SAINTS' Super 8 campaign got off to a losing start in France with Keiron Cunningham's men unable to beat the 12 men of the Catalans Dragons.

Catalans led 20-10 at the break but lost centre Ben Pomeroy two minutes after the restart after he was red-carded for a shoulder charge to the head of Josh Jones.

But Saints could not make their numerical superiority tell and will now have to up their game considerably in the remaining six league matches and beyond.

Dragons, for whom defeat would effectively been a season ended, opened the scoring when After three consecutive penalties Scott Dureau threaded an angled grubber for Tony Gigot to touch down, with the former adding the extras.

A Dureau penalty nudged the score line up to 8-0, but Saints hit back with a try on 22 minutes.

A break down the left flank from Adam Swift saw the ball tossed inside where Walsh hacked on, Morgan Escare was unable to gather allowing the Saints number seven to touch down.

Dragons cashed in on another penalty when, after Zeb Taia had gone close, Louis Anderson ran it in from a short ball from close range.

Dureau's goal made it 14-6, but five minutes before the break Saints let the ball rip with Walsh, Travis Burns and Mark Percival teeing it up for Dawson to go over for an unconverted try in the corner.

Having been under the cosh penalty wise in the first half a 14-10 deficit would have been a positive return for Saints.

Alas, attacking two minutes before the break, Percival was unable to hold Burns' pass and speedster Escare took full advantage to race 80 metres to sicken Saints.

A score line of 20-10 was a big job at a place that has not been a happy hunting ground, but that task was made more than manageable when Pomeroy was red-carded.

That Saints were unable to work that to their advantage in the way they executed their attacking plays is a worry and initially the Frenchman pushed further ahead with a brace of penalties to make it 24-10.

Joe Greenwood cut the deficit to eight points with a close range try on 57 minutes, and then they should have got within striking distance on 69 minutes when Greg Richards crossed from close range, only for the video ref to rule his accidental collision with James Roby as obstruction.

It was a sickener, and there was no way back after that with Krisnan Inu wrapping up the scoring was another penalty goal.

Dragons: 1. Morgan Escaré; 30. Krisnan Inu, 28. Tony Gigot, 3. Ben Pomeroy, 4. Willie Tonga; 14. Thomas Bosc, 7. Scott Dureau; 8. Olivier Elima, 9. Ian Henderson, 15. Jeff Lima, 11. Zeb Taia, 17. Elliott Whitehead, 24. Jason Baitieri.

Subs: 12. Louis Anderson, 16. Eloi Pelissier, 18. Ben Garcia, 21. Julian Bousquet.

Saints: 37. Adam Quinlan; 22. Matty Dawson, 17. Mark Percival, 4. Josh Jones, 5. Adam Swift; 6. Travis Burns, 7. Luke Walsh; 14. Alex Walmsley, 9. James Roby, 19. Greg Richards, 21. Joe Greenwood, 15. Mark Flanagan, 18. Luke Thompson.

Subs: 8. Mose Masoe, 10. Kyle Amor, 25. Andre Savelio, 29. Olly Davies.