Dragons too hot for Giants

Vincent Duport: late try wrapped up the points

Thomas Bosc: crucial drop goal for Catalan

Catalan Dragons stay unbeaten at home in the Super League and look genuine Grand Final contenders after beating Huddersfield 27-20.

Victory would have taken the Giants back to the top of the table but it was the Dragons who finally edged a thrilling contest.

The lead changed hands six times before a drop goal from Thomas Bosc edged the Dragons in front five minutes from the end and centre Vincent Duport made sure of a precious victory with his side's fifth try three minutes later.

The Dragons' hard-fought victory puts them just two points behind Wigan and Huddersfield with a game in hand, but some of the gloss was taken from it with the loss of influential scrum-half Scott Dureau with a knee injury.

Huddersfield had an early try from winger Luke George disallowed by referee Richard Silverwood for a forward pass by Kevin Brown, but it was the home side who took the lead when Dureau's high kick bounced awkwardly on the visitors' line and presented a gift try to winger Damien Cardace on 15 minutes.

The Giants demonstrated a superior kicking game and Leroy Cudjoe and George were inches away from touching down punts by Danny Brough and Brown before they opened their account through hooker Luke Robinson.

The England international drew boos from the home crowd when he caught the Dragons defence napping with a quickly-taken tap penalty and sprinted 50 metres for an opportunist try.

Errors continued to play a key role with Huddersfield stand-off Scott Grix's fumble from the re-start setting up the position for Catalan full-back Clint Greenshields to brush off Robinson's attempted tackle to score his sixth try of the season on his return from a three-match absence.

Grix's opposite number Leon Pryce then knocked on near his own line and Huddersfield took full advantage, with replacement forward Dale Ferguson making the most of some weak defence to score with his first touch of the ball.

Brough succeeded with both conversions to put his side 12-8 ahead but the Catalans regained the lead five minutes before the break when Cardace broke through the first line of defence to get Pryce over for their third try.

40-20

Dureau kicked his first goal after missing with his first two attempts and he demonstrated his class early in the second half with a 40-20 kick but it proved to be his last action as he limped off on 46 minutes.

The loss of their key playmaker was a major blow to the Dragons, who fell behind a minute later when Grix jinked his way over for Huddersfield's third try.

However, the lead changed hands for a sixth try on 54 minutes when Catalan captain Remi Casty forced his way over from close range and Thomas Bosc added the conversion to make it 20-16.

There was another momentum swing when a storming 50-metre break from Huddersfield second rower Jason Chan set up the position for centre Joe Wardle to go over from a 72nd-minute try that tied the scores.

A point would have been enough to take the Yorkshire side back to the top but Bosc, who switched from the wing following the loss of Dureau, dashed their hopes with a drop goal before Duport went over for his try.

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