Super League: Catalans Dragons beat Leeds Rhinos for first win of the season

The game was crying out for a try and it was the home side that duly obliged just after the break.

Satae exploited James Bentley’s slip, charging into the Rhinos half. Leeds then recovered the ball in the ensuing phases only for Harry Newman to lose it in contact, allowing Catalans’ Smith to gather and fight his way over the line despite the attention of multiple Rhinos defenders.

The Dragons almost had a second minutes later. Tariq Sims’ half-break brought the home side well into Rhinos territory, before a pinpoint cross-field kick from Keary saw Riley Lumb barely able to get to the ball before Tommy Makinson, preventing an almost certain score.

Leeds were simply unable to get into any attacking rhythm, with repeated sets of six coming up empty, including for a promising attack at the beginning of the fourth quarter that ended with a knock-on from a diving Ethan Clark-Wood.

The visitors were then made to pay further. On the final tackle, Theo Fages kicked for the corner with the ball being contested by three players.

Clark-Wood’s attempted catch only resulted in the ball being knocked backward towards the tryline, allowing Smith to gather and dot down for his second.

As the game opened up in the final minutes, the home side almost added a third.

Nick Cotric recovered a speculative kick to the corner and looked set to feed Sims only for his pass to go agonisingly forward with the tryline at his mercy.

With the victory, Catalans move up to ninth in the table, while Leeds remain sixth.