SYLVAIN HOULES is still one of the youngest coaches in professional Rugby League despite his ten-year reign at the helm of Toulouse Olympique.
The 42-year-old former French international and ex-Huddersfield, London and Wakefield player has just agreed a two-year extension to his contract under new club chairman Olivier Dubois and he couldn’t be happier with his ‘accidental’ career choice.
Houles told League Express: “This year will be my eleventh season in charge, which is incredible really because I never really wanted to be a coach, I just kind of fell into it.
“I didn’t set any goals when I switched from playing (he was a winger, centre and loose-forward for Toulouse from 2007-2012) and I certainly didn’t think I would be doing it for this long. But I love the job and I love the club, so I’ll continue for as long as they want me.
“I’ve never taken time to look back; it has been project after project with Toulouse from day one and all of a sudden you turn around and you’ve been doing it for ten years, but I have loved every minute – or most of them.”
Houles admits that the pain of relegation from Super League in 2022 saw him step back from the game and return to his family sheep-farming business to rethink his future. But it didn’t take him long to resume the job he loves.
He added: “Of course it’s a challenge and there are difficult periods – being relegated from Super League was really hard to take.
“If you lose a game during the season you can get back on the horse next week, learn from your mistakes and put things right, but going down was difficult. Even losing the Grand Final last season hurt badly.
“I’m lucky in having a great family and I took some time away from the job to reflect upon things and consider my next step.
“But I’m constantly thinking about rugby and how I can improve, so I think I was always going to return. I’m a planner and as soon as I have a plan in mind I take it to the chairman and the executive board and say ‘let’s go.’
“You learn from every experience but even more so from the tough times.”
Locked into the hot seat for at least two more years, Houles says there is a new mood after a period of indecision and financial uncertainty following heavy losses incurred during TO’s brief stint in Super League 2022.
He added: “I am so proud to be the coach of this club and I couldn’t have done any of this without having Bernard (Sarrazain) as previous chairman. He first gave me this opportunity and he really trusted me. Cedric (Garcia, former chief executive, now director Of sport) and all the staff and players here have made the job an absolute pleasure.
“Bernard had ten incredibly successful years as chairman. I can’t speak highly enough of him.
“When he came along we were amateurish and naive and he turned us into a professional organisation that was successful on and off the pitch.
“Without his vision and the entrepreneurial way he tackled things we couldn’t have moved forward. He took some real risks and he has been incredibly brave and giving for this club. Last year was difficult for him but he never gave up.
“We’re so lucky to still have him on our side and he will be with us forever as a supporter, partner and advisor.
“He is the best president the club has ever had and I hope our new chairman Olivier has the same success over the next ten years.
“He is young and dynamic and clearly wants to be successful; he tackles everything with energy and ambition.”
Houles said the club had president Sarrazain to thank for its current grading under IMG ratings as one of the better Category B clubs and in tenth position for prospective league standings in 2025 and an automatic return to the top flight.
He added: “The IMG grading, as I understand it, is very encouraging. But as a business we cannot just rely on that. The good thing now is that every club needs to know where they need to work harder.
“Our attitude is that we need to improve on every level and our immediate aim is to become a Category A club. You cannot sit back, otherwise you’re dying in any business.
“We’ve always looked at how Catalans have grown on the sports and business fronts and of course they inspire us as a fellow French club.
“The safety net of protection from relegation in their early years really helped them with the foundations of the club and gave confidence to sponsors and investors.
“It could have been a different story for us when we were promoted if we had that same dispensation. We had to win purely on a sports side and the problems we had just before the season started (captain Johnathon Ford and star player Mark Kheirallah left over Covid inoculation issues) made it so tough for us.
“Hopefully this grading system will give us a stronger base to build from. As a coach, I can see we have one foot in Super League for 2025 and it’s an exciting time for us.”
Houles began pre-season training three weeks ago and reported a healthy turn-out and positive spirit among players both young and old.
He added: “There have been changes at the club, but we’ve got great continuity too, we have re-signed 21 players from last season. We’ve signed two new recruits (Paul Ulberg and James Roumanos) and we need to replace our halfback Josh Ralph, so there will be at least one more to come.
“We’ve got a 15-week preparation period for the Championship in 2024, which is brilliant because we can prepare really well, it’s like we’ve got an NRL pre-season.
“We’ve just given two-year extended contracts to a number of players and the new chairman is keen to see young talent coming through.
“The confidence the IMG grading has given this club is incredible and it filters down to players like Robin Brochon, who had a fantastic season for us, and Benji Laguerre – they are the future of Toulouse Olympique.
“One I am really looking forward to seeing next year is Dimitri Biscarro, who has huge potential. The next 15 weeks will be so important for him; he’s very raw but he is so strong with a huge frame and he’s never had a pre-season like this before.
“If he handles the next 15 weeks well, I promise you we’ve got a really exciting player who is one to watch. We’ve already seen glimpses of what he can do – he’s a prop forward who runs around the field like a back for sixty minutes. I’ve never seen it before.”
At the other end of the career ladder is club captain Harrison Hansen, who has agreed a one-year extension to his current deal for next season.
At 38, there was some suggestion that the veteran prop would be taking on an assistant coaching role but Houles stressed that was not going to happen.
He said: “Make no mistake, ‘H’ will be playing, he won’t be in the background at any stage, it’s his 21st pre-season and he turns up to every day like a fresh-faced kid, eager and hungry.
“He wants to do every exercise and training technique to the maximum, every time for every minute of every session with a big smile on his face.
“I cannot speak highly enough of him; he’s a cult hero here and already a legend of the game. He will be on the field for us showing the way forward from the very start of next season.”
Another Toulouse ‘veteran’ has agreed to continue for a further three years with former Wigan player Joe Bretherton continuing the French adventure he started back in 2018.
Houles said: “Joe is one of the longest-serving players at this club and he is so important. He’s a completely different character to ‘H’ but he’s just as important to the team.
“He has embraced the culture of this club, he understands it and he contributes massively. He is so good when new players arrive, he lets them know what is expected of them and he’s a smart guy, always looking at what is the next step forward.
“He clearly loves his life here in Toulouse and he won’t stop trying to improve himself; he’s the first name I put on the team sheet because I know he can play anywhere for us and always give us his best.
“He is so important to us and a great example to others.”
Star fullback Olly Ashall-Bott (below) recovered in record time last season after ACL knee surgery and Houles says the former Widnes star is raring to go in 2024.
He added: “Olly is 100 per cent; we gave him some game time just on the last game of the regular season, he played 40 minutes and he was outstanding after five months of recovery.
“He trained for the rest of the season and could have played in the semi and final but I didn’t want to take any risks. I didn’t want to put him under any pressure either and we will see him back to his best next year.
“He is such an exciting player to watch, he is real box office and if you like sport you would pay good money to watch him every time.
“We love him and he will be a big part of our season.”
The past ten years have been the most eventful in the club’s 87-year history with inclusion in the English competition at League One, Championship and briefly at Super League level, but Houles believes there is much more to come.
He said: “Looking forward to the next ten years of Toulouse Olympique, I hope we become a top-four team. That is our vision. Catalans are the model for us, they inspire us and tick all of the boxes to be a top Super League club.
“But we have our own identity too and we’re very proud of who we are. We have a new chairman now and the future is very bright, but wherever we are in ten years’ time, one thing is for sure: Harrison Hansen will still be playing for us!”
An interview with new Toulouse owner Olivier Dubois appears in the latest issue of Rugby Legaue World magazine, available now at www.totalrl.com.shop
