A magical weekend was promised as the great and the good of
rugby league decamped to Newcastle for a jamboree of Super League which started
with an intriguing match-up between Leigh Leopards and the Catalans Dragons.

Leigh were slight favourites with the bookies but were only
handicapped by two points on the coupon as the bookies struggled to pick a
winner.

The Leopards won both meetings between the two sides last
season, and the round three game in Super League XXX by a big 34-06 scoreline,
a win for Leigh would lift them into second, a win for the Dragons would put
them fourth, just a league point behind their opponents.

First points went the Dragons way after a one-on-one ball
steal set up position inside the Leigh twenty, Matthieu Laguerre jumping to
take a Theo Fages kick to the corner, step past his tackler and score the
opening try. Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet added the conversion for an early 6-0
lead.

An incredible try from Aispuro-Bichet, stepping out of a
couple of tackles and stretching for the line after a fast break downfield from
the Dragons, brought up the second Catalans try of the afternoon. The Dragons
full back added a second from wide for 12-0, the French side making it look
easy.

The Leopards registered their first points on twenty-four after
keeping the ball alive it was moved into the hands of Edwin Ipape who evaded a
tackler and dropped over the line under the sticks to give Ben McNamara a simple
conversion for 6-12.

An Alrix Da Costa 40-20 gained the Dragons good position on
thirty-three and when the Leopards conceded a penalty, Aispuro-Bichet kicked
the goal to extend the lead to eight points.

Another dart from acting half back from Ipape saw the big
man close but a fast play the ball saw McNamara crash over the line from five
metres out after he picked up the ball from acting half back. He added the
conversion to his own try to put his side onto the sheds with a two-point
deficit.

Despite Ipape going close in the opening seconds of the
second half, it was the Dragons picked up the first points of the second forty with
Reimis Smith braving three tacklers to force the ball to the ground after
taking the pass ten from the line. Aispuro-Bichet hit the near upright with his
conversion attempt, the Dragons with a six-point lead.

It was tit-for-tat on forty-seven, Ethan O’Neill leaping to
take a Lachlan Lam cross-field kick and drop to the ground to score the third
Leigh try of the afternoon. McNamara added the conversion to level the scores
at 18-18.

The Dragons were caught offside on fifty-five, McNamara kicking
the two to edge his side ahead.

The Leopards lead was extended on sixty-two when Owen Trout crashed
onto a short pass in a training field move to spring through a gap and score
from fifteen metres out. McNamara hit the mark for the fifth time in the game
for a 26-18 lead.

On sixty-seven it was back to a nailbiter as the Dragons got
themselves back into the game with Luke Keary taking a Fages dink over the top
of the defensive line to score by the uprights. Aispuro-Bichet added the
conversion, the lead back down to two points.

Josh Charnley was stopped just short of the line with eight
minutes remaining, and the two remaining tackles in the set were ridden out by
the Dragons defence. Charnley broke the line and grounded on seventy-five but
the referee ruled forward pass.

Leigh held the lead to the final hooter which heralded a
fracas between pumped up players. Leigh move up to second in the table after
the first game of the round and after trailing by twelve points early on it has
to figure as a great fightback for Adrian Lam’s men. The Dragons are having a
very average season by their high standards and will now have to get themselves
up for next weeks Challenge Cup semi-final game.

Leigh Leopards: Hodgson, McIntosh, Niu, Badrock, Charnley,
McNamara (T, G 5/5), Lam, Ofahengaue, Ipape (T), Mulhern O’Neill (T), Trout (T),
Liu. Subs: Wilde, Brogan, Davis, Dwyer. 18^th Man: Towse.

Catalans Dragons: Aispuro-Bichet (T, G 4/5), Yaha, Laguerre
(T), Smith (T), Cotric, Keary (T), Fages, Pangai Junior, Garcia, Bousquet,
Sims, Whitehead, Partington. Subs: Da Costa, Satae, Sironen, Navarrete. 18^th
Man: Rouge.

Half-Time: 12-14.

Full-Time: 26-24.  

Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 4-12, 6-12, 6-14, 10-14,
12-14: HT: 12-18, 16-18, 18-18, 20-18, 24-18, 26-18, 26-22, 26-24 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Catalans – Square - Leigh.

Referee: Liam Moore.