Andy Last pulled no punches when assessing his Hull FC side after their 44-30 loss to Toulouse Olympique, labelling the first half as the ‘worst 40 minutes of the season’ – something that takes some doing given how disappointing the Black and Whites have been.
The French side found themselves 30-0 up when the half-time hooter sounded and they’d start the second half down to 12 men as captain Aidan Sezer was sent to the sin bin late in the first half.
That was a decision that Last would come to question but in the grand scheme of things, it mattered little given how bad the performance was and the interim coach made it very clear just how poor the performance was.
“The worst 40 minutes of the season for us by some distance,” he said post-match when speaking to BBC Radio Humberside.
“We just didn’t get into the contest, didn’t build the game, turned over a cheap ball and then weren’t prepared to defend, so the scoreboard turned ugly very quickly.
“We spoke all week about the importance of our TBAs, the team-based actions, things like kick-chase, things like kick-pressure, things like diving on a loose ball, and we got done with a really sloppy kick-chase try-concede and Toulouse, when they’re hot and confident, play an expansive brand and we just weren’t at the races in that first 40.”
Last admitted that he wasn’t angry at half-time, simply disappointed, stating: “I challenged them at half-time and just said, you’ve got to get the basics of the game. I wasn’t emotional, I wasn’t irate, I just spoke from a position of disappointment because this group of players have been better than that.”
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Key sin bin decisions questioned by Hull FC coach
That half-time team talk certainly worked as the Black and Whites did get themselves into the contest, making it 30-18 at one point after three very quickfire tries but a Harvie Hill sin bin for striking saw them drop back down to 12 and derailed any momentum.
On the referee’s decision to show Hill a yellow card, Last said: “The Harvey one’s a tough one, if I’m being honest.
“Quite clearly, [Lambert] Belmas has got hold of his jersey, gives him a thump and then obviously, he’s a front row forward, so he returns serve. So I’m a little bit disappointed with that but it’s striking so he’s got 10 minutes in the bin.”
Hull FC had already lost one prop with Ligi Sao, who has signed for Bradford for 2027, failing his HIA, something that will rule him out next week.
Last also questioned the Aidan Sezer sin bin, explaining: “Sezer got 10 minutes in the bin for an obstruction. We saw an obstruction last week, which we didn’t get, so it’s a bit inconsistent but there you go.”
⏱️ 𝗙𝗨𝗟𝗟-𝗧𝗜𝗠𝗘: Toulouse Olympique 44-30 Hull FC
Defeat in France for the Black & Whites.
⚫️⚪️ #COYH | @Seafishukltd pic.twitter.com/3wgh8CFtwx
— Hull FC (@hullfcofficial) September 4, 2026
