Lightning has proved Canterbury’s biggest enemy in a 24-18 defeat of South Sydney, who only jolted into action after inclement weather brought the game to a halt.

Toby Sexton staked his claim to hold Lachlan Galvin from the Bulldogs’ halfback spot as he inspired a 18-0 lead without Matt Burton on Sunday at Accor Stadium.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: NRL match stopped due to lightning.

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Top-four side Canterbury looked ready to stroll to a big win, until the game came to a standstill just after 4.40pm (AEST) with lightning crashing nearby.

It marked the first time since an Anzac Day hailstorm in 2015 that an NRL game was suspended by inclement weather.

Gameday staff and media professionals ducked for cover in the tunnel as security ordered fans in the lower seating to seek shelter.

“Tackle three with Tyrone, we’ve got to go in, ground manager’s said, due to the lightning,” referee Adam Gee could be heard saying after Tyrone Munro was tackled about 10 metres out from his own goal line.

The players stood confused for a brief moment until the situation was explained to them, as rain bucketed down at Accor Stadium.

“The NRL is concerned there’s lightning very close to the stadium, just rolling over the top of us now,” Fox Sports’ Jake Duke said at the time.

“The weather’s gotten so heavy, so the NRL officials have stepped in and told the players they need to come from the field and play will be suspended while this passes.”

After retreating to the changerooms for almost half an hour, players were given a two-minute warning just before 5.10pm for play resuming.

“At the moment, the rain has stopped, the lightning has passed,” Duke said as players got ready to run back out.

“There was a little bit of conjecture there of how we restart this game and who was actually in control of restarting the game, because it’s not only the players you have to consider, it’s the fans as well.

“There was debate between the stadium (and) the NRL; the NRL were saying, ‘The lightning’s not overhead, can we restart play?’, the stadium was saying, ‘It’s still within a 10-kilometre radius of the stadium so it’s not safe for fans to re-enter the stadium and be away from the cover’. But they have reached an agreement.

“They then had to give the players two minutes to warm up.

“It is still a little bit overcast, but as I said, the rain has stopped, the lightning has moved away, and we still have eight minutes to play in this first half, then we will go to a half-time break.”

Play resumed 28 minutes after the halt in play, following consultation between Gee and venue staff.

The stoppage proved a fresh start for the Rabbitohs, whose veteran winger Alex Johnston grabbed his 202nd career try from the side’s first red-zone entry just before halftime.

Souths continued to hammer the left edge and came within eight points as Jack Wighton dived over while Canterbury’s Jake Turpin was in the sin bin for a high shot on Tyrone Munro.

The Rabbitohs were daring to dream when a kick from Isaiah Tass off a scrum helped Tyrone Munro over on the right side and made it a one-score game.

But with Souths’ last roll of the dice, halfback Jamie Humphreys spilt the ball in a big shot from the returning Jacob Preston and the Bulldogs held on.

Earlier, Sexton showed he would not be giving up his No.7 jersey without a fight as superstar recruit Galvin started his first game for Canterbury.

Sexton’s most impressive act was a silky one-two with Jacob Kiraz for the first try, fooling Jamie Humphreys by feigning a kick and slicing open Souths’ left side.

He swung left to help Marcelo Montoya score the first of his two tries and came close to putting Viliame Kikau in twice late on in the first half.

Souths back-up playmaker Jayden Sullivan limped off with an apparent injury late in the second half.

His absence for next week’s clash against Melbourne would test the side’s depth even further with Cody Walker still expected to be missing through a groin issue.

Lightning had struck nearby twice before the stoppage, with the second flash prompting audible gasps from the modest crowd.

Soon beforehand, security had ordered patrons in lower seating areas to take cover as rain teemed down.

Sideline commentators and ground staff also fled the field with the players.

The stadium DJ played the classic rock hit ‘Rain’ by Dragon, making light of the situation.

Two young fans took advantage of the situation and rushed onto the field, prompting a small army of security guards into action on the sodden turf.

Soon before 5pm, the referee determined in consultation with venue management and ground staff that play could resume imminently, with players to be afforded two minutes of warm-up time before the resumption.

- With AAP