Toulouse Olympique 20 Leeds Rhinos 6: Youngsters battle hard in tough defeat
Under-strength Leeds Rhinos’ top six hopes suffered a setback when they were beaten 20-6 in fierce heat at resurgent Toulouse Olympique on Saturday.
The result lifted Toulouse off the foot of Betfred Super League and left Wakefield Trinity in the relegation place ahead of their game at third-bottom Hull KR on Sunday.
Rhinos were without four of their five props, both senior half-backs and lost Liam Sutcliffe - who had been due to play at stand-off - to illness less than 90 minutes before kick-off.
They suffered another injury blow late in the game when 17-year-old centre Max Simpson hobbled off after they had used all their substitutions, leaving them down to 12 men for the final seven minutes.
Toulouse laid the platform for a third successive win during a dominant first half which ended with them 14-0 ahead.
Rhinos, whose pack had an average age of 21, cut the gap to eight points going into the last 10 minutes, but Toulouse sealed the win with their third try, two minutes from time.
Chris Hankinson opened the scoring with a penalty goal after 16 minutes and converted Latrell Schaumkel’s try, from a pass by Tony Gigot, two minutes later.
Rhinos held out under heavy pressure until the 29th minute when Hankinson sent Matty Russell in for the hosts’ second touchdown before adding the extras from the touchline.
The next score did not come until 12 minutes from time when Brad Dwyer threw a dummy and scooted over from acting-half.
Rhyse Martin, playing at centre, landed the conversion to make it 14-6.
Leeds forced a couple of half-chances after that, but Joe Bretherton sealed the points when he touched down from Corey Norman's pass 90 seconds from time and Hankinson's fourth goal completed the scoring.
Rhinos were reduced to the bare bones by suspensions and injuries, with Zak Hardaker, Sutcliffe, Aidan Sezer and Matt Prior all ruled out from the team which beat Castleford Tigers at Magic Weekend.
Sutcliffe’s illness meant Jack Sinfield started in the halves - alongside fellow rookie Corey Johnson - and Liam Tindall was drafted in among the substitutes.
Yusuf Aydin - signed on a two-week loan from Wakefield - was not selected, so Mikolaj Oledzki was the only specialist prop in Leeds’ 17.
There was a scare when he went off for a head injury assessment in the first half, which could have ruled him out of Thursday’s home game against Wigan Warriors, but he was cleared to return later in the match.
Toulouse Olympique: Ashall-Bott, Schaumkel, Armitage, Hankinson, Russell, Gigot, Norman, Navarrete, Peats, Alvaro, Bretherton, Pryroux, Paulo. Subs Albert, Hansen, Belmas, Sangare.
Leeds Rhinos: Myler, Handley, Martin, Simpson, Fusitu'a, Johnson, Sinfield, Oledzki, O'Connor, Walters, Gannon, Bentley, Smith. Subs Dwyer, Donaldson, Thompson, Tindall.
Referee: Jack Smith (Wigan).