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.
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 weather.
"We had to be a bit calm in chaos there, when we were taken off the field," said Bulldogs coach Cameron Ciraldo.
"I don't think any of us have been through that before."
Gameday staff and media professionals fled the sideline as security ordered fans in the lower seating to seek shelter.
Play resumed 28 minutes after the halt, following consultation between referee Adam 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.
"We came out (after the stoppage) and just literally did our game plan, we completed, started to use the ball a little bit more," said stand-in captain Jack Wighton.
"It shows when we do it, we can get some points."
Souths continued to hammer the left edge and came within eight points as 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.
"Maybe we needed the rain to come earlier," coach Wayne Bennett quipped.
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.
Sexton 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.
"I thought Toby had his best first half of the year. He was direct, he was challenging the line," Ciraldo said.
"There's been a lot of outside noise but those guys (Sexton and Galvin) put the team first and worked really hard together as a unit."
Souths' heavy injury toll took another turn for the worse in the second half as back-up playmaker Jayden Sullivan limped off with a calf injury.
Important forward Keaon Koloamatangi also fractured his eye socket late in the first half, while replacement fullback Jye Gray played through with a broken thumb.
Koloamatangi has been among the NRL's form props this past month, while Sullivan's issue has Souths down to their third-choice five-eighth given Cody Walker is also injured.
"It is what it is, I can't get frustrated about it (the injuries). It doesn't help anybody getting frustrated," Bennett said.
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