Huddersfield Giants vs Toulouse Olympique: Team news, match preview and score prediction

A week before the Challenge Cup Final, Huddersfield Giants face French side Toulouse who picked up a second win of the season last week.

As Ian Watson’s men look to build momentum going into next week’s final, they can ill-afford a slip up against a Toulouse side riding high after a win over Wakefield as the Giants look to cement their place in the top six.

If they do indeed have one eye on the final, then the French side could nick a first away win of the season.

Team News:

The Giants could bring back Jermaine McGillvary, Chris Hill, Leroy Cudjoe and Innes Senior into the 17 especially as Senior’s twin Louis has dropped out after picking up a hat-trick last week. There’s still no Chris McQueen whilst Theo Fages is also unavailable a week before the final.

There could be a debut in the Toulouse side in the shape of Corey Norman who has picked up the number six shirt. Fellow new signing Daniel Avaro may also feature whilst Latrell Schaumkel is back in the fold, a boost following the departure of Junior Vaivai.

Match Preview – Key Battles:

Tui Lolohea vs Olly Ashall-Bott: A former Giant, Olly Ashall-Bott has developed into a key player for Toulouse since switching the claret and gold for a Toulouse shirt at the start of the season. Included in last week’s Super League Team of the Week after scoring two tries, he’ll be a player Huddersfield will have to shut down. But it would take some performance for him to outshine Tui Lolohea. The former Salford man has been superb in 2022 and is capable of three or four amazing moments per match.

Jack Cogger vs Corey Norman: This should be an interesting game for both these players. For Norman, it may be his Super League debut and his chance to prove his attacking quality whilst Jack Cogger will come in to replace the unavailable Theo Fages. This is his last chance to force his way into the cup final side.

Where the game will be won and lost:

Huddersfield’s pack is one of the best in the league. A methodical side on the back of this powerful pack, they’ll look to pick Toulouse apart in this game so the French side will simply have to hang in their and conjure up moments of magic if they are to defeat their opponents in this clash.

Score Prediction: Huddersfield Giants 26-6 Toulouse Olympique