Catalans move clear at top of Super League with win over Leigh

Tom Johnstone scored twice as Catalans Dragons moved two points clear at the top of the Super League table

Catalans Dragons moved two points clear at the top of the Super League table after a hard-fought 38-30 win over Leigh in heatwave conditions in Perpignan.

The hosts were left breathing a sigh of relief after the injury and suspension-hit visitors almost pinched the points.

Temperatures in the south of France soared to over 35 degrees but the Leopards refused to wilt in the heat and pushed Catalans all the way in an incredibly competitive game.

Missing four players to suspension, the Leopards were always up against it and the Dragons turned up the heat straight from kick-off. But the visitors fought back late in the first half to keep the game close at the interval before Catalans took control after the break.

Home full-back Arthur Mourgue kicked off the scoring with a 40-metre dash in the second minute to score behind the posts and convert himself.

Three minutes later, Catalans’ captain Benjamin Garcia mopped up a loose ball to score from short range in the left corner, converted from the touchline by Mourgue who added a penalty in the 11th minute to extend the lead to 14-0.

Tom Johnstone chalked up his 100th Super League try with a simple 17th-minute touchdown on the left corner flag as Catalans stretched Leigh’s defence, Mourgue again immaculate with the touchline conversion.

Leigh struck back 10 minutes later after successive penalties took them forward. Scrum-half Lachlan Lam found a gap to put second-rower Ed Chamberlain over the line and Ben Reynolds converted the try to make it 20-6.

It was a repeat strike five minutes later when Lam found Chamberlain again to put him over in the exact same spot, Reynolds again on target with the conversion.

The home crowd was silenced moments later when winger Josh Charnley latched on to the end of a sweeping move to the left to finish in the corner, Reynolds adding the extra two points from the touchline to make it 20-18 at half-time.

Arthur Romano put the Dragons back on track two minutes into the second half with a bustling run from 10 metres out to score, converted by Mourgue.

Impressive Leigh hooker Edwin Ipape thought he had put Joe Mellor through moments later with a clear run to the line but referee Liam Moore ruled a forward pass. Then winger Tom Briscoe intercepted and looked certain to score from long distance but he was tracked down and tackled by Johnstone.

Leigh were creating chances and Ipape did not need asking twice when he picked up a short ball and burst over the line from 20 metres out in the 55th minute, Reynolds putting Leigh two points behind with the conversion.

Briscoe then put Leigh ahead, to the joy of their 1,000 travelling fans, after a straightforward passing move to the right put him in at the corner, with Reynolds converting impressively from the touchline to make it 26-30.

Catalans struck back when Garcia went over for his second try from short range by the posts and Mourgue converted to put the home side back in front by two with 11 minutes left to play.

Four minutes later Johnstone struck the killer blow, mopping up a loose pass to race 70 metres to score, Mourgue converting to make it 38-30 – a result that was cruel on the visitors.