CATALANS DRAGONS charge through to the Super League Grand Final after a last-minute Sam Tomkins try sent the French side to a 12-6 win against reigning champions St Helens.
The atmosphere inside the Stade Gilbert Brutus was incredible throughout, and the hosts thought they had scored in the opening 20 minutes when Tom Johnstone dotted down a Mitchell Pearce grubber. However, video referee Jack Smith judged that Johnstone had pushed Jack Welsby in the back before scoring.
The fixture threatened to boil over at times with Sam Tomkins taking a nasty swinging arm to the head from Sione Mata’utia. Amazingly, referee Chris Kendall kept his cards in his pocket as Adam Keighran sent over the resulting penalty for a 2-0 lead.
That’s how the score remained until half-time, but Saints registered the first points of the second-half when Will Hopoate streaked through the Dragons’ defence off an inside Welsby pass. Mark Percival converted to make it 6-2.
Keighran converted another penalty just after the hour when Johnstone was caught high 20 metres out.
Catalans were applying relentless pressure and with nine minutes left, Saints were down to 12 men when Matty Lees held down Johnstone too long. Keighran converted again to level the scores at 6-6 to set up an incredible finale.
And it was down to that man Tomkins who, after shaping up for a drop goal, ran through the Saints line to send Catalans to Old Trafford in the most dramatic of fashions.
Catalans Dragons
Sam Tomkins
Tom Davies
Adam Keighran
Matt Ikuvalu
Tom Johnstone
Tyrone May
Mitchell Pearce
Mike McMeeken
Michael McIlorum
Siosiua Taukeiaho
Matt Whitley
Paul Seguier
Ben Garcia
Substitutes
Arthur Mourgue
Julian Bousquet
Romain Navarrete
Manu Ma’u
Tries: Tomkins (80)
Goals: Keighran 4/4
St Helens
Jack Welsby
Tommy Makinson
Mark Percival
Will Hopoate
Jon Bennison
Jonny Lomax
Lewis Dodd
LMS
James Roby
Matty Lees
Sione Mata’utia
Bayley Sironen
Morgan Knowles
Substitutes
Alex Walmsley
James Bell
George Delaney
Moses Mbye
Tries: Hopoate (49)
Goals: Percival 1/1
Sinbin: Lees (71)
Referee: Chris Kendall
Half-time: 2-0
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