Super League: Catalans Dragons 26-10 Widnes Vikings

Fouad Yaha has scored eight Super League tries this season

Teenager Fouad Yaha scored a hat-trick against Widnes as Catalans won 26-10 to end their five-game Super League losing run and boost their play-off hopes.

Jodie Broughton scored a fine solo effort before Justin Horo pounced to add a second to help give Catalans a 10-0 half-time lead

Matt Whitley crossed for Widnes before Yaha grabbed Dragons' third try.

Yaha then completed his treble, with Patrick Ah Van scoring a late consolation effort for the Vikings.

Defeat leaves Widnes 10 points adrift of the top four with just six games left in the Super 8s.

Victory, which moves Dragons back to within two points of fourth-placed St Helens, came at a cost with scrum-half Thomas Bosc leaving the field with a knee injury. Widnes also suffered, with Rhys Hanbury and Chris Dean forced off following head knocks.

It took brilliance from Broughton to get Catalans started, the winger collecting a loose Widnes pass to race away and score the game's opening try in the right-hand corner, doing just enough to bounce over the line as Joe Mellor made a desperate attempt at a try-saving tackle.

Horo touched down unimpeded for Catalans' second score, punishing Corey Thompson who failed to claim what seemed an innocuous high ball from Bosc.

Widnes, searching for their first win Perpignan, went close to responding though Aaron Heremaia before the break, only for Whitley to come up with the visitors' first points in the second half after racing on to meet a fine cross-field kick from Kevin Brown.

Moments after Lloyd White landed the conversion to reduce the arrears further, Thompson spilled the resulting kick-off, allowing Catalans to quickly build and send Yaha over for the first of two tries in the left-hand corner.

A flick pass out from Vincent Duport sent the 19-year-old over for his third score, with a fourth effort going begging at the end as he knocked on over the line.

Catalans Dragons: Gigot; Broughton, Garcia, Duport, Yaha; Carney, Bosc; Taylor, Pelissier, Casty, Stewart, Horo, Baitieri.

Replacements: Anderson, Aiton, Bousquet, Mounis.

Widnes Vikings: Hanbury; Thompson, Runciman, Marsh, Ah Van; Brown, Mellor; Burke, White, Buchanan, Dean, Houston, Cahill.

Replacements: Manuokafoa, Leuluai, Whitley, Heremaia.

Referee: Robert Hicks (RFL)