Toulouse Olympique are at panic stations after tumbling to the foot of the Super League table once more following defeat to Hull FC and Wakefield Trinity’s stunning win over Castleford Tigers.
Coach Sylvain Houles is concerned that his players are beginning to panic after three wins in a row since the start of July have been followed by heavy home defeats to Salford and now Hull.
“In the last two games we have panicked at times and we cannot afford to do it,” he told League Express following Saturday night’s 30-6 home defeat to the Airlie Birds.
Toulouse travel to injury-ravaged Hull KR on Thursday night for the Sky-televised Round 22 clash, with Houles fully aware that any further defeat could prove fatal for the club’s battle against relegation in their first season in the top-flight.
He added, “Clearly, this game is crucial and we have to address our last two performances immediately if we hope to get anything out of it.
“We cannot afford a repeat, our indiscipline has cost us again, we were very poor with and without the ball against Hull tonight.
“We didn’t start badly but after that we just caved in too often and we did the same against Salford in the second half last week, and that’s on us, our mistakes have cost us for the second week running.
“There are a lot of things that we should be able to control and do better and we just haven’t done this in the last two games.”
Houles will have influential Aussie prop Daniel Alvaro back for Thursday’s trip to Craven Park but it is a change in attitude, not personnel, that he is looking for.
He said, “We missed Daniel Alvaro and Justin Sangaré tonight in the forwards but I was confident with the team that I selected, which makes it so much more disappointing.
“We have to deal with what we can control; we can’t think too much about Hull KR and how many players they have out because Hull were under-strength tonight and we probably focused too much on that, thinking that it might be an easy game. But there are no easy games in Super League.
“We will be facing 17 players on Thursday, just like we did tonight and we have to step up.”
Toulouse may have to do without winger Ilias Bergal who injured his ribs in the Hull game, but Houles reported no further casualties from the match.
Centre Guy Armitage remains sidelined with a hand injury alongside Lloyd White (back) and Andrew Dixon (adductor).
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