Catalans go second with victory over St Helens in France
Last Updated: 11/06/16 9:47pm
Catalans Dragons moved to second in the Super League standings with a 33-16 win over St Helens in Perpignan.
The Dragons were 13-6 up at the break thanks to tries from Fouad Yaha and Lucas Albert, with Pat Richards offering four points from the tee and Todd Carney slotting a drop goal.
Adam Swift was first to score in the second half, making it 13-10, before a flurry of Catalans tries - four in fifteen minutes - handed the French club victory and second place in the standings, two points behind Hull FC who beat Warrington 19-12 at the Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday night.
Saints are left to rue the poor defence in the latter stages of the game, as they now find themselves in fifth place, six points adrift of Warrington in fourth. Though Keiron Cunningham's men look set to make the Top 8s, they will have to work hard to make the semi-finals from this position.
Richards opened the scoring with a penalty in the second minute, before Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook gave Saints the lead for what ended up being the only period of the game with a try which Jack Owens converted.
Yaha then scored for the home side, which Richards converted to put the Dragons 8-6 ahead, before Albert crossed five minutes before the break. The conversion was missed, but the Carney drop goal put Dragons 13-6 ahead at hlf-time.
Swift's try made it a three-point game after five minutes of the second period to make matters close, but Broughton's tries, sandwiched between a 54th-minute score from Morgan Escare, put Catalans ahead. Tony Gigot then crossed in the 69th minute to put the game to bed.