that’s what everyone expected, with most thinking Leeds would move level on points with Wigan and keep their top two hopes alive.
Instead, the defeat opens up the possibility that Leeds could even finish fifth and miss out on a home play-off game. Wins for St Helens against Leigh Leopards and Castleford Tigers, a Leigh win over Huddersfield and Wigan defeating Leeds in Round 27 would see the Rhinos somehow finish fifth, despite being in the driving seat lately.
Wigan can now secure second with a win on Friday night but the race behind them looks more exciting than ever.
Where has this Catalans been all season?
Whilst Leeds were way off it, part of that was because of how good Catalans were with their defensive doggedness something that they’ve missed all season long.
An excellent kicking game, led chiefly by Theo Fages, who kicked two of the Dragons’ three 40/20s saw Catalans control territory before then backing up defensively.
Not many of this current bunch will be there in 2026 but those who will be have shown that they’re bought in behind Joel Tomkins and that is massive for the rebuild that they’ve got ahead.
Theo Fages masterclass
As referenced, Fages was the main orchestrator of Catalans’ performance with the playmaker putting in a near flawless performance.
Most of that wasn’t even in regards his playmaking given how little territory and good ball the Dragons had, but it was his actions to get them out of their own half with his kicking game near flawless.
He’s already confirmed to be leaving and heading to Pia Donkeys for 2026 but only aged 31 and on the back of such an impressive performance, you have to wonder if he should have been either re-signed or recruited by another Super League club.
Teams
Leeds Rhinos XIII: Lachie Miller; Ryan Hall, Harry Newman, Max Simpson, Chris Hankinson; Brodie Croft, Jack Sinfield; Cooper Jenkins, Jarrod O’Connor, Mikolaj Oledzki; James McDonnell, Morgan Gannon, Keenan Palasia
Interchanges: Kallum Watkins, Sam Lisone, James Bentley, Tom Holroyd
Catalans Dragons XIII: Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet; Fouad Yaha, Nick Cotric, Reimis Smith, Tommy Makinson; Theo Fages, Luke Keary; Jordan Dezaria, Ugo Tison, Romain Navarrete; Tariq Sims, Bayley Sironen, Benjamin Garcia
Interchanges: Chris Satae, Julian Bousquet, Paul Seguier, Tanguy Zenon
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Three wins from their last four for @DragonsOfficiel 🐉#SuperLeague pic.twitter.com/7qNBDQNQIu
— Betfred Super League (@SuperLeague) September 11, 2025
