Super League: Catalans Dragons 18-10 Toulouse
- Published
Fouad Yaha has scored six Super League tries this season
Betfred Super League |
|---|
Catalans (14) 18 |
Tries: Yaha 2, Chan, Whitley Goals: Drinkwater |
Toulouse (6) 10 |
Tries: Armitage, Russell Goals: Hankinson |
Twelve-man Catalans claimed victory over Toulouse in the first ever Super League game between two French sides.
The home side led 14-6 at the interval thanks to two tries from Fouad Yaha and one from Joe Chan.
Guy Armitage got the visitors on the board before the break but Matt Whitley restored Les Dracs' lead.
Chan was sent off for a high tackle with just under 30 minutes to play and Matty Russell reduced the arrears, but Toulouse could not complete a comeback.
Victory for Steve McNamara's men ended their run of two defeats and gave them a sixth win from their opening eight games.
They weathered some early pressure from the visiting side, who have now lost seven of their eight Super League games since promotion, before Yaha burst through from his own half and showed great speed to finish in the corner.
Chan ran in after Mike McMeeken's clever offload and Yaha got his second score in the same corner as his first, moments after Matty Russell had been sin-binned for a professional foul.
Despite the man disadvantage, Toulouse got on the scoreboard before the half was out when Guy Armitage got his head down and powered over from close in.
That will have given them some optimism of turning things around in the second half, but their cause was hindered further when Eloi Pelissier was sin-binned for an utterly senseless shoulder charge on Sam Kasiano in the opening exchanges of the second half.
Whitley then just about managed to get the ball down but the home side were then reduced to 12 when Chan was sent off for a high tackle on the halfway line, and Russell showed excellent wing play to get over in the corner from the resultant penalty.
Catalans then showed gritty defence to keep the visitors out, despite losing the influential McMeeken to what looked like a serious shoulder injury.
Both sides are back in action on Monday, with depleted Catalans travelling to Salford, while Toulouse host Hull KR.
Catalans: Napa, McIlorum, Dezaria, Jullien, McMeeken, Garcia, Drinkwater, Pearce, Yaha, Whitley, Romano, Davies, May.
Interchanges: Mourgue, Goudemand, Chan, Kasiano.
Toulouse: Sangare, Marion, Navarrete, Pezet, Stefani, Puech, Gigot, Albert, Russell, Hankinson, Armitage, Marcon, Ashall-Bott.
Interchanges: Hansen, Pelissier, Garbutt, Springer.
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