Brodie Croft Stars as Leeds Rhinos Defeat Catalans Dragons
Brodie Croft will depart Leeds Rhinos to join Warrington Wolves next season.
Tries: Newman, Croft 3, Miller Goals: Connor 4
Brodie Croft scored a hat-trick to help Super League leaders Leeds Rhinos extend their four-point advantage at the top of the table with a win against a resilient Catalans Dragons side in Perpignan.
Croft opened his try-scoring account between efforts from Harry Newman and Lachlan Miller, which gave Leeds a 16-0 lead at halftime.
The half-back added two more tries within 11 minutes of the second half, securing a comfortable victory in the south of France.
Ugo Tison showed determination by fending off one tackler and resisting two additional defenders to score in the final moments, ensuring Catalans avoided a scoreless home defeat.
Croft's three tries at Stade Gilbert Brutus increased his season tally to 20. The match carried significant anticipation for Maika Sivo, who was aiming to equal the Super League record for tries scored in consecutive games.
A try against Catalans would have matched the record for consecutive games with tries, but Sivo was limited in opportunities and his streak ended at 10 matches.
New Catalans head coach John Cartwright made four changes to the squad following their heavy 60-18 loss to Toulouse last week, including the debut of Edenn Rogers-Smith.
Despite an improved performance, Catalans suffered their third consecutive defeat, remaining eighth in the table, six points behind the top six and at risk of falling out of playoff contention.
Match Summary
Harry Newman was well-positioned to give Leeds an ideal start, finishing off a precise grubber kick from Jake Connor. The ball bounced unpredictably and sailed over teammate James McDonnell's head, allowing Newman to score Leeds' first points at Stade Gilbert Brutus in nearly four years, after three previous defeats in the region without scoring.
Catalans missed a significant opportunity to respond when Toby Sexton mishandled an attempted offload to Leo Darrelatour just a metre from the try line. Leeds capitalized immediately as Croft collected a loose ball and sprinted 70 metres to extend their lead.
Later, Jarrod O'Connor broke through the Catalans defensive line to set up Miller's try under the posts in the 37th minute, reinforcing Leeds' dominance and suggesting a 12th win in 13 games since late March was imminent.
The second half began with intense physicality, including multiple melees. Croft combined effectively with Miller to break through the Dragons' defense, putting the result beyond doubt.
Croft's third try came as he once again penetrated the Dragons' resistance. Despite late efforts to create a scoring chance for Sivo to equal the record, the Dragons could not provide the try-scoring star with an opportunity. Sivo has scored 28 tries this season after missing the entire 2025 campaign due to a knee injury.
After several near misses on the other end, Ugo Tison's persistence paid off with a late consolation try for Catalans.
Team Line-Ups
Catalans Dragons: Staines, Cotric, Laguerre, Faataape, Darrelatour, Sexton, Dodd, Allen, Leeming, Maria, Rogers-Smith, Lipowicz, Bousquet.
Interchanges: Condon, Navarrete, Wilson, Tison, Martin.
Leeds Rhinos: Miller, Sivo, Handley, Newman, Lumb, Croft, Connor, Oledzki, Levi, Jenkins, Hankinson, McDonnell, Watkins.
Interchanges: Holroyd, O'Connor, C. Smith, Cassell, Nicholson-Watton.
