TOULOUSE Olympique arrive in York buoyed by a thrilling play-off triumph at Avignon last week.

The 29-28 victory, secured by Mark Kheirallah’s nerveless drop goal, followed successive wins in the last two rounds of the French Elite 1 league regular season and set up a semi-final showdown with minor premiers Pia next weekend.

It also avenged a semi-final loss in golden point extra time to Avignon in the Lord Derby Cup, the main knockout competition in French rugby league.

Kheirallah and ex-Newtown Jets half-back partner Johnathon Ford proved the difference last week, with Ford crossing for a double while Kheirallah scored one and had a hand in three of Toulouse’s six tries before slotting the match-winning one-pointer in the dying seconds.

The highly-rated pair, who also racked up 28 points between them in the Challenge Cup third round ten-try romp at Swinton Lions, are among seven players from down under currently in the Olympique ranks, along with Adam Inness, Eloni Vunakece, hooker Luke Fahy, Shane Blackett and Guy Williams.

Boss Gilles Dumas, the former France international and head coach, welcomes Inness and Yoann Didone back from injury for the trip to England. Dumas has overseen a large change in personnel since the last time Toulouse were in York, with only two players who featured in the 17 that July day in 2011 – Jérôme Gout and Cyril Moliner – in this weekend’s travelling party.

A third, veteran former Hull KR centre Damien Couturier, played in the reverse fixture at the Stade Arnaune the previous April, won by the Knights.


Toulouse in focus

League position: 5th (in French Elite 1)

Coach: Gilles Dumas 

FOLLOWING their return to the French Elite 1 league at the end of their two-year stay in the Championship, Toulouse lost in the first round of play-offs last season but have so far gone one step further this term, edging Avignon in the first knockout round last week, after finishing fifth in the standings.

That win avenged a golden point semi-final loss to Avignon in the Lord Derby Cup. Toulouse have a decent Challenge Cup pedigree, following the admission of French clubs into the competition, becoming the first from over the Channel to reach the semi-finals when they shocked Super League side Widnes 40-24 in the last eight in 2005, before bowing out to Leeds.

They didn’t enjoy their last cup trip to York, though, the Knights winning 54-28 in March, 2007.

However, they did win here in the league in 2011, 46-32, avenging the Knights’ 16-10 victory in Toulouse.

Their team is much-changed from then.

Squad: (possible) Bastien Ader, Yohan Barthau, Shane Blackett, Damien Couturier, Yoann Didone, Luke Fahy, Johnathon Ford, Théo Gonzalez-Trique, Jérôme Gout, Adam Innes, Mark Kheirallah, Mourad Kriouache, Samy Masselot, Tony Maurel, Cyril Moliner, Florian Quintilla, Eloni Vunakece, Guy Williams.

One to watch: Johno Ford – he and goalkicker Mark Kheirallah form a half-back combination which can be deadly at this level.

Partner club: not applicable.

Season prediction: have blown hot and cold this term, but are turning up the heat ahead of their domestic play-off semi-final next week.

Ground: Stade Arnaune.