Betfred Super League leaders Catalans Dragons smash bottom side Leigh Centurions

Top of the table Catalans Dragons stormed to a 64-0 victory against bottom club Leigh Centurions to show the class gap between the two ends of the Super League table and to earn their 18th win of the season.

Having landed in France and made the short journey from the airport to the Stade Gilbert Brutus just a few hours prior to kick-off, Leigh’s preparations for the game weren’t ideal. That said, interim head coach Kurt Haggerty will undoubtedly still be disappointed with his side’s sluggish start to the game once it got underway.

Within two minutes, a mix-up in defence presented Catalans with the chance to go over from close range and sure enough, Mike McMeeken punished them by going over the line. For the few Leigh fans who had made the trip, the inevitability that it was going to be a long night set in quickly.

McMeeken and teammate Fouad Yaha went on to secure a hat-trick of tries each before the Centurions had even heard the half-time hooter. Men against boys is a term banded around sport quite often, but if ever an example was needed, this was it.

Ever-influential, James Maloney also got himself over the line for a try and converted too. He would end the evening with 10 successful kicks from a possible 11 which added to Leigh’s misery.

As unrelenting as they have been throughout the campaign to date, Steve McNamara’s Dragons side raced into a 40-0 lead at the break, which in truth, could have been more had they not squandered some chances.

Come the second half, it must be said that the French outfit did take their foot off the gas without ever looking troubled in terms of conceding any points. With the win secured long ago, and a Magic Weekend game against second-placed St Helens to come on Saturday, there were just four second half tries against the Centurions.

The Tomkins brothers, Sam and Joel, were responsible for three of them. Both former members of an incredibly successful era down the road from Leigh at Wigan Warriors, the duo were ever-present throughout the second half as they troubled the Centurions.

Joel Tomkins, who has agreed to a contract to join Leigh from next season, crashed over from close range before a quickfire double from his younger brother Sam Tomkins extended the hosts’ advantage even further.

Eight minutes before the end, the Centurions’ misery was summed up when they started a set of six 10m out but opted to kick on just the second tackle losing the ball and with it any chance of getting some points on the board at 58-0 down.

That tally would only get worse before the end as speedy Dragons winger Tom Davies completed the rout with arguably the best try of the evening. He turned on the afterburners to ghost past a weary Centurions defence, grounding the ball after a lung-busting 75-metre solo run.

Maloney converted his final kick of the night and made it 20 points with the boot with the final scoreline 64-0. That is the second time that Leigh has conceded 64 points this season after doing so at home to Hull FC in mid-June.

On that occasion, however, they did score 22 points of their own so the defeat in France is their heaviest of the season so far. Relegation for Haggerty’s side is now almost mathematically confirmed, though a reprieve may well come from the RFL if relegation is scrapped for this season.

Only time will tell on that front, but for now, the Leigh squad must focus on playing for pride and will attempt to bounce back as they take on Hull Kingston Rovers on Sunday at St James’ Park to round off Magic Weekend.

As for Catalans, the victory against the league’s bottom side, partnered with Warrington Wolves’ defeat to St Helens, confirmed their place in the top two with just three rounds of the regular season remaining.

Importantly, that means that their semi-final of the play-offs will be played over in France in front of their own supporters. Of course, the aim for McNamara’s side must be to win the Grand Final at Old Trafford after such a successful campaign, though the League Leaders’ Shield comes first and that shouldn’t be too far away.

Providing no major hiccup, the Dragons should be lifting that piece of silverware very shortly and if they do, it will be for the first time in the club’s history. Adding to the 2018 Challenge Cup win, it has been a very successful period for Catalans since their relegation scare in 2017.

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