The Super League XXVIII weekend continues on France on Saturday evening when the Catalans Dragons host the surprise package of the season so far in the Leigh Leopards in a battle of two of the top three in the competition.
The Dragons have the chance to open up a two point lead in the race for the League Leaders’ Shield but if Leigh come out on top they will move level on points with Catalans and the Warrington Wolves so this is the biggest game of the weekend. There is no TV coverage of this one.
Catalans Dragons
If you go back to the beginning of the season there were a number of doubters over whether the Catalans Dragons could be competitive right at the top of this competition this term after a huge number of big players left the club but they clearly knew what they were doing. They have been pretty consistent throughout the season and are back to the team who looked like they were going to win the lot a couple of seasons ago.
The key to their success is always their home form and with it likely to be stiflingly hot in Perpignan on Saturday you would imagine they will be hugely advantaged by that. A clearer advantage might well be that they were not in action in the Challenge Cup last week so they have had a couple of weeks to nurse their bumps and bruises and build up ahead of this one. Catalans have won their last five in Super League and only the Warrington Wolves have been to France and won this term.
Leigh Leopards
While some might be surprised about how well the Catalans Dragons are going this term, an awful lot more will be amazed at the season that the Leigh Leopards have put together so far. Usually teams who come up from the Championship are expected to be fighting at the bottom end of the table to stay in the competition not up at the top end and dreaming of a place at Old Trafford. They deserve a lot of credit for being in that position this deep into the campaign regardless of what happens from here on in.
Leigh head across the channel in excellent form having won their last nine matches in all competitions, a run which hasn’t only taken them up to third in the Super League table but also through to the Challenge Cup semi-final where they are now just a win away from Wembley. One slight concern about them is their discipline. They played almost the entire match with 12 men in their quarter final last week and had a man sent off at the Magic Weekend too. They won’t get anything from the Dragons if they go a man down.
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Team News
Steve McNamara has the majority of a full squad to choose from as you would expect with the Catalans Dragons having not had a match for a fortnight. Top try scorer in the competition Tom Johnstone will look to add to his tally.
Leigh Leopards are really beginning to suffer with their discipline ahead of this match. Zak Hardaker and Tom Nisbett are among a quartet who are suspended for this trip while Joe Wardle and Frankie Halton miss out with injury.
Betting
These two teams met in France in the opening week of the season when the Catalans Dragons came out 14-6 winners but they look much more up to speed and at it ahead of this one so I’m happy to get on the leaders to cover a 12 point handicap. Leigh deserve a lot of credit for their recent run but of those nine wins they have had coming into this one, only one of them have been against a team in the top six of the table and that was Warrington Wolves who have seen the bottom fall out of their start to the season.
Catalans are a much stronger force, particularly at home and I expect them to be too strong. The weight of pressure they send to opponents is often hard to repel for 80 minutes. Teams can sometimes live with the Dragons for the opening 40 minutes but the second 40 can see them unravel and with Leigh potentially battling with the mix of being aggressive and risking cards or easing up and going soft, I think Catalans will take full advantage. I expect them to cover a dozen here.
Tips
Back Catalans Dragons (-12) to beat Leigh Leopards for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Bet365
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