Despite a valiant and much-improved performance, the Robins fell just short of what would have been a well-deserved win in Perpignan, Ben Cockayne and Daniel Fitzhenry touching down.

The Robins travelled to the South of France looking to bounce back from their narrow defeat against Wigan the week before. Prop Rhys Lovegrove returned to the side after recovering from a dislocated shoulder, while captain Mick Vella moved to the back row, with Scott Murrell dropping to the bench. But the Rovers were forced to make a late change after Jake Webster went down with a bout of sickness prior to the warm-up. Chev Walker replaced him in the three-quarters, with Chaz I'Anson moving onto the bench. Meanwhile, the Catalans handed a debut to new signing, and former Robin, Sebastien Martins, who joined them a couple of days before the game.

After a good preparation in the sweltering Mediterranean heat, a thunderstorm earlier in the day had taken the edge off the temperatures, but by kick-off, the sun had returned to the Stade Gilbert Brutus. The Robins started strongly, repelling an early raid from the home side before launching one of their own.

A good offload from Clint Newton put Shaun Briscoe clear, and although he rounded his opposite number Clint Greenshields, the attempted tackle was enough to see him stumble and allow the defence to recover. Then, on the next play, the ball was moved quickly wide, with Paul Cooke somehow flicking the ball between his legs to give Peter Fox a chance at the corner. However, despite doing well to dive over at the corner, the video referee disallowed the score, ruling that Fox's foot had hit the touchline.

Almost immediately, the Catalans made the Robins pay for not making the most of their chance. Thomas Bosc's inside ball sent Greenshields racing through, his looping pass found Dimitri Pelo, and he passed inside for Jean Philippe Baille to touch down. Bosc converted and five minutes later, he provided Baille with a second try.

On the last tackle, and with the defence rushing up on him, Bosc chipped across the line and Baille dived in to score. Referee Richard Silverwood again referred the decision to the video referee to check that the centre was onside, but the score was given.

The Robins were not helping themselves with some poor discipline, but they did brilliantly to turn defence into attack and get themselves on the scoreboard. Bosc's cross-kick was palmed inside by Steven Bell, but Michael Dobson read it to perfection and swooped in to snap up the ball and race away. He made it over half-way before falling to Adam Mogg's tackle, however the ball was sprayed wide on the next play, Cooke dummied and found Chev Walker, and he put Ben Cockayne over.

Jason Ryles took exception to Cooke's pass, and was dispatched to the sin-bin by referee Silverwood for dissent. Dobson's conversion drifted just wide, but on the half hour mark he made up for it. Mick Vella's intelligent run caught Remi Casty offside 30 metres out, and Dobson took the two points that were on offer.

As half-time approached, the Red and Whites looked the stronger side, and began to break through the Catalans' defence. Dobson was denied a certain 40-20 by superb work from Greenshields, who dived to flick the bouncing ball back in-field barely metres out from his line. Kris Welham broke clear with Fox in support, only for the ball to be knocked from his hands as he tried to make the pass.

A clever grubber from Dobson again found Welham, with Fox flying up on his outside, but just as before, he was prevented from making the pass by a Catalan hand. Then, on the last play of the half, the Dragons extended their advantage with a try against the run of play.

On the last tackle, the Robins defence seemed to have shut Bosc down, but he managed to smuggle the ball away and Gregory Mounis' grubber was touched down at the corner by Jason Croker. The video referee was again called upon to check that the ball had been grounded before the touch in-goal line, and after some deliberation, the score was given. Bosc added his third conversion from the touchline to leave the Red and Whites two scores adrift at the break.

Half-Time: Catalans Dragons 18      Hull KR 6

As night descended on Perpignan, Rovers could think themselves rather unlucky not to be within striking distance of the home side, if not on level terms, but they wasted no time in setting about reducing the gap. A long penalty kick to touch from Cooke put the Robins on the attack, and after going close himself, Dobson's delicate grubber just bounced dead.

Having survived the Rovers' attack, the Catalans came back strongly, fired on by the vociferous home crowd. David Ferriol was put on report after Scott Murrell received a cut lip from the Frenchman's elbow, and a couple of drives later, Ben Galea was penalised for his protests after catching another elbow from Ferriol.

That simply served to spur the French side on, and they laid siege to the Red and Whites' line in search of a killer score. The Rovers' scramble defence saw off the threat though, and they came roaring back at the home side. A long ball from Cooke gave Fox a chance for the corner, but a great covering tackle from Bell put him over the touchline.

The Robins were finding a lot of joy down their left side, and Welham was also denied at the corner by the Catalans' cover defence. But on the hour mark, the breakthrough came, but it took a deserved slice of luck.

Dobson's delicate grubber was snapped up by Daniel Fitzhenry under the Catalans' posts, but a heavy challenge from Greenshields knocked the ball free. However Fitzhenry played to the whistle, re-gathered the ball and touched down. After a long period of deliberation, the video referee awarded the try and with Dobson's conversion, the Robins were back in the game.

With the two points hanging in the balance, the Red and Whites were looking the most dangerous team, but Ferriol's elbow was proving to be the most dangerous thing on the pitch as Clint Newton was its latest victim - the second rower catching a heavy blow in the face as he attempted to tackle the front rower.

The game was being played at a frantic pace, and with time ticking down, the huge travelling support thought that the Robins were about to get the score they were looking for. A great offload from Ben Cockayne put Dobson away, he found Briscoe, but with space ahead of him, Fox put the ball down.

With time ticking down, the Robins forced two goal-line restarts on the home side's line, and it looked like they had a third when Welham and Fox forced Bell back over his own line. However referee Silverwood decided that the tackle had been completed and awarded a penalty.

That let the home side out of their own half, and with a couple of minutes left, Bosc went for a drop goal. Murrell did brilliantly to charge it down, but wasn't able to recover the ball, and in the next set, Bosc was on target to finish the game.

Baille drove over on the short side with the final play of the game for his hat-trick try, but the score served only to add extra gloss which was unfair on the Robins, who gave everything in very testing conditions, only to fall just short.

Full-Time: Catalans Dragons 23      Hull KR 12

Hull KR: 1. Shaun Briscoe; 2. Peter Fox, 19. Kris Welham, 3. Chev Walker, 28. Ben Cockayne; 6. Paul Cooke, 7. Michael Dobson; 18. Scott Wheeldon, 9. Ben Fisher, 24. Rhys Lovegrove; 11. Clint Newton, 20. Mick Vella, 12. Ben Galea.

Replacements: 21. Chaz I'Anson, 13. Scott Murrell, 15. Daniel Fitzhenry, 16. Jason Netherton.

Catalans: 1. Clint Greenshields; 3. Steven Bell, 12. Jason Croker, 15. Jean-Philippe Baile, 5. Dimitri Pelo; 4. Adam Mogg, 6. Thomas Bosc; 8. David Ferriol, 9. Casey McGuire, 10. Jerome Guisset; 16. Olivier Elima, 17. Cyrille Gossard, 23. Jason Ryles.

Replacements: 7. Shane Perry, 13. Gregory Mounis, 24. Remi Casty, 27. Sebastien Martins.

Referee: Mr R. Silverwood          Attendance: 9,073