Super League play-offs: Catalans Dragons 10-20 Leeds Rhinos - Liam Sutcliffe hat-trick secures win
- Published
Liam Sutcliffe is joining Hull FC at the end of this season
Betfred Super League play-off eliminator: Catalans v Leeds |
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Catalans Dragons (4) 10 |
Try: Whare Goals: Tomkins 3 |
Leeds Rhinos (12) 20 |
Tries: Sutcliffe 3 Goals: Hardaker 4 |
A hat-trick from Liam Sutcliffe saw Leeds Rhinos beat Catalans Dragons in the Super League play-off eliminator.
Two tries from Sutcliffe gave the Rhinos a 12-4 lead at the break.
Dean Whare crossed for the home side soon after the restart but Hull FC-bound Sutcliffe then completed his treble.
The French side ended the match with 11 men after Gil Dudson was sent off for putting his head in on Aidan Sezer and Mitchell Pearce was sin-binned.
The Rhinos will face either St Helens or Wigan Warriors in the semi-finals next week.
The game was preceded by a minute's silence to mark the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday and players of both sides wore black armbands.
During her reign, the Queen was patron of the Rugby Football League and presented the Challenge Cup at Wembley in both 1960 and 1967.
A fractious first half, which saw Pearce sin-binned for the home side, was going the way of Les Dracs thanks to two Sam Tomkins penalties but the Rhinos ran in two tries in the final six minutes through Sutcliffe.
Whare did well to catch a high ball and touch down in the opening minutes of the second half to get Catalans back in the game.
The Perpignan side could not build on that score though and, with Michael McIlorum in the sin-bin, Sutcliffe caught a high kick from Richie Myler to put the Rhinos in control once more.
With the game beyond Catalans, Dudson was sent off for a needless clash with Sezer at a play-the-ball and Pearce was then sin-binned for a second time for a shoulder charge.
Rohan Smith's Rhinos kept their discipline and a 12th win from 17 games under his leadership means their season goes on for at least one more week.
Catalans: Tomkins, Davies, Whare, Langi, Yaha, Pearce, May, Seguier, McIlorum, Napa, McMeeken, Chan, Garcia.
Interchanges: Mourgue, Dudson, Goudemand, Kasiano.
Sin-bin: Pearce (25 and 78), McIlorum (59)
Sent-off: Dudson (75)
Leeds: Myler, Briscoe, Hardaker, Sutcliffe, Tindall, Austin, Sezer, Smith, Bentley, Gannon, Prior, O'Connor, Oledzki.
Interchanges: Walters, Tetevano, Leeming, Donaldson.