Catalans see off Salford to earn semi-final place

Nick Cotric's early try set Catalans on their way to comfortably booking their place in the last four of the Challenge Cup

Betfred Challenge Cup

Catalans (8) 20

Tries: Cotric, Romano, Whitehead, Fages Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 2.

Salford (6) 12

Tries: Shorrocks, Foster Goals: Hankinson 2

Catalans Dragons became the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the 2025 Challenge Cup in an ill-tempered and mistake-ridden victory against Salford Red Devils.

Tries from Nick Cotric, Arthur Romano, Elliott Whitehead - who was also sent to the sin-bin for a high tackle - and Theo Fages earned the hosts the win.

Joe Shorrocks and Matty Foster replied for the Red Devils, whose cup run came to an end in adverse conditions after first-choice full-back Ryan Brierley pulled out through injury before kick-off.

Dragons will find out their opponents in the last four when the draw is made on Sunday, 6 April, live on BBC Two.

Catalans winger Cotric opened the scoring in the first minute when he was adjudged to have scored in the corner, but full-back Sam Tomkins - making his 400th career appearance - missed his conversion attempt from the right touchline.

The hosts dominated the early stages, and when Alrix Da Costa was able to get his offload away to Tomkins, the 36-year-old broke clear and ran for the line but was held up by some good scrambling defence from the visitors.

Catalans did get their second try of the match moments later when, after Salford half-back Jayden Nikorima's short restart was turned over by the hosts, Reimis Smith found Romano, who broke clear to touch down.

In an often gruelling first 40 minutes, Catalans' Whitehead was sent to the sin-bin for a late shot on Tiaki Chan - the son of Catalans general manager Alex Chan - who was forced off after a head injury assessment.

Now with a man advantage, the Red Devils, who welcomed back captain Kallum Watkins and Chris Atkin, soon got on the board.

Chris Hill threw an excellent dummy before offloading one-handed to Shorrocks, who strolled under the sticks. Chris Hankinson added the extras to make it 8-6 at half-time.

Two minutes into the second-half Whitehead made up for his earlier misdemeanour when he dotted down in the in-goal area to score his first try since returning to the club following an eight-year spell in the NRL with Canberra Raiders.

Shortly after, former Red Devils scrum-half Theo Fages dived over for the hosts when he expertly sidestepped the Salford defence as Catalans threatened to run away with the tie.

But after resisting waves of attacking play from the hosts, the talented Esan Marsters found a gap and set up Foster - a last-minute inclusion after the injury to Brierley, who earlier this week opened up on the mental torment Salford's current financial woes had caused the squad - to score and reduce the arrears to eight points.

It proved too little too late for the visitors, but showed Salford's continued determination to make a fight of it this season after it was reported that Catalans had paid for their trip to Perpignan for tonight's fixture.

Catalans Dragons boss Steve McNamara:

"Credit to Salford, they came here to play, but we need to be better than today and there is still a lot of improvement to come in us.

"They stuck at it to the very end and we needed to be more dominant.

"We lacked discipline in both attack and defence, and it's something that we will be working very hard on.

"But we're in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup and that is all that matters. This competition means a lot to this club and we will be doing our very best to reach our third final."

Salford Red Devils head coach Paul Rowley:

"To come here, after all we've gone through, and are still going through, to perform like that speaks volumes for the playing group.

"We were still in it right until the final hooter against a top, top team.

"We lost our full-back Ryan Brierley just before kick-off which, added to all of our other selection difficulties for other reasons, made things even more challenging.

"But every time you ask these players to perform they deliver, and I'm proud of them."

Catalans: Tomkins; Makinson, Romano, Smith, Cotric; Keary, Fages; Pangai Jr, Da Costa, Bousquet, Sironen, Whitehead, Partington.

Interchanges: Garcia, Sims, Satae, Aispuro-Bichet.

Sin-bin: Whitehead (27).

Salford: Hankinson; Cross, Marsters, Vaughan, Connell; Nikorima, Atkin; Ormondroyd, G Hill, C Hill, Wright, Watkins, Shorrocks.

Interchanges: Mellor, Wilson, Chan, Foster.

Referee: Aaron Moore.