Toulouse thrash Catalans 60-18 in Magic Weekend

Toulouse Olympique delivered a dominant performance in the first-ever French-Magic WKND, crushing Catalans Dragons 60-18 at Stade Pierre-Fabre in Castres. The club scored 10 tries, marking their biggest win of the season and their fifth victory in the Super League season.

Luke Polselli, Mathieu Jussaume, Brendan Hands, and Olly Ashall-Bott each crossed twice for Toulouse. Thomas Lacans and Paul Ulberg also added tries. Jake Shorrocks converted nine of the 10 tries and slotted an 11th-minute penalty, helping his side move six points clear of bottom-placed Huddersfield Giants.

Kruise Leeming, Matthieu Laguerre and Toby Sexton scored for Catalans. But the Dragons, playing in heat and humidity, fell apart midway through the first half. After trailing 12-8, Toulouse ran in four tries in 11 minutes to open a 20-point lead by halftime.

Sexton converted his own try three minutes into the second half, briefly raising hopes of a comeback. But Ashall-Bott scored in the 53rd minute, and Ulberg added another four minutes later after a wide pass from Shorrocks. Ashall-Bott got his second in the 63rd minute from an Ulberg pass, and Shorrocks added two late tries in the 71st and 75th minutes.

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The 42-point margin is the biggest in Toulouse’s short Super League history, and their first win ever over Catalans. The all-French fixture was the only Magic Weekend game not held at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium; three games were played Saturday, with three more scheduled Sunday.

‘We’re here to play, not just take part’

Player of the Match Olly Ashall-Bott told reporters: “I feel like we put everything into practice tonight, and to come up with a score like that… I’m not sure anyone predicted that.”

He added that he does not focus on personal stats.

“I just want the team to win and do well, that’s my main priority.”

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“I think that’s a big statement from Toulouse tonight. We’re here to play, not just take part.” He said the team takes each game as it comes, but added: “I’d love to say push for top six, but anything’s possible. Let’s just go for it.”

He said there is “not much point talking about where we went wrong, because we were wrong pretty much from the time we got on the bus to the time the whistle blew at the end.”

The defeat leaves the Dragons in eighth place, six points outside the play-off positions.