Fresh on the back of their shock win over St Helens last weekend, the Catalans Dragons welcomed an injury hit Hull FC to the Stade Gilbert Brutus. Both sides came into the game with five wins, and on ten points, with the Black & Whites holding a fifty-seven point, points difference advantage. Fifth place was up for grabs, and although todays winner would be level on points with both Castleford and Wakefield, the points difference was too much to overhaul to go above them.
Steve McNamara made a number of forced changes with Sam Tomkins moving to stand off and Tony Gigot to full back. An under strength FC welcomed back Jake Connor after a long injury lay-off, and had Gareth Ellis dusting off the boots once more, but had been rocked by the mid-week medical retirement of favourite Fetuli Talanoa.
An early summer sunny evening welcomed the players onto the pitch.
After having all of the early pressure Sam Tomkins and Tony Gigot combined as Tomkins broke the Hull line off a Gigot pass, and passed back inside for Gigot to score under the sticks. Tomkins added the conversion and the Dragons were off and running after five minutes.
The try woke FC up and they went close on eleven as Wynne touched down, but was denied by the video referee. On fifteen Brayden Wiliame launched himself at at Jake Connor after the pass had been made, Wiliame incurred the referees wrath and was sent to the bin for ten minutes.
On seventeen Alrix Da Costa launched himself for the line and under a pile of Hull player he appeared to have scored. The referee sought the advice of the video referee who disallowed the score.
A Tomkins penalty from twenty-five metres edged the Dragons further into the lead.
Jack Brown scored a debut try on twenty-five, just after coming on as a substitute, by busting between two Dragons tacklers to go ten metres and ground under the H. Marc Sneyd added the conversion for 6-8.
Hull hit the front on when an Albert Kelly offload was batted down by the Dragons defence only to be picked up by Connor Wynne to walk three metres to ground. Sneyd added the conversion and the visitors were 12-8 ahead.
The first play after a penalty conceeded by Langi for holding on after the tackle was complete saw Josh Griffin hit the space in the line on the short side to take a Danny Houghton pass to go over for a simple try. Sneyd added the conversion and it was a total half reversal with Hull 18-8 up and just a minute of the half remaining.
It was a perfect start to the second half with Jason Baitieri taking a Sam Kasiano pass and strolling over the line from ten metres out to dive, theatrically, and score under the sticks. Tomkins added the conversion, the Dragons now four points adrift.
On fifty-two Griffin got his hands on a Sneyd grubber, beating Lewis Tierney in the chase to collect a bouncing ball and ground. Sneyd added the conversion for 24-14.
Once again the Dragons wouldn’t lie down as Benjamin Garcia stretched for the line after scooting from acting half back. Tomkins added the conversion and after fifty-seven minutes the Hull lead was back to four points.
In the tit for tat of try scoring Connor put Bureta Faraimo free down the wing to swat away the attempted tackles and score in the left corner. This time Sneyd was unable to add the extras but once again the Airlie Birds were ten points ahead at 28-18 with fifteen minutes left to play.
A Da Costa pass put Fouad Yaha in space down the left wing and he slid over on his knees to score the Dragons fourth of the evening. Tomkins pulled his kick wide of the uprights, the Dragons still six points adrift. It wasn’t pretty defensively, both sides seemingly able to score on each attack.
With ten minutes left to play it was still anyones game.
With a shade over five minutes remaining Matt Whitley had a try ruled out for an obstruction, the home crowd were incredulous.
With Hull FC putting everything that they had into defence Kasiano pushed his way to the line and stretched out an arm to ground over the line, the big man getting a crucial try to level the scores at 28-28 with sixty seconds remaining. Tomkins sailed his conversion between the uprights for a 30-28 win to send the home support into rapture.
In a massive final moment of the game, in error Wiliame caught the FC kick-off before it went ten metres and the referee awarded Hull a penalty on the half way line. Sneyd kicked the conversion to level the scores at 30-30.
We entered golden point, the Dragons receiving the kick-off.
FC kicked for touch, and found it, getting possession at the scrum thirty from the Dragons line. On the fourth tackle Sneyd slotted over a high and handsome drop goal to see an away win and prompt the booing around the stadium from the home supporters.
What the game lacked in quality defence, it made up for in excitement. Hull FC involved in another golden point game, and again the boot of Sneyd won the two league points. Fingers will be pointed at Wiliame for giving away the kick-off penalty with seconds left but all credit to a Hull side who led for most of the game and who overcame being pinned in their own half for the last ten minutes to snatch the win.
Dragons: Gigot (T), Tierney, Langi, Wiliame (SB on 14), Tierney, Yaha (T), Tomkins (5G), Albert, Bousquet, Da Costa, Moa, Jullien, Whitley, Casty. Subs: Bird, Garcia (T), Baitieri (T), Kasiano (T).
FC: Wynne (T), Logan, Tuimavave, Griffin (2T), Faraimo (T), Connor, Sneyd (5G, DG), Thompson, Houghton, Ellis, Manu, Minichiello, Hadley. Subs: Brown (T), Kelly, Lane, Nzoungou.
Referee: Chris Kendall.
Half-Time: 8-18.
Full-Time: 30-30 – 30-31 after Golden Point.
Attendance: .
