Toulouse Olympique coach Sylvain Houles believes new signing Olly Ashall-Bott will be “a huge asset” for the French club’s hopes of Super League survival this year.
The former Huddersfield Giants full-back made a sensational try-scoring debut at Stade Ernest Wallon on Saturday night, leaving coach Houles drooling in admiration.
“It’s incredible what Olly Ashall-Bott did today,” said Houles.
“He only arrived on Thursday; he probably doesn’t know the names of half of the team yet but to perform like that today was incredible.
“He only had the Captain’s Run before this game and we will need to learn how to play with him, because it is clear that he has speed to burn and that will be a huge asset for us.”
Ashall-Bott had French supporters cheering with two long distance dynamic bursts, one of which resulted in his first try for the club.
The 24-year-old admitted he had enjoyed his first outing for Toulouse, “I’m just excited to be here and playing,” he told League Express.
“I came here two weeks ago with Huddersfield and saw this incredible stadium and when I was given the chance to play here every other week it was something I couldn’t turn down.
“I’ve always admired the way Tony (Gigot) plays so when I was given the chance to play off him, I couldn’t turn that down either.
“I’ve only been here a day and the more I train and play with the group the better I’ll become. I’m just really excited to be playing and I enjoyed the game today.”
Coach Houles is hoping his new recruit will boost confidence within his squad, which has been hit by injuries and Covid-related departures.
He said, “It’s been well documented that we’ve been through a tough period, so it takes time to rebuild, but today we could see a huge improvement.
“It’s a mixed feeling, because we missed a few opportunities when the game was in the balance, but it’s only our third game in Super League and if we can keep learning like that we will be there.
“After what happened to us in January we needed to reshape and Tony (Gigot) was so strong for us today in the middle of the pitch.
“Lucas Albert too was strong today; he is a young, talented kid who really hasn’t played enough football in the halves. He has come off the bench for us in different positions but now he needs to establish himself in the halves.
“He has everything you need and he has grown in the last three games, you can see his progression and he will take a lot of confidence from it.
“I hope he is the number seven for Toulouse for a long, long time.”
The three-match losing run for the competition’s bottom club could be extended with the visit of top side Wigan Warriors this coming Saturday to Stade Ernest Wallon, but Houles believes his side is on the up.
He added, “Warrington are a top team and they came here without Gareth Widdop and Ben Currie, but apart from that they were pretty much full-strength and I think we gave them a good game.
“It doesn’t get any easier with Wigan next, but this is what we want, it is why we are here. We are learning all the time.”
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