Halifax 44 Toulouse 28: Halifax recover to beat French and cement place in play-offs

HALIFAX are firmly back in the Championship play-off places but they will have to improve at title-chasing Batley next weekend.

Fax started solidly enough, and were in front with only four minutes on the clock, teenage stand-off Anthony Bowman cutting through on the right and having enough confidence to back himself to make the try line.

Danny Jones’s conversion hit the post for a 4-0 scoreline, and when Paul White needed every inch of his natural speed to chase down opposite number Gregory White, it was clear the French were not here for a holiday.

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And, with errors from both sides, they finally made it onto the scoreboard, centre Bruno Ormeno pouncing on a Darren Nicholls grubber kick.

Nicholls banged over the conversion and then added another converted try himself – sailing through a yawning hole in the home defence – to give Toulouse a 12-4 lead going into the second quarter.

Makali Aizue stormed 25 metres, skittling defenders out of his way, Sean Penkywicz’s kick being grounded expertly by Jones.

Jones hammered over the kick from in front of the posts, before going in front through Jon Goddard.

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Jones whacked over the kick from the sideline, and Halifax pushed their lead out to 22-12 four minutes before the break, Penkywicz and Aizue wreaking havoc down to the middle again and the Papua New Guinea international slipping a peach of a pass to supporting full-back Miles Greenwood.

Jones’s boot provided the 10-point buffer, and it was already clear that Fax had the attacking firepower to win the game.

Question marks remained over their solidity at the other end of the field, and it took a super tackle from Ryan Clayton in the second minute of the second period to stop Ormeno from adding his second score.

The gate stayed open though, and on 44 minutes Nicholls stepped his way through it, scoring his second try of the game on the last tackle of the set.

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The same player inexplicably missed the conversion and the hosts punished them.

Penkywicz did the damage from dummy half and Joe Chandler applied the finish, diving over to the left of the posts.

Jones made it 28-16, but the errors continued to flow with frustrating regularity, paving the way for Toulouse’s White to finish off some neat passing. Nicholls converted before adding the extras to Tony Gigot’s interception try to level at 28-28.

Halifax then stepped up a gear as Clayton managed to free his arms in a tackle and send White over.

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Jones missed the kick, but made ammends when he slipped in Paul Smith for a try, which he also converted.

And the home side saved one of the best until last, Penkywicz chipping the ball over the line straight from a tap on half way and White showing speed and all his natural finishing instinct to regather and race away to the posts, Jones converting.

Halifax: Greenwood, White, Haley, Goddard, Worrincy, Jones, Bowman, Gannon, Beswick, Cherryholme, Smith, Bannister, S. Barlow. Substitutes: Aizue, Penkywicz, Clayton, Chandler.

Toulouse: Couturier, White, Planas, Ormeno, Mercier, Nicholls, Gigot, Wynn, Cook, Pelo, Larroyer, Maria, Houles. Substitutes: Tisseyre, Anselme, Taure, Martins.

Referee: G Stokes (RFL).

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