WARRINGTON WOLVES 26 TOULOUSE OLYMPIQUE 14
KASEY SMITH, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Friday

A YOUNG Warrington side withstood a fierce Toulouse onslaught before coming alive late on to end their regular Super League campaign on a high, ahead of the knockout rounds.

The game was something of a free hit for Warrington, having already secured a home knockout tie in the play-offs.

With that in mind, Sam Burgess rested a host of regular starters, handing debuts to Daniel Coop and Pat Irwin.

For Toulouse, however, there was plenty at stake, with the chance to finish as the highest-ranked French side for the first time. Olympique were by far the more dominant side for most of the game, but their lack of cutting edge proved costly.

The development of Warrington’s younger stars has been one of the shining lights of their season, and they stepped up once again here. The inexperienced Wolves side withstood wave after wave of Toulouse pressure before producing a hugely impressive result.

César Rougé was the dangerman for the visitors and it was his deft low cross-field kick which Paul Ulberg did brilliantly to get down in the corner for the opening score.

That lead lasted barely a minute, however. With the Wolves’ defensive line up high, Lachlan Webster managed to block Toulouse’s intended pass with his chest, allowing Arron Lindop to pounce to level the game.

The dominant Olympique nailed two 40/20s, but a lack of execution meant Warrington remained in the game, with Toulouse repeatedly fumbling in dangerous areas.

The French side broke through again, this time with Tiaki Chan powering through the middle. The ball was worked on to Luke Polselli, but Jake Thewlis was there with another try-saving tackle – only this time, his effort was ruled high.

Again, Toulouse found no joy.

After forcing consecutive goal-line drop-outs, Toulouse finally found a breakthrough on the last tackle, with Mathieu Pons beating Webster in the air to collect and ground Thomas Lacans’ high kick in the corner.

But right on the stroke of half-time, Warrington produced a slick shift out wide, with a series of crisp passes sending Webster over in the corner to leave the away side stunned.

Despite the setback, Olympique continued to assert their authority over the young Wolves side. A quick move involving Lacans and Polselli ended with the latter handing off to Roméo Tropis, who crossed to restore Toulouse’s lead for a third time early in the second half.

But Warrington’s response, again, was immediate. A well-timed flat ball sent Max Wood darting through a gaping hole in the defence to level the scores once more.

Then came a costly error from Polselli, who spilled a high kick under pressure. Lindop pounced on the loose ball to deliver the sucker punch and put Warrington ahead for the first time.

Even being a man down – after Charlie McKler got a challenge on Joe Cator wrong, sparking a furious melee – did not knock the Wolves. They maintained pressure to wrap up the result in the final ten when Josh Smith got on the end of Leon Hayes’ chipped ball in the corner.

GAMESTAR: Jake Thewlis came up with some vital defensive efforts to keep Wolves in the game when they were under the pump.

GAMEBREAKER: Josh Smith’s try, just after Warrington had gone down to 12, was a vital score.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: Jake Thewlis’ try-saving tackle to deny Mathieu Pons when he had no right to do so was great to see.

ALBERT GOLDTHORPE POINTS
3 pts Jake Thewlis (Warrington)
2 pts Arron Lindop (Warrington)
1 pt César Rougé (Toulouse)

MATCHFACTS

WOLVES
1 Cai Taylor-Wray
35 Lachlan Webster
23 Arron Lindop
26 Josh Smith
27 Jake Thewlis
37 Pat Irwin (D)
19 Leon Hayes
8 Luke Yates
14 Sam Powell
10 James Harrison
32 Ewan Smith
11 Adam Holroyd
36 Charlie McKler
Subs (all used)
25 Max Wood
30 Tom McKinney
31 Ben Hartill
38 Daniel Coop (D)
18th man (not used)
33 Tommy Rhodes
Also in 21-man squad
6 George Williams
9 Danny Walker
10 James Harrison

Tries: Lindop (11, 59), Webster (40), Wood (53), J Smith (72)
Goals: Hayes 3/5
Sin bin: McKler (70) – high tackle

OLYMPIQUE
25 Luke Polselli
28 Mathieu Pons
19 Roméo Tropis
12 Mathieu Jussaume
2 Paul Ulbeg
6 Thomas Lacans
29 César Rougé
8 Lambert Belmas
9 Brendan Hands
10 James Roumanos
22 Henry O’Kane
41 Louis Grossemy
15 Joe Cator
Subs (all used)
13 Anthony Marion
17 Rob Butler
27 Hugo Guarrigues
30 Tiaki Chan
18th man (not used)
20 AJ Wallace
Also in 21-man squad
11 Maxime Stefani
40 John Toleafoa
41 Louis Grossemy

Tries: Ulberg (9), Pons (34), Tropis (49)
Goals: Rougé 1/3

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 4-4, 4-8, 8-8; 8-14, 14-14, 20-14, 26-14

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Wolves: Jake Thewlis; Olympique: César Rougé

Penalty count: 6-7
Half-time: 8-8
Referee: Tom Grant
Attendance: 10,667