St Helens were too strong for the Catalans Dragons today in Perpignan, getting off to a flyer inside a minute with a try for Jonny Lomax created by a break by Ben Barba.
The Dragons fought back strongly after their shock start, but they couldn’t ever get back on level terms, and Saints extended their lead just before the interval with a try by Regan Grace, with both tries having been converted by Danny Richardson.
But the Dragons pulled back early in the second half and after sustained pressure they scored a try from home debutant David Mead, with Lucas Albert adding the goal before French hopes were boosted when Morgan Knowles was dismissed on 52 minutes for upending Thibaut Margalet in a dangerous tackle.
But the Dragons also suffered a blow when Benjamin Jullien was sin binned for what appeared to be a crusher tackle on Lomax on 54 minutes, and three minutes later Saints extended their lead with a try by Adam Swift again converted by Richardson.
But the Dragons hit back again with a try from dummy half by Alrix da Costa, again goaled by Albert, and, when Jullien returned they tried hard to level the scores until, with seven minutes remaining, Richardson popped over a field-goal and the same player landed a late penalty to make the final score 12-21.
A full report and photos from this game will appear in Monday’s edition of League Express.
