Match Report – Toulouse 66-18 Swinton

23 May 2021

Toulouse continued their impressive run of high scoring victories running in twelve tries against the Lions who at one stage actually held the lead for a five minute period.

Because of Covid travel restrictions the game had to be switched to Heywood Road but the small crowd were treated to some fast flowing rugby.

Remi Casty put the home side into the lead in the third minute when he latched onto a Dominique Peyroux pass to score to the left of the posts and Mark Kheirallah added the conversion, which was quickly followed three minutes later when Junior Vaivai set up Anthony Marion for the second try but this time the conversion was unsuccessful. It looked ominous for the Lions but this was not to be and on their first attack Mitch Cox almost scored but managed to force a goal line drop out. From this they pressured the line and Martyn Ridyard set up the pass for the supporting Nick Gregson who broke through several tackles to score to the left of the posts and Ridyard added the simple conversion.

The second Lions try was well engineered with Gregson breaking a tackle in his own half to feed the supporting Geronimo Doyle who drew Kheirallah and then offloaded to Jack Hansen who raced thirty metres to score under the posts and Ridyard converted to put his side in the lead. Mattieu Jussaume then put Toulouse back in the lead on eighteen minutes and this was quickly followed by the first of the afternoon by Latrell Shaumkel but neither were converted keeping their six point advantage.

The Lions were not going away and they scored their third on twenty-five minutes when Ridyard kicked towards the posts and Johnathon Ford collected the ball and tried to play off his line, he then threw a pass meant for Vaivai but did not see Cox coming the other way and he took the pass to score by the posts and Ridyard converted to level the scores. However, Toulouse went into the break with the lead after a superb pass by the impressive Tony Gigot found Joe Bretherton and he scored by the posts with Kheirallah adding the conversion before the hooter.

The home side went further ahead just after the restart when Gigot was the provider for a Mitch Garbutt try again converted. Rhodri Lloyd was sent to the sin bin on fifty two minutes for holding down and just after this an incident was put on report for something that happened in a tackle on Joe Bretherton and from the resulting penalty near the line came another try with Eloi Pelissier going over and this was again converted.

This was quickly followed by a converted try by Kheirallah set up by Ford. Gregson almost added a second for the Lions on the hour but some good tackling held him out.

Toulouse passed the fifty point mark when Schaumkel grabbed a brace in a six minute period to complete his hat trick and both were converted. Another good chance for the Lions with five minutes left when Luis Roberts and Hansen combined but the ball went to ground near the line but Toulouse finished strong with two further tries in the last three minutes with Peyroux and Ford both going in for well worked efforts and again both were converted to complete the victory.

Ian Rigg at Heywood Road

TOULOUSE

1 Mark Kheirallah

2 Jy Hitchcox

4 Mattieu Jussaume

3 Junior Vaivai

21 Latrell Schaumkel

6 Johnathon Ford

31 Tony Gigot

8 Remi Casty

9 Lloyd White

10 Harrison Hansen

16 Joe Bretherton

12 Dominique Peyroux

13 Anthony Marion

Subs (all used)

14 Eloi Pelissier

18 Mitch Garbutt

23 Justin Sangare

27 Maxine Garcia

Tries: Casty (3), Marion (6), Jussaume (18), Schaumkel (20,63,69), Bretherton (39), Garbutt (46), Pelissier (53), Kheirallah (56), Peyroux (77), Ford (78).

Goals: Kheirallah 9/12

LIONS

22 Geronimo Doyle

1 Mike Butt

3 Mitch Cox

11 Rhodri Lloyd

25 Luis Roberts

6 Martyn Ridyard

7 Jack Hansen

8 Sam Brooks

9 Luke Waterworth

26 Jordan Brown

19 Deane Meadows

12 Nick Gregson

14 Billy Brickhill

Subs (all used)

16 Paddy Jones

21 Ben Heyes

24 Paul Nash

20 Tayler Brown

Tries: Gregson (11), Hansen (13), Cox (25)

Goals: Ridyard 3/3