Both the Dragons and the Tigers were looking for their first points of the season as the two sides came together for an explosive encounter at the Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan. The home side welcomed back Scott Dureau but we're still without winter signing sensation Todd Carney.

The Tigers had thrown away the two points against the Wildcats and Daryl Powell had plenty to work to do over the week to rebuild his sides confidence and set them up for a big challenge in fortress France.

What would unfold would, at times, resemble more of a war than a game as neither side took a backward step in a humdinger of an encounter which would leave both sides battered and bruised but the neutrals wishing for more.

Most of the early pressure had been from the Tigers, thanks to aggressive forward play but also courtesy of some silly Catalans penalties. They opened their account on eleven when a Roberts kick to the corner was caught just short of the line and grounded by Justin Carney. Luke Gale kicked the conversion and it was a narrow lead which Castleford would carry all the way to half-time.

But there was far more incident that didn't trouble the scorers.

On twenty-four a towering kick from Gale was collected and scored by Solomona but after Referee Child first called a 'NO TRY' the video referees couldn't find the evidence to overturn his decision as TV didn't have a suitable angle.

On thirty-eight Morgan Escare appeared to be kneed in the head by Gale but Castleford got the penalty and the resulting play exploded into a mass brawl after which the referee sent Pelissier, Elima and Webster to the sin-bin.

Scott Dureau tried to salvage something from the half as the hooter sounded but slid his forty-metre penalty just wide of the sticks.

Within six minutes of the restart the home side were back on level terms. A minute after Scott Dureau had a sixty metre intercept try ruled out for foot in touch, he chipped a kick over the top for Escare to collect and ground. Dureau added the two points for 6-6.

Three minutes later and Escare was the target again, this time for a swinging arm from Carney and Dureau kicked a simple penalty to take the lead. On sixty-four a Henderson cross-field kick went through tree sets of hands before Elliot Whitehead went three metres to score. Dureau failed to convert and the lead was just six at 12-6.

With ten minutes remaining a Pomeroy intercept looked to have sealed it but rather than go alone he passed inside to Oldfield who dropped the ball. Castleford took full advantage of the Dragons slip and two minutes later Carney bust a tackle and passed to Jordan Tansey to score under the sticks. Gale converted to level the scores at 12-12.

The final score of the game, a Dureau drop-goal, followed the blueprint for the day by being controversial. Child went to the video referee and repeated replays showed the kick clip the right hand upright before travelling between the sticks.

The Catalans had come back to take the points in an absolute thriller, full of big hits, expansive play and more than a decent helping of controversy.

A great game for the neutral but a hammer blow for Castleford.

Catalans Dragons: Escare; Oldfield, Pomeroy, Tonga, Duport; Bosc, Dureau; Lima, Henderson, Anderson, Taia, Whitehead, Mounis. Subs: Elima, Pelissier, Garcia, Baitieri.

Castleford: Tansey; Solomona, Channing, Shenton, Carney; Roberts, Gale; Lynch, S. Moore, Millington, O. Holmes, Moors, Massey. Subs: Webster, Wheeldon, Finn, Crossley.

Referee: James Child
Attendance: