Leeds coach Brian McDermott believes his side atoned for last year's "embarrassment" in Perpignan with an emphatic 34-18 win over Catalan Dragons at Headingley.
The Rhinos' fortunes hit rock bottom in their last meeting with the Dragons last July, when they were beaten 38-18 in the south of France, and McDermott admitted it had played a part in their preparation."It was mentioned," he said. "We were embarrassed last year and wanted to turn that around.
"We wanted to be able to hold our heads high against the Catalan fellas.
"It was an important fixture. They're absolutely a good team and they ask so many questions of you.
"We were very aware that, had we not performed and ultimately got the result, it would have dented our confidence.
"We are trying to gain some momentum and hopefully that will be one of many performances for a while."
Among the try-scorers was prop Ryan Bailey, who was pressed into service in the back row and also produced a fine kick to reveal a side to his game rarely seen.
"I like Ryan Bailey," McDermott added. "He winds a lot of players up but he's not a dirty player. He's emotional and aggressive but I'm glad he's in my team.
"There are far more dirtier players in our game that are at risk of popping shoulders or bending knees. Ryan doesn't do that."
The Catalans missed the chance to draw level with leaders Huddersfield after a below-par performance.
Coach Trent Robinson paid tribute to Leeds but expressed his disappointment at the performance of referee Ben Thaler.
"I need to have another look at it but I was frustrated," he said. "We didn't get much tonight.
"I thought Leeds were really dominant in the ruck but they pushed things too far a few times with no result from Ben."
A first-half try from Louis Anderson gave the Dragons hope of pulling off a first-ever win at Headingley but they trailed 22-6 before veteran Steve Menzies got over the line for their second and Leon Pryce's late effort was mere consolation.
"I thought Leeds were dominant and they deserved to win," Robinson added.
"We let ourselves down in a few areas that we've prided ourselves on since the start of the season. We were comfortably beaten by a better team."