If there is a time you don’t want to travel to Perpignan to play the Dragons, it would be the round after you’ve been given a rugby league lesson by the Castleford Tigers and lost your skipper for the rest of the season. The Dragons were on a cloud after beating the Red Devils in Newcastle last weekend and had their eyes on tenth spot, with a possibility of ninth with a big enough win.

The Rhinos took a makeshift side on the longest trip in the domestic game. Jimmy Keinhorst, Brad Dwyer, Adam Cuthbertson and Brett Ferres were all named in the thirteen to replace Watkins, Parcell, Peteru, Ferres and Jones-Buchanan. It was also a very youthful Rhinos bench. The Catalans made just one change to their winning squad with Mikael Goudemand replacing Jason Baitieri on the bench.

It was the best possible start for the Dragons when Benjamin Jullien supported a flowing break to go over for the opening try. Josh Drinkwater added the conversion for a 6-0 lead to the home side.

On eight minutes Benjamin Garcia grabbed the Dragons second from a neat offload but this time Drinkwater was unable to add the extras.

Good Dragons pressure allowed Michael McIllorum to duck under Stevie Ward for the third try of the afternoon. Drinkwater was accurate with the boot for a 16-0 lead to Catalans against a woeful Rhinos. With twenty minutes on the clock there was only one side in it.

An late shoulder charge from Sam Moa on Richie Myler, after the ball had been released, saw the Dragons prop sin binned on twenty-five.

The Rhinos scored a great try on the half hour when Ash Handley broke down field, passed to Myler who then put in a cross field kick which was recollected on the bounce by Handley to go the last half dozen metres to score. Jordan Lilley was unable to add the conversion from wide, but the Rhinos were finally on the board against the twelve men.

Tony Gigot kicked a cheeky drop goal on thirty four to extend the lead to three tries.

Four minutes after the restart Brett Ferres got the Rhinos second after a long delay for treatment to Stevie Ward. Ferres ran the angle to complete a try created by Myler and Lilley converted to put the Rhinos within seven of the home side.

The Rhinos grabbed their third on fifty-three when Ryan Hall used his strength to push over the line from ten metres to ground. Lilley was unable to convert, grazing the near upright but Leeds were within three.

The Dragons stopped the rot on sixty-five when Tony Gigot bamboozled the Rhinos defence to go between flailing arms and stoop to score. Drinkwater added the goal and it was looking like an uphill struggle for the Rhinos.

Two minutes later and Drinkwater put the result beyond doubt, stepping off both feet to go in from ten metres. The Dragons scrum half added the conversion for 29-14 and a certain Dragons victory.

Jodie Broughton got the sixth Catalans try when he found space on the overlap after an expansive kicking and passing move put him free down the left. Drinkwater was unable to convert from wide, but it mattered not.

Brad Dwyer scored on the last minute after picking up a Myler grubber and Lilley added the extras for a final score of 33-20.

The Dragons are quickly becoming one of the form teams in the competition, as the Rhinos stumble from one horror to the next. The Rhinos did rally and put themselves in position to win this but when the Catalans redoubled their efforts they went in for two quick tries which killed off the game and the spirit of the Rhinos. The Dragons are heading for the top eight, but the Rhinos seem to be heading in the opposite direction.

Dragons: Gigot (T, DG), Broughton (T), Mead, Wiliame, Tierney, Bird, Drinkwater (T, 4G), Simon, McIlorum (T), Moa (SB on 25), Jullien (T), Garcia (T), Casty.  Subs: Anderson, Bousquet, Goudemand, Maria.

Rhinos: Walker, Briscoe, Keinhorst, Handley (T), Hall (T), Lilley (2G), Myler, Oledzki, Dwyer (T), Peteru, Ferres (T), Ward, Delaney.  Subs: Walters, Golding, Ormondroyd, Smith.

Referee: James Child.

Half-Time: 17-4.

Full-Time: 33-20.

Attendance: .