Hull KR cannot cope with red-hot Catalans who storm to victory to stay joint top of Super League; two tries from Matt Whitley help the home side cruise to victory; a third successive loss leaves Rovers seventh in the table
Last Updated: 10/06/23 8:52pm
Matt Whitley (right) scored two tries for Catalans
Catalans Dragons remain joint top of the Super League table following a straightforward 38-4 win over Hull KR in Perpignan.
The depleted Robins, hit by injuries to senior players and missing full-back Lachlan Coote, who is still assessing his future in the game because of concussion issues, could not cope with a red-hot Dragons’ side who raced into a
20-0 half-time lead before finishing the job in the second half.
Catalans almost scored in the first five minutes when Australian centre Adam Keighran crossed the line but he fumbled the grounding, then second-rower Paul Seguier was held up in-goal.
The Dragons finally got on the scoreboard in the 14th minute through Arthur Mourgue’s penalty as Rovers defended with spirit.
Both teams sweated it out in 30-degree heat and humidity and Rovers took the game to Catalans with some impressive work by full-back Jack Walker on debut and half-backs Mikey Lewis and Jordan Abdull.
But just when the Robins were winning the arm-wrestle, the Dragons struck with their opening try, Matt Whitley mopping up a loose pass to race 30 metres and touch down.
Five minutes later, stand-off Tyrone May extended the advantage with a powerful short-range burst, knocking away defenders to make it 12-0 with Mourgue’s added conversion.
Rovers received a double blow when Walker and Abdull had to leave the pitch with apparent injuries and Catalans finished the first half with 12 men after prop Julian Bousquet was sin-binned for a high tackle.
But it did not stop Whitley scoring his second just before the interval, picking up a clever grubber kick from Mitch Pearce and Mourgue converted before Keighran added a late penalty from the half-way line.
Rovers were rattled early in the second half when Lewis kicked directly into touch and put Catalans in the driving seat as winger Tom Johnstone headed for the left corner but he lost the ball as he dove over the line.
Then winger Corey Hall fumbled a high kick from Pearce and, from the scrum, Mike McMeeken wrestled his way over the line to score, Mourgue adding the conversion to put the Dragons 26-0 ahead.
The Robins pushed upfield with five successive penalties as referee Marcus Griffiths lost patience with the Dragons and sin-binned Mickael Goudemand for time wasting.
But Les Dracs hit back immediately, Whitley breaking the Rovers’ defence and releasing Johnstone for a sprint over the line, converted again by Mourgue.
Sam Tomkins was released from the bench, replacing Kieghran, and things went from bad to worse for the visitors when winger Sam Wood went down with a serious-looking ankle injury and had to be helped from the pitch.
Mourgue rubbed salt into the wound by scoring a dazzling try, sidestepping through the middle of the pitch and over the line, converting it himself to make the score 38-0 10 minutes from time.
Nobody told Ryan Hall the game was over and the winger set off on a 60-metre run to put Rovers on the scoreboard with a trademark try for a late consolation.
