Warrington and Toulouse lock horns in a huge clash for Super League survival

On Thursday night, Warrington Wolves host Toulouse Olympique in what could be a huge night to determine who survives for another year in English rugby League’s top competition.

Whilst it’s a regular theme for a newly promoted side to be battling the drop, Toulouse have had an excellent season thus far, giving the more experienced Super League teams a good run for their money.

However, given the huge difference in money and resources between the top two tiers in English rugby, teams that get promoted out of the Championship regularly find themselves returning there a year later.

If you put a bet on Warrington to be in the bottom three come the end of the season, before the campaign got underway, you would’ve won some serious cash. The Wire sit in 10^th place with the gap to 9^th place Hull KR increasing to six points last weekend.

The last time Warrington finished 10^th was in 2009, but at this point there were 14 Super League teams. In 2015 the Super League became a 12 club competition, since then the Wire’s lowest league finish was 9^th in 2017. This season, relegation is seriously on the cards for Warrington.

Toulouse do sit on the bottom of the table; however, due to their excellent season for a newly promoted club and the dismal seasons of two other clubs, they remain just two points off Wakefield and four off Warrington.

A win for Toulouse would see them close right up to the Wire, heaping the pressure on Warrington’s manager Daryl Powell. If they win by more than five points they would leapfrog Wakefield and move off the bottom of the table. However, a win for the Wire would surely guide them to safety whilst condemning the visitors to a one on one battle with Wakefield for survival.

In the reverse fixture it was the Wire who took the two points, coming away from France with a 18-32 victory back in February. Having only been able to get two wins on the road all season, the Wire will be confident they can beat the French outfit on their own turf as well, where they have preferred playing.

As for the team news, the home side have a big boost as they welcome Matt Dufty back into the 21 man squad. He replaces Riley Dean in their only change from the defeat to Wigan.

The visitors also make just the one change to their team that lost last weekend. Maxime Stefani replaces James Cunningham, as they look to bounce back from disappointment.

The match will be Live on Sky Sports Arena on Thursday evening from 7.30pm with the kick off set for 8pm. It is set to be a feisty clash as the two teams put it all on the line in this relegation battle.

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