Yorkshire | Leeds Rhinos denied sixth successive win

Leeds Rhinos 8 - 16 Catalans Dragons 

Leeds Rhinos saw their five-match winning run ended by Catalans Dragons in the penultimate round of the Super League regular season.

Author | Oliver W

Stadium | Headingley

Pre match scenes

Already assured of a play-off berth, Leeds had kept opponents scoreless in their previous two outings but trailed 8-0 at half-time after Ugo Tison’s close-range try, converted by Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet, who also landed penalties either side of the break.

Catalans were briefly reduced to 12 men when Romain Navarrete was sin-binned for a high tackle, yet their resistance was finally broken as Ryan Hall collected Brodie Croft’s high kick to score in the corner. Morgan Gannon almost added another before being halted just short by Tommy Makinson.

Leeds were punished soon after when Julian Bousquet pounced on Luke Keary’s drop goal attempt that rebounded off the post. Croft struck late to give Leeds hope, but Lachie Miller’s missed conversion meant the visitors held firm.

The impact of this defeat for the home side

Leeds missed the chance to draw level on points with second-placed Wigan, whom they meet in their final regular season match on 19 September, after falling to defeat against Catalans. The result means the Warriors will secure a top-two finish, and with it a week’s rest and a home semi-final, should they win one of their two remaining fixtures.

The Rhinos remain well placed to finish in the top four, a position that would guarantee at least a home tie in the opening round of the play-offs. That scenario will be confirmed if fifth-placed St Helens are unable to overcome fourth-placed Leigh on Friday.

Reaction from a disappointed Leeds Rhinos fan

“Really frustrating that. We’ve seen a few like this already this year and the losses all seem to follow the same pattern. We get ourselves into positions where we should be winning, but somehow manage to throw it away,” said Darren, a Rhinos fan.

“Tonight it just looked like some of the lads were trying too hard. We got too many things wrong, the big plays especially, and the execution just wasn’t there.

“When it gets like that, instead of calming down and building a bit of rhythm, we panic and try to force it. That’s where we’ve got to learn to be more patient.”