Wakefield Trinity’s unbeaten streak in the Championship was abruptly halted with a 32-4 loss to Toulouse. The team, led by Daryl Powell, found themselves outmatched by the French side in a highly challenging match.
Toulouse quickly took the lead with Olly Ashall-Bott successfully grounding a bouncing ball just before the deadball line, putting his team ahead 14 minutes into the game. Despite a missed conversion attempt by Ryan Rivett, Toulouse maintained pressure. Ashall-Bott scored again from dummy-half just before the half-hour mark, with Robin Brochon converting to bring the score to 10-0. Wakefield’s situation aggravated when Jack Croft was sin-binned for a tip tackle, which allowed Paul Ulberg and Ashall-Bott to score additional goals before halftime. With a 20-0 deficit heading into halftime, Trinity faced an arduous challenge.
Despite the disadvantage, Wakefield demonstrated resilience as Derrell Olpherts scored in the corner immediately after the game resumed. However, Toulouse remained dominant and secured their victory with two late tries from Reubenn Rennie and Ulberg. The final score of 32-4 left Wakefield Trinity stunned, prompting contemplation of what went wrong.
For more rugby news, access the digital edition of League Express by clicking here or subscribe to the print edition here. Additionally, League Express is available at local newsagents across the north of England.
This defeat serves as a reminder that there are no guarantees in sports, and even the strongest teams can face setbacks. It will be intriguing to see how Wakefield Trinity rebounds from this defeat and regains their momentum in the Championship. Regardless of the outcome, their fans can continue to show their support as the team navigates through the remainder of the season.