IN time, Thursday's 32-18 win may be looked back upon as a real turning point for Warrington Wolves.
By beating Toulouse Olympique and virtually ending any threats of relegation this year, a pressure valve has been released and The Wire head coach Daryl Powell can place even more focus on laying a better foundation for next season and whatever is around the corner under his guidance.
Relief was the overriding emotion at The Halliwell Jones Stadium after Wolves finally put an aggressive and determined Toulouse to bed – albeit with considerable difficulty.
As Powell’s side conceded a 12-0 lead in an eight-minute spell to trail 18-12 late in the first half, everyone’s thoughts must have been ‘here we go again’.
But the half-time messages sunk in, the defence tightened up, and as the visitors lost their discipline – which led to an 11-2 penalty count against them and two sin-binnings – Warrington kept their cool and focus while racking up 18 unanswered points.
They had to be patient as the crucial try from George Williams for an eight-point lead did not arrive until the 69th minute, and it was his little grubber kick that Ben Currie touched down with the last play of the game to rubber-stamp the deal.
The Wire came through some adversity, losing second rower Matty Nicholson to a leg injury early on, while winger Connor Wrench scored his second try while carrying a lower limb problem and then exited play.
Warrington’s win was in the bag by the time Stefan Ratchford went off with a head knock, and somehow Matt Dufty got through his home debut despite suffering a tear-jerking poke in the eye early doors and the full-back played an influential role by helping to create three tries.
There was no shortage of effort across the board, including from the fans who were behind the team with their chanting and cheering.
It was far from a perfect performance, but it was good enough to end a sequence of four losses and they found a way to get the job done on a night that was ‘must win’ for both teams.
🍿 Match Highlights
— Warrington Wolves (@WarringtonRLFC) August 12, 2022
All the tries from our crucial win over Toulouse last night 🔥 pic.twitter.com/efPxmLwAy2
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