St Helens head coach Paul Rowley has confirmed his side are well aware of the threat that Toulouse full-back Olly Ashall-Bott offers with the Saints boss giving a glowing review of the Englishman.
Despite that, he’s stopped short of declaring him as someone who could feature in Brian McDermott’s World Cup squad, citing the Toulouse man’s size as something that could hamper him at that level but insisting that he’s certainly among Super League’s best.
St Helens welcome Toulouse this afternoon with the weather perhaps more suited for the visitors with clear skies and temperatures approaching 30 degrees, and that could play into the hands of someone like Ashall-Bott.
Assessing Toulouse when speaking at his mid-week presser, Rowley highlighted the full-back as the main threat of what he deems to be a ‘dangerous side’.
“When they play free, they’re so good, and Olly Ashall-Bott, to me, is probably one of the best players in the league at the minute,” Rowley declared.
“He’s been absolutely fantastic for them, so he’s an obvious threat.”
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St Helens boss on stopping Olly Ashall-Bott
Identifying the threat and stopping it are two different things but Rowley confirmed that St Helens do have a plan for how to stop the Englishman.
“Field position would go a long way to solving that problem,” he said, adding: “Not letting them into the areas of the field where he’s going to cause you damage.
“If you do (let him into those areas of the field), then he’s very difficult to stop, obviously. He’s a fantastic player, so credit to him.
“He’s been a fantastic player and a great servant for Toulouse as well for a long time so whilst I don’t want to see him playing well this week, I’m happy that he’s doing well and he’s got a real good connection there at Toulouse.”
As for Ashall-Bott’s England chances, Rowley said: “I think in a test arena he’s probably a little bit small but he’s definitely up there with one of the best players in Super League at this moment in time.”
Ashall-Bott has been just one element of why Toulouse have been such an exciting addition to Super League with the city a new destination for many fans and when asked if it would be a shame to lose them, Rowley agreed.
He explained: “They’ve brought a lot of passion. Another team in France, obviously, and they played some fantastic rugby. They’re a good team.”
