Dragons win Quins thriller

Clint Greenshields dived in for a dramatic winning try after the final hooter to give Catalans Dragons a thrilling victory over Harlequins in Perpignan.

The Dragons held a 14-0 half-time lead and looked comfortable before a blockbuster second half ultimately resulted in the grabbing the most dramatic of victories.

Scott Hill and Tony Clubb had dragged Quins back into the game after Alex Chan and Casey Maguire tries for Catalans.

The Londoners then moved ahead for the first time through Rikki Sheriffe but Greenshields' first effort restored the home side's advantage - which was rubbed out later by Chad Randall.

Olivier Elima put Catalans back ahead but Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook then looked to have grabbed a dramatic draw for Quins when he went over two minutes from time.

Still there was more drama to come and a mass brawl resulted in a man from each side being ordered off by referee Ashley Klein right on the hooter - and with the resulting last play of the match Greenshields flew in to break Quins hearts in the most dramatic fashion.

Slow start

It all had looked like a routine home win for the third-placed Dragons as they cruised into the lead with McGuire going over and Thomas Bosc adding a penalty to the conversion.

Chan then spun over after taking a short ball from Bosc - who converted for a comfortable 14-0 lead at the interval.

Hill got Quins on the board two minutes after the restart and Clubb then grabbed an interception and raced almost the length of the field to score.

The visitors then took the lead for the first time in bizarre circumstances as Maguire tried to flick the ball behind his own line after Quins fumbled just on the try line, only for Sheriffe to touch down just before the ball bobbled out.

A pulsating half began to gather real pace when Greenshields pounced on the hour from a short Bosc pass, only for Randall to catch Adam Mogg's chip over the top to return the ball for the try to make it 20-20.

Bosc was again the architect for the Dragons as his grubber kick came off a Quins' hand before Elima galloped onto the rebound to score under the posts.

Pulsating

Again though Quins hit back bravely and McCarthy-Scarsbrook gathered a low ball to scamper over five minutes from time to level the scores again at 26-26.

A furious last five minutes saw possession changes hands as both teams went full-steam ahead for the win, but Bosc wasted the chance when he dragged a one-pointer attempt wide of the sticks.

Just on the hooter a mass brawl ensued as tempers flared and it resulted in referee Klein sending Mogg and McCarthy-Scarsbrook packing.

Catalans had the penalty and referee Klein informed them that the following play after the kick for touch would be the last as the hooter had sounded.

The quick-thinking Bosc gathered and decided to kick quickly, and Greenshields came steaming through the Quins defence with the afterburners on full blast and he launched himself into a desperate dive for the ball.

Greenshields managed to gather the ball superbly and his slide took him over the line for a blockbusting ending to a thrilling contest.

The late drama broke Quins hearts but it will set up the Dragons nicely as they face a huge clash with second-placed Leeds Rhinos next week.