The extraordinary record Leeds Rhinos set in dismal Catalans defeat
Brad Arthur is facing a weekly reshuffle of his spine.
If it sounds like a familiar story: then that’s exactly because it is.
Leeds Rhinos‘ inconsistent start to the new Super League season continued on Saturday evening, with their defeat to Catalans Dragons arguably the worst display they have produced since Brad Arthur arrived at the club.
But the fact Leeds went to Perpignan and failed to score a point on Saturday evening continued a miserable record for the club in the south of France.
It is the third straight year that Leeds have been nilled in Perpignan, an extraordinary record now dating all the way back to 2022.
Unless the two sides are drawn together in the latter stages of the Challenge Cup in Perpignan, it means it will be 2026 – at least – before Leeds score their next point in France.
The last player to score a point for Leeds at Catalans was Zak Hardaker: who has subsequently since spent two seasons with Leigh Leopards and made another move to Hull FC in the period since the Rhinos were last on the scoreboard in Perpignan!
He kicked a goal as the Rhinos won 20-10 at Stade Gilbert Brutus, with Liam Sutcliffe’s hat-trick of tries that evening the last four-pointer any Leeds player scored.
Since then, they have lost 61-0 in Perpignan in the latter stages of the 2023 season, before another nilling in 2024, when they were beaten 26-0.
Leeds will back on this latest nilling as the most frustrating, though – given how they were facing a Catalans side who were winless at the start of the new campaign.
However, they were deservedly beaten, with Luke Keary’s drop goal on the stroke of half-time putting the Dragons 1-0 ahead at the beak.
But after that Catalans scored twice through Reimis Smith to run out deserving winners in the south of France.
The Rhinos also lost Matt Frawley to a HIA that will rule him out of next weekend’s Challenge Cup tie against St Helens, too.
