Catalan Dragons 6-28 Leeds Rhinos: Brodie Croft grabs treble as Super League leaders win

Betfred Super League

Catalan Dragon (0) 6

Try: Tison Aim: Sexton

Leeds Rhinos (16) 28

Try: Newman, Croft 3, Miller Aim: Connor 4

Brodie Croft scored a hat-trick to help Super League pacesetters Leeds Rhinos restore their four-point lead with victory over a stubborn Catalan Dragons side in Perpignan.

Croft grabbed the first of his treble between tries to Harry Newman and Lachlan Miller, which put Leeds 16-0 up at half-time.

The half-back grabbed two more tries in 11 second-half minutes to secure an ultimately comfortable victory for the south of France.

Hugo Tisson did well to hold off a tackler and hold off two other defenders as he crashed over in the dying seconds of the game to ensure the Catalans avoided a pointless home run.

Croft’s try-scoring exploits at the Stade Gilbert Brutus, which took his try-scoring 20 for the season, came on a night when huge expectations were placed on free-scoring Micah Sivo, who had the Super League record in his sights.

A try against the Dragons would have equaled the Fijian Super League record, but he was starved of opportunities and his scoring stopped in 10 games.

Eden Rodgers-Smith was brought in for a debut as Catalans head coach John Cartwright made four changes to the Dragons side that started last week’s heavy 60-18 defeat to French rivals Toulouse.

Although the Catalans were much improved for the visit of league-leading Rhinos, a third-straight defeat leaves them eighth in the table, six points behind the top six, and in danger of losing touch with the play-off places.

Newman was perfectly positioned to give Leeds the ideal start, getting on the end of a Jack Connor grubber kick, which bounced wickedly first and sailed over the head of team-mate James McDonnell, to cross for Leeds’ first point in nearly four years at the Stade Gilbert Brutus – having failed to score in three previous defeats in the south of France.

The Catalans squandered a huge chance to hit back, with Toby Sexton making a mess of trying to find Leo Darrelatore a meter from the line, Croft collected a loose ball and ran 70 meters to add to Leeds’ advantage before punching in a sucker.

And when Jarrod O’Connor tore a hole in the Catalans’ defensive line to put Miller under the post in the 37th minute, the contending pacesetters were lucky to have 12 wins in 13 games at the end of March.

After a fiery start to the second half, which saw repeated melees, Croft linked up with Miller and darted through the Dragons defense to put the result beyond doubt.

Croft was smiling broadly as he again zipped through the Dragons resistance, and while Civo was pressed late on to score a record-equalling score, they could not create a chance for the try-scoring sensation, who has gone over 28 times this season after missing the entire 2025 campaign with a knee.

And after a number of misses at the other end, it was through sheer determination that Teeson grabbed a late consolation try for the hosts.

Catalan Dragon: Staines, Cotrick, Laguerre, Fatape, Darrelator, Sexton, Dodd, Allen, Leeming, Maria, Rodgers-Smith, Lipowicz, Busquets.

exchange: Condon, Navarre, Wilson, Teeson, Martin.

Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Sivo, Handley, Newman, Lomb, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, Levy, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins.

exchange: Holroyd, O’Connor, c. Smith, Castle, Nicholson-Watton.

Referee: Liam Moore.