Olympique rematch at a higher level
ROCHDALE Hornets and Toulouse Olympique will go head-to-head on Sunday in the first meeting of the two clubs since their promotion to the Kingstone Press Championship.
Both side have been performing well since the step up to League 1, with the French outfit sitting second on points difference, while the Hornets are in sixth just three points behind.
The first time these two sides met was a fiery encounter at the Crown Oil Arena in April where they played out a 28-28 draw after the home side had clawed their way into the lead from a 16-0 deficit.
Tom Lineham lined up for Rochdale that day and grabbed a brace of tries, while Jono Smith and Danny Yates also crossed the whitewash, but it was Paul Crook’s penalty goal which sealed a point.
Some underhand tactics by the visitors caused the game to boil over, with a number of gouging and biting incidents throughout the game.
A bite on Lewis Galbraith by Bastien Ader resulted in the French centre being banned as the Hornets became the first side to take a point off Toulouse.
Their next meeting was in the Super 8s, when Hornets had to make the trip to France for the first time as the hosts picked up a comfortable 46-6 victory.
They would go head-tohead again at the Stade Ernest Argeles where the visitors did the unthinkable and ended Toulouse’s unbeaten record to gain automatic promotion to the second tier as League 1 Champions.
Like they did in the first meeting of the two side, Rochdale battled back from a 16-0 deficit as tries from Jack Holmes, Galbraith, Dave Cookson and Chris Riley gave them a 24-16 advantage.
Ader’s late effort put the favourites within two points, however some desperate defending in the last set of the contest saw the Hornets defy the odds and become champions.
Rochdale go into the game off the back of a disappointing loss away to London Broncos, as some questionable calls saw them on the wrong end of a 13-5 penalty count leading to a 28-8 defeat.
They were well in the contest until they were forced to defend their line for a prolonged period in the second half, as the home side took advantage with three late scores.
Their French counterparts picked up a win away to Featherstone Rovers, running out 34-26 winners to make it three straight wins and climb to second in the table.
The Hornets will assess the injury of Jack Holmes after Alan Kilshaw revealed the extent of his foot injury picked up against York City Knights wasn’t as serious as first feared.