The Catalan Dragons have been knocked out of the English Super League in controversial circumstances overnight at the hands of the Leeds Rhinos.

The Dragons, who made last year's grand final but ultimately fell short to the Kristian Woolf-coached St Helens Saints outfit in the finals, only managed a fourth placed finish on the table this year.

The Super League runs a top-six finals series format, with the top two teams progressing immediately to the semi-finals, while teams three through six play in a pair of elimniators to see who will join them.

Despite having hosting rights for the game, Catalan ultimately fell to the Leeds Rhinos by 20 points to 10, but not before controversy ensued.

In what could only be described as a game with constant niggle, Catalan conceded numerous penalties during the first half to have Leeds on the front foot, before Mitchell Pearce was sin binned for the first time for his part in a melee.

Catalans managed to stay in the game, but ultimately went to halftime behind by 12 points to 4.

A Dean Whare try straight after the break saw the Dragons hit back, but they ultimately wouldn't find the tryline again, with Gil Dudson sent off for a head but on Aidan Sezer five minutes from full time, before Pearce was sent to the sin bin again for a high tackle.

The club immediately took to social media to express their frustration, calling it "the festival of James Child." Child was the game's referee.

"Yellow card for Mitchell Pearce for a high tackle. The James Child festival continues," reads the tweet when translated to English.

Child was then pelted with plastic cups as he left the field following the fulltime whistle, with fans taking to social media and expressing that it was time for the French club to leave the English competition.

Leeds will now take on St Helens or Wigan next weekend, pending on the outcome of the other eliminator between the Huddersfield Giants and Salford Red Devils.