Catalans claim narrow French derby win at Toulouse
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Betfred Super League
Toulouse (2) 16
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Tries: Tropis, Cator Goals: Shorrocks 4
Catalans (12) 18
Tries: Makinson 2, Aispuro-Bichet Goals: Aispuro-Bichet 3
Catalans Dragons claimed the French bragging rights in Super League with a narrow derby win at Toulouse.
Les Dracs ended a four-match losing streak, which included a humbling 60-18 thrashing from their French rivals, as they claimed a second win from the three meetings between the sides this season.
Veteran winger Tommy Makinson grabbed two tries and Guillermo Aispuro-Bichet scored the other as Catalans stay eighth, two places and six points outside the play-off spots.
Romeo Tropis and Joe Cator scored Toulouse's tries as they came up just short in trying to record a fourth successive Super League win, with defeat leaving them ninth, four points behind Catalans.
Toulouse had scored 23 tries in those three previous victories, but welcome heavy rain in south west France made conditions difficult for flowing rugby and as a result, the contest turned into a slugfest and tempers frayed.
After an early Jake Shorrocks penalty for the hosts, Makinson won an aerial contest ahead of Olly Ashall-Bott and the greasy surface allowed him to slide over the line from a few yards out.
That was it until the end of the half when Aispuro-Bichet provided a moment of class as he broke the line coming through from full-back and found his way over to score and make it 12-2 at the break.
Toulouse, who had lost star full-back Ashall-Bott to injury, improved in the second half and reduced the deficit to four points after 51 minutes as good handling through the backs ended with Tropis getting it down.
But former St Helens man Makinson, a veteran of so many derbies with Wigan Warriors, made it an eight-point game as he went over after a big looping pass from Toby Sexton.
Shorrocks' goal reduced the gap to six with less than five minutes left, but Aispuro-Bichet cancelled those points out straight away with a kick after a Toulouse error and Cator's try as the hooter sounded was too late to affect the outcome.
Toulouse: Ashall-Bott; Ulberg, Quai-Ward, Tropis, B Laguerre; Lacans, Shorrocks; Belmas, Marion, Roumanos, Jussaume, O'Kane, Cator.
Interchanges: Garrigues, Chan, Toleafoa, Grossemy.
Catalans: Aispuro-Bichet; Makinson, Martin, Faataape, Cotric; Sexton, Dodd; Allen, Tison, Maria, Rogers-Smith, Lipowicz, Garcia.
Interchanges: Satae, Bousquet, Condon, Leeming.
Referee: James Vella.