While a win of any description would see the Dragons up into second, a fifty four point win would see them climb back to the top of the pile after Warrrington and Wigan both recorded wins earlier in the round.

But Salford Red Devils also had plenty to play for. A forty-seven point win would see today's opponents in the south of France up into sixth as they continue their quest for a valuable top eight spot.

In-form Tony Gigot was rested for the game being replaced by Morgan Escare but the Dragons were challenged at hooker as they were without both Aiton and Pelissier. The Red Devils were also missing players and were without the services of Lee and Caton-Brown.

Salford got off the best possible start after just two minutes when a Michael Dobson high kick was taken by Josh Griffin as Catalans full-back Escare flapped and when Griffin found Niall Evalds he had just a couple of metres to go to ground. The conversion from Michael Dobson was unsuccessful.

Two minutes later and the scene was set for a high scoring afternoon when Jodie Broughton was at the end of an intricate passing move to drop over the line from two metres out to level the scores. Pat Richards missed the kick from the touchline.

On nine it was the Red Devils turn to score when fast hands down the three quarters line allowed Rob Lui to put Justin Carney over in the corner. Michael Dobson hit the far upright with the conversion attempt, the ball bouncing back into the field of play.

When Logan Tomkins was lifted illegally on the Dragons thirty, Gareth O'Brien accepted the two penalty points on offer for 10-4.

On twenty it was back to parity at 10-10 after Krisnan Inu broke down the centre of the field and with four Dragons runners in support against the Red Devils full-back he passed right to Morgan Escare to scamper under the sticks. Pat Richards was gifted a simple conversion.

Four minutes later and a great Lui offload put Junior Sa'u through a gap for the Red Devils third of the afternoon. Dobson slid the ball right of the uprights to make him zero from three, but the Devils were 14-10 ahead.

Six minutes from the interval and a Broughton intercept of a Dobson pass saw the Dragons winger go ninety metres before being hauled down. From the next play the ball, Catalans moved left and Vincent Duport was on hand to score in the corner. Richards was accurate with the boot, edging his side two points in front, a lead they carried to the interval.

Eight from the restart, and after surviving a Dragons onslaught, Junior Sa'u took a pass ten out, stepped inside and then threw a dummy before stretching over the line to score. Dobson kicked his first conversion of the game and the Devils were back in the lead at 20-16.

Just two minutes later, and following a Red Devils knock-on from the kick off, Richie Myler took a Baitieri pass and ducked under the last tackler to once again put his side if front, thanks to the Richards conversion.

The lead was extended to six points when Broughton found himself in space on the right wing to walk in around the Salford defence for his second of the afternoon. Richards missed the conversion attempt and the margin was just one converted try.

The Dragons opened up a more convincing lead on fifty-six when David Taylor went through a gap and despite having the opportunity to score he passed to Richie Myler to get his second. Richards kicked the two for 32-20 and the game was starting to drift into the home teams grasp.

On the hour mark it was 34-20 when Richards kicked a penalty from twenty-five metres after Robert Lui spoke out of turn to the referee.

Junior Sa'u grabbed his hat-trick try from a one-man overlap after Richards came in field off his wing to cover. Dobson kicked the conversion for 34-26. On sixty-six a miss-out ball from Weller Hauraki put O'Brien over in the corner for Salford's sixth try of the afternoon, and when O'Brien kicked the conversion the Dragons lead was down to just two points.

With ten minutes left the game was there for the taking.

The seventy-fourth minute saw the game winning try when a Todd Carney pass found Pat Richards belting down the left wing to collect and improve the angle for Thomas Bosc to kick the conversion and take the lead back out to eight points at 40-32.

A Richards penalty on seventy-seven ate up the clock and eased the Dragons to a ten point win.

It was another free scoring game between these two very open sides. There was plenty to wonder at in attack, but also plenty to forget in defence from both sides. The Red Devils put up a brave fight, but the Dragons were just too strong in the end and they took the important two points to ease them above the Wigan Warriors and into second place in the table, and see them unbeaten in seven.

Dragons: Escare (T), Broughton (2T), Inu, Duport (T), Richards (T, 6G), Carney, Myler (2T), Taylor, Da Costa, Anderson, Stewart, Horo, Baitieri. Subs: Casty, Bosquet, Mason, Bosc (G).

Red Devils: O'Brien (T, 2G), Carney (T), Griffin J, Sa'u (3T), Evalds (T), Lui, Dobson (2G), Kopczak, Tomkins, Griffin G, Murdoch-Masila, Jones, Flanagan. Subs: Hauraki, Walne A, Krasniqi, Wood.

Referee: Gareth Hewer.

Attendance: