TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE 24 BRADFORD BULLS 20
PETER BIRD, Stade Ernest Wallon, Sunday

TOULOUSE will play York in the Championship Grand Final after an impressive fightback against Bradford, who will be left scratching their heads as to how they let a 0-16 half-time lead evaporate.

Toulouse experienced immediate pressure right from the start after Olly Ashall-Bott and Benjamin Laguerre somehow managed to allow the Bulls to find touch from the kick off. They survived that error but after conceding another set of six, Bradford took full advantage and scored on the last tackle as Waqa Blake plucked a Joe Keyes high ball to touch down to the right of the posts. Luke Hooley made sure from the kick and the Bulls were off to a flying start. 

The hosts looked shaky as the Bulls gained in confidence. Twelve minutes in and Toulouse’s first attack ended with an excellent take by Bradford winger Jayden Okunbor from a threatening Jake Shorrocks high ball. A handling error on 18 minutes from Laguerre, thirty five metres out, put more pressure on his team and Matty Gee took full advantage to crash over on the last after smart work from Keyes. Hooley kicked well from wide left and Bradford were 0-12 up. 

Ashall-Bott kicked directly into touch from the restart to add to French woes. 

Bradford looked in control as the hosts struggled to create an opening and Olympique almost conceded a third try on the half hour but prop Logan Bayliss knocked forward one metre out. Bradford’s disappointment was short lived though as they added a third try courtesy of the busy Okunbor six minutes from the break, as a wayward Thomas Lacans pass was cleanly intercepted and the winger sprinted ninety metres to the right corner. Hooley unluckily hit the post from the attempted kick.

Toulouse went into the interval looking a sorry bunch. Things could only get better.

And they did. Two minutes into the second half, Ashall-Bott had loads of time to dive over under the posts as the visitors dozed off. Shorrocks made the easy conversion. The six-pointer galvanised the home side who stepped up a gear and immediately looked more menacing.

But it was the Bulls who should have settled matters after a Keyes high kick to the right corner was fumbled by Okunbor with the line beckoning.

Bradford settled more into the half and threatened but solid defence kept Brian Noble’s men out in a much more even contest, with the hosts gaining in confidence. 

Toulouse narrowed the gap further when, from a penalty, good work from Shorrocks fed the fast running Reubenn Rennie, whose strength pushed him over left of the posts. Shorrocks coolly slotted home the conversion to cut the deficit to four points. 

Six minutes later, an error from Jorge Taufua gifted possession to Lacans with Rennie to his left and with Paul Ulberg on hand to collect and dive over in the corner. Shorrocks, with an excellent kick from the touchline, took his team into the lead for the first time. Tense moments followed as the Bulls threatened, but it was Toulouse who stretched their lead to six as a perfectly weighted grubber on the last from Shorrocks was touched down by Ashall-Bott on the right side. Shorrocks again kicked superbly under pressure to give some breathing space. 

The drama wasn’t quite finished though as that man Okunbor took advantage of an unattended left hand corner to score his second try of the match and pull it back to 24-20. 

However, Toulouse nervously managed to run down the clock to claim the honours in a classic semi-final.

GAMESTAR: Olly Ashall-Bott whose pace troubled the visitors for the full 80 minutes.

GAMEBREAKER: Olly Ashall-Bott’s try seven minutes from the end to seal the game.

MATCHFACTS
OLYMPIQUE
1 Olly Ashall-Bott
2 Paul Ulberg
3 Reubenn Rennie
5 Paul Marcon
19 Benjamin Laguerre
25 Thomas Lacans
7 Jake Shorrocks
8 Lambert Belmas
35 Brendan Hands
17 Rob Butler
4 Mathieu Jussaume
11 Maxime Stefani
13 Anthony Marion
Subs (all used)
15 Joe Cator
16 Joe Bretherton
10 James Roumanos
28 AJ Wallace

Tries: Ashall-Bott (42, 73), Rennie (54), Ulberg (59)
Goals: Shorrocks 4/4

BULLS
26 Luke Hooley
37 Jayden Okunbor
3 Waqa Blake
5 Guy Armitage
23 Jorge Taufua
7 Joe Keyes
1 Tom Holmes
8 Michael Lawrence
14 Mitch Souter
15 Logan Bayliss
11 Zac Fulton
12 Matty Gee
18 Sam Hallas
Subs (all used)
9 Jordan Lilley
35 Zane Musgrove
10 Ebon Scurr
34 Chris Hill

Tries: Blake (6), Gee (19), Okunbor (34, 77)
Goals: Hooley 2/4

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0–6, 0–12, 0–16; 6–16, 12–16, 18–16, 24–16, 24–20

Rugby Leaguer and League Express Men of the Match
Olympique: Olly Ashall-Bott; Bulls: Jayden Okunbor

Penalty count: 3-3
Half-time: 0-16
Referee: Aaron Moore
Attendance: 3,245