Championship: Toulouse Olympique crushes Halifax

HALIFAX suffered their second league defeat of the season, and in emphatic fashion.

After three away games, the TO team returns to Ernest-Wallon on Saturday. On their home turf, Toulouse face the leaders, Halifax.

We were surprised by this Halifax team, which is a good team, but they failed to play their rugby, and that’s due to our performance. It’s great what the guys accomplished, especially defensively, not conceding a single point against the best attack in the league. We were the best defense in the Championship before this match, and we wanted to prove it, said Sylvain Houlès (TO XIII head coach).

Toulouse Olympique defeated the Halifax Panthers 32-0 on Matchday 9 of the Championship on May 3, 2025, a resounding victory at the Ernest-Wallon Stadium. TO confirmed their promotion ambitions in this match thanks to a solid offensive and defensive performance.

The conditions were perfect, and it was the hosts who made the most of the early action, with Olly Ashall-Bott running onto a Thomas Lacans goal under the posts in the sixth minute as the Halifax defenders watched.

Five minutes later, a delicate high ball from Panthers’ Tom Inman on the final stretch was deflected by his own player, which seemed to set the tone for the visitors for most of the match.

Toulouse got off to a good start, cutting into aggressive formations and moving the ball quickly. Halifax made mistakes and lost control of the tackles, which allowed Toulouse to take a 20-0 lead before halftime.

Halifax struggled from the start because Toulouse were stronger and played faster; They were unable to launch any offensive plays due to their handling issues and Toulouse’s well-organized defense.

Toulouse extended their lead to 32 points in the second half with two successful tries, and the opponent’s dominant physicality and well-organized defense prevented Halifax from scoring at all when they attacked Toulouse’s 20-meter zone late in the game.

Halifax head coach Liam Finn assessed the team’s shortcomings, highlighting both low pass completion rates and a lack of physicality as the main reasons for their defeat.

Panthers coach Kyle Eastmond summed it up well, saying, « They’re a very good team and they deserve the win, no excuses. »

Toulouse improved their Super League qualification by moving up the table. The result of this match served as a warning to Halifax: they must get organized quickly before their upcoming matches.

Toulouse aims to continue its recent winning streak while Halifax seeks to resolve internal issues and extend its season.

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