Super League: Leeds Rhinos win at Catalan Dragons despite Ryan Bailey dismissal
Leeds Rhinos overcame Ryan Bailey's second half red card to win 27-12 at the high-flying Catalan Dragons.
Last Updated: 01/04/13 7:43pm
A professional display saw the visitors from West Yorkshire lead 10-0 at half-time with Joel Moon touching down, but Bailey departed in the 48th minute for a shoulder charge on Thomas Bosc.
Catalan took charge courtesy of scores from Leon Pryce and Bosc, however, the champions managed to settle things down and regain their composure.
Scores from Paul McShane and Jamie Jones-Buchanan, which sandwiched a Kevin Sinfield drop-goal, wrapped up the victory before Sinfield kicked his seventh two-pointer.
Leeds took the lead in the eighth minute when they sent the ball wide to Stevie Ward, who found Moon and the Australian managed to slide over the line before his legs hit the touchline despite the best efforts of Damien Blanch.
Sinfield extended the Rhinos' lead further in the 22nd minute with a penalty for an alleged Remi Casty infringement, although replays suggested that it was a loose carry by Jamie Peacock instead.
Outrageous
Catalans continued to press but failed to break the Leeds defensive line. Frustration told four minutes before the break when Eloi Pelissier shoulder charged Rob Burrow off the ball and Sinfield booted Leeds into a 10-0 lead.
As has been the pattern in recent weeks, Catalans came out firing after the break and were helped after Bailey was sent off for his unnecessary take down on Bosc.
From the resulting penalty Pelissier fed Leon Pryce and the former St Helens man stepped his way to the Leeds line to score Catalans' first points of the night. Bosc added the conversion to narrow the Leeds lead.
It was Bosc five minutes later who saw the Catalans take the lead as he sold Burrow an outrageous dummy to score underneath the posts and make his conversion attempt a formality to give the Catalans a 12-10 lead.
Sinfield levelled the scores on the hour mark as he added his fourth goal of the evening after Carl Ablett was taken out off the ball.
The result could have gone either way at that stage but in the last 12 minutes, Leeds ran riot. Paul McShane dummied his way to the line from two metres out and Jamie Jones-Buchanan went over under the posts through the weak tackles of Casty and Escare. Sinfield again added the conversion to give the Rhinos an unassailable 13-point lead.
Sinfield added a further penalty and his seventh goal of the night with five minutes remaining to seal the 27-12 win.
