SAINTS lost an enthralling, bruising but error-strewn game in the south of France with the 14-8 defeat coming despite the sides sharing two-tries apiece.

The loss means that Saints immediately drop from first to fifth given the tightness at the Super League summit – but they were the authors of their own downfall in Perpignan with far too many handling errors contributing their inability to really challenge the home defence.

Saints’ completion rate was abnormally poor – but both sides seemed guilty on that front.

On the flip side both sides were equally resolute in defence in a blood and thunder encounter that was not lacking in guts and effort making a spectacle that flipped between absorbing and frustrating.

It was eventually settled by a Ikuvalu try that was given despite Saints protests about an obstruction – but that try had been building as the hosts slowly begun to win the physical exchanges.

How different the second half would have been had Lewis Dodd been able to ground the ball when he was over the line only to be denied by Arthur Mourgue – and rightly saw it chalked off by the video ref.

From that point Dragons, despite losing the likes of Jordan Abdull and Tom Johnstone with injuries during the game, began to marginally get on top – and when they scored you knew it would be decisive.

In a nip and tuck first half it was Catalans who had the first opportunity on seven minutes, after repeatedly targeting the short side.

Quick hands sent Tom Johnstone flying in at the corner but pressure from Konrad Hurrell forced the Dragons wing to drop it.

At the other end some shrewd Lewis Dodd kicking and an effective chase was finding joy, twice forcing goal line drop outs to build pressure.

And Saints thought they had got their reward on 16 minutes when Jon Bennison flew in at the corner, but the touch judge spotted that the Runcorn-born flankman’s boot had hit the touchline.

However, a Dragons error gifted Saints another crack two minutes later – and a well-worked move from the scrum saw the defence bamboozled by the dummy run of makeshift centre Sione Mata’utia allowing Jack Welsby to run a perfect arc for the try.

Jonny Lomax, kicking in the absence of Mark Percival, missed the conversion.

The game remained tight, with both sides guilty of handling errors and soft penalties.

Dragons tested Jon Bennison with some high kicks, but he proved equal to them in the first 40.

After Saints had conceded an unnecessary last play penalty, they found themselves under the cosh on their own line – and it took a Tommy Makinson read off the wing to snuff out another Dragons opportunity.

With Dragons interchange prop Chris Satae making an impact, the hosts finally made the penalties inside the Saints half count.

It was another big man, Mike McMeeken, who took route one to the line with a converted try beneath the posts to put Dragons 6-4 up on 31 minutes.

A minute before the break, Makinson dashed on to a pass, and despite the attention of three would-be tacklers, the test wing was able to keep the momentum going and get the ball down for an unconverted score to make it 8-6 at the break.

After a short stoppage when Johnstone went off for a HIA after being clattered by his own player, Saints though they had extended the lead five minutes into the second half when Dodd finished off a fine last play move.

However, he was held up brilliantly by Dragons full back Arthur Mourgue and the video referee over-ruled the on-field decision of a try.

It was developing into a bruiser with Konrad Hurrell, Daryl Clark and Jonny Lomax all needing treatment at times.

But with Sironen bringing some power on both sides of the ball, and Welsby showing his class and finesse Saints continued to shade the arm-wrestle with the game largely played in the middle third of the pitch.

It was tight and after a period of Saints pressure, Catalans sneaked an opportunity when a rare dropped high ball from Bennison gifted the hosts the ball. Saints defended that well, but then a loose ball was put down by Lomax and the Dragons had a glorious opportunity to attack inside the Saints 10.

They finally took that on 64 minutes, with a try from Ikuvalu which went up as a try – and despite the protestations for obstruction the try was given.

The conversion gave the Dragons a 12-8 lead with the two goals being the only difference between the sides.

There was a flare up on 74 minutes after McMeeken took exception to George Delaney’s challenge after the tackle, with the penalty proving costly at that stage of the game with the clock running out.

The successful goal made it 14-8, but Saints did not give up and won the ball back from the short restart kick and launched another attack with Hurrell thundering down the right but stopped short.

Saints attack failed to make an incision as they chased the game – and was a little too lateral as they tried to work it wide meaning Makinson was snuffed out before he could take Hurrell’s optimistic pass.

So a fifth defeat in a row against Steve McNamara’s side that are now proving to be something of a bogey side for the Saints.

Catalans Dragons: Mourgue, Davies, Ikuvalu, Romano, Johnstone, Abdull, Fages, McMeeken, Da Costa, Navarrete, Sims, Seguier, Garcia. Subs: Laguerre, Rouge, Satae, Maria.

St Helens: Welsby, Makinson, Hurrell, Mata'utia, Bennison, Lomax, Dodd, Walmsley, Clark, Delaney, Whitley, Sironen, Knowles. Subs: Batchelor, Mbye, Bell, Wingfield.

Referee: Liam Moore.