The bottom two collide at the Jungle tomorrow night but, somewhat oddly, they’ll both come into the game in good spirits.
Castleford booked their place in the last eight of the Challenge Cup with a resounding win over rivals Leeds last weekend. They led 28-0 at the break and dented the Rhinos’ already fragile confidence which could be a vital blow with both sides on one league win after six games.
Meanwhile, Toulouse have proven they’re not here to simply make up the numbers. After running Warrington and Wigan close, they downed Champions St Helens in their last game so will be full of confidence going into this match.
Team News:
The Tigers have made just one change to their 21-man squad after beating Leeds in the cup last week. Daniel Smith drops out with a calf strain. James Clare is the player who is drafted into the squad but it is likely to be Suaia Matagi who comes into the 17.
Toulouse are just missing four players in the shape Latrell Schaumkel, Gadwin Springer, Lloyd White and Mathieu Jussaume all through injury.
Match Preview – Key Battles:
Niall Evalds vs Olly Ashall-Bott: Last week, Niall Evalds returned to the Tigers giving them the balance they’ve been missing and a creative spark out the back which made them even more dangerous. However, he’ll have to play well to out-perform Olly Ashall-Bott who has been key to catalysing Toulouse’s run of good form. His arrival has given the French side a boost in attack and makes them threatening to every defence.
Gareth O’Brien vs Lucas Albert: Back in the halves against Leeds, Gareth O’Brien helped run the show for Castleford. Dangerous running with the ball but also capable of putting teammates into space, he’ll be tough for Toulouse to stop but he’ll come up Lucas Albert who has played some very good rugby recently for Toulouse knitting everything together and showing the threat of his short kicking game.
Kenny Edwards vs Dominique Peyroux: Kenny Edwards was outstanding against Leeds as he created two tries for the Tigers. A key player for the Tigers, Dom Peyroux is likewise central to Toulouse and comes into the game on the back of a great performance against St Helens. This should be a tenacious battle and could help determine how dominates the middle third.
Where the game will be won and lost:
On paper, Castleford’s middles may appear stronger than Toulouse’s especially after their win over Leeds in which Joe Westerman was very impressive. But Toulouse don’t have to dominate the game in a conventional sense to win. Their flair can see them catch any side off guard and that’s what the Tigers need to watch out for.
Score Prediction: Castleford Tigers 26-20 Toulouse Olympique
Leigh Leopards
NRL side urged to sign Leigh Leopards ‘star’ Edwin Ipape
