Toulouse Olympique see a “huge improvement” after going through difficult period

Toulouse Olympique coach Sylvain Houles says he has seen a huge improvement in his side after going through the process of losing two of their star players.

The newly-promoted side got off to a tough start before a ball was even kicked in Super League. They lost captain Johnathon Ford and full-back Mark Kheirallah due to the French Government’s stance on vaccinations.

Toulouse have yet to win a game in the top flight but produced their best performance yet on Saturday. They made Warrington work for a 32-18 victory at the Stade Ernest Wallon.

Houles 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 improve every week.”

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Full-back Olly Ashall-Bott only joined Toulouse midweek from Huddersfield but he impressed on his debut, scoring a try.

On Ashall-Bott, Houles said: “It’s incredible what Olly Ashall-Bott did today. He only arrived on Thursday, he probably doesn’t know the names of half of the team yet but he performed like that today, he was incredible.

“He has speed to burn and that will be a huge asset for us.”

Next up for Toulouse is a home game next Saturday against Wigan. The Warriors have won all three of their games so far this season. Matt Peet’s side have beaten Hull KR, Leeds and Huddersfield.

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