Super League: Hull hand relegated Toulouse 38-12 defeat in ruthless seven-try display
Hull bring to an end a poor run of form as they beat bottom-of-the-table Toulouse; Already-relegated Toulouse played with plenty of fight but lost out 38-12; Hull now look forward to derby match with Hull KR in final game of the season
Last Updated: 28/08/22 8:50pm
Hull made sure they gave their fans at least one more win to cheer about this season as they dismissed bottom side Toulouse, winning 38-12 at the MKM Stadium.
The Black and Whites came into the Betfred Super League match having won just two of their last 13 matches and had fallen well out of top-six contention in the process.
However, a spirited performance in defeat last time out against Salford was backed up with another committed and at times ruthless display by a patched up Hull side, ensuring Brett Hodgson's men would snap a four-game losing streak in fine fashion, scoring seven tries.
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"There were moments in that game where we showed a bit of character and skill," Hodgson said. "We wanted to play expansively today. With our personnel we needed to change our approach in yardage a bit and the players executed the game plan really well."
For Toulouse, it was more misery piled on a difficult week for the Super League newcomers. Sylvain Houles' men, who had their relegation confirmed earlier in the week following defeat to Catalans, were missing a number of senior players and could not cope with Hull's superior power through the middle.
Both teams were playing their second game in the space of three days and that was evident in the overall quality of the contest.
Hull made an energetic start and took the lead through Harvey Barron on the right - and the winger doubled his personal tally a few minutes later off the back of great play from Jake Connor.
The visitors looked drained defending their own line and were opened up for a third time, with young forward Will Gardiner crashing over next to the sticks.
Hull underlined their first-half dominance with a long-range try from Mitieli Vulikijapani putting them in complete control at the break.
Toulouse started the second half well and, after a period of sustained field position, opened their account through Guy Armitage, who went through a big gap to touch down.
Undeterred, Hull hit back quickly to snuff out any threat of a comeback, with Ellis Longstaff scoring untouched after great lead-up play from Barron.
The second half had turned into an end-to-end contest and Toulouse, who ended the game with 12 players, went through the hands and caught Hull out on the right, with Ilias Bergal racing away to score.
Hull would have the final say of the match though, with Vulikijapani streaking away from long range following a Toulouse mistake to round off the scoring.
Toulouse head coach Sylvain Houles was still pleased with the resolution his players showed.
"We know our destiny now and we just want to make sure we finish giving a good account of ourselves and playing with spirit," he said.
"It wasn't quite there in the first half but at half-time we fixed up a few things and we played with plenty of fight."
Toulouse will play in the Championship next season and Houles is confident of keeping the majority of his current squad together.
"There should be a good core of the team playing today that will be there next season. It's very important to try and keep the squad together," he added.
"It's been a disappointing season but we've learned a lot and we know what to expect now as a group.
"We faced plenty of adversity right from the beginning but the boys have turned up every week and fought hard.
"We never give up, which is something we can be proud of."
It was a welcome victory for Hull. After a tough month of results it sets up an intriguing encounter with bitter rivals Hull KR in the final game of the season.
"It was crucial to build some confidence going into the derby and next season," Hodgson said.
"We know what the derby is, so you don't need any extra incentive for that, but the fact that we can go into the week with a bounce in our step is very important.
"We need to make sure we put some energy into the players and be ready to roll."
