Daryl Powell delivers message to Warrington fans ahead of Toulouse clash

Warrington coach Daryl Powell says his side need the fans more than ever right now as they prepare to face Toulouse in what he describes as a must-win.

The Wolves face Toulouse at home in a huge clash at the bottom of the Super League table on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.

Warrington sit four points above Toulouse, who sit at the foot of the ladder.

“I just think it’s an important game,” Powell said. “It is a game that we know we need to win. We all know what’s riding on it.

“There’s no point building it up more than what we’ve got in our heads at the moment which is an important game that we need to perform in.

“The fans always have a massive part to play for 80 minutes. Get behind the boys, stay behind the boys, the fellas are working hard.

“The last four weeks we’ve been in a few battles that have gone against us but we need the fans through this game. We need to make this stadium feel like it’s buzzing. I think it is absolutely pivotal for what we will do for the remainder of the season.

“I’d urge fans to be behind the players. I’ve a lot of people coming up to me on a regular basis asking about understanding where we’re at and where we are going. I know not everybody sees that but whether you see it or not, this game is a pivotal one for us and we need to get it right.

“Fans always play a part in a vibe on the field, what the game looks and feels like. Them being behind the players for a full 80 minutes makes a huge difference.”

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Toulouse were the favourites to go straight back down to the Championship before a ball was kicked this season.

However, Sylvain Houles’ side have put up a stiff fight in the top-flight, securing five wins and sitting just behind Wakefield and Warrington in the table with five games to go.

“They’ve done well and they are making it really competitive,” Powell said.

“Everyone thought they’d be gone at the start of the year and that they wouldn’t win many games.

“We played them in Round Three and I thought after that they’d win games, particularly over there. They were always going to be dangerous and they’ve proven that.

“They’ve signed a couple of players like (Corey) Norman and (Daniel) Alvaro that really open them to progress and improve. I think they’ve done a good job, they’ve been challenging and they’ve lost a couple of tight games. They are a tough team and we go into this game wanting to play at our highest intensity possible.”

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