Skolars completed their Northern Rail Cup campaign. With neither side able to make the quarter finals, both sides made a number of changes. Last season’s reserve team player of the year James Fletcher made his senior debut as did Dion Chapman and Connor McDonald, with Andre Vine returning almost 3 years after his previous 14 appearances for the club.
On a drizzly Easter Monday, neither side controlled the ball well in the first half. Skolars forced an early goal line drop out, but couldn’t make possession count. They had the advantage of an extra player for most of the game after Jean-Christophe Borlin was sent off for leading with an elbow in a tackle, though they lost the use of James Roche, as he went off having incurred a nasty facial injury.
The sending off seemed to galvanise the opposition with Kevin Larroyer being held up over the line. Skolars then had a good period of possession, but Aaron Small lost the ball on the line, then Louis Robinson was held up over the line.
Toulouse went into the lead on 25 minutes with former Skolar Mourad Kriouache kicking the ball from the scrum for full-back Nathan Ross to chase and gather to score. Jean-Babtiste Meurin dived over the tryline in the left corner five minutes later and Ross added his second try soon afterwards. Skolars went for 15 minutes without completing a set, in a game where there were 20 scrums.
The visitors used the windy conditions effectively in the second half with Ross completing his hat-trick. Joe Ridley’s interception stopped another Toulouse move and Skolars finally got on the scoreboard when Smokie Junor went in at the corner. Ross scored a fourth try, but a late revival for Skolars saw them score two tries. Olly Bloom burst through the centre from close range before a long pass from Ridley saw Fletcher score on his debut. McLean slotted over two conversions.
However, a late try for Ryan Houston and Kriouache’s fourth conversion saw Skolars deprived of a bonus point.
Joe Ridley received the man of the match award, sponsored by The Mall, Wood Green Shopping City.
LONDON SKOLARS
1 Will Colleran
2 Aaron Small
3 Lameck Juma
4 Dave Arnot
5 Smokie Junor
6 Andy McLean
7 Joe Ridley
8 Louis Robinson
9 Danny Burke
10 Oliver Bloom
11 Jaroslaw Obuchowski
12 James Roche
13 Mike Worrincy
Subs (all used)
14 Connor McDonald
15 James Fletcher
16 Andre Vine
17 Dion Chapman
Tries: Junor (62), Bloom (72), Fletcher (75)
Goals: McLean 2/3
TOULOUSE
1 Nathan Ross
2 Ryan Houston
3 Guy Williams
4 Antoine Reveillon
5 Jean-Baptiste Meurin
6 Johnathan Ford
7 Mourad Kriouache
8 Theo Gonzalez-Trique
9 Yohann Gigord
10 Jean-Christophe Borlin
11 Cyril Moliner
12 Olivier Saintignan
13 Kevin Larroyer
Subs (all used)
14 Adrien Viala
15 Luke Fahy
16 Yohan Bathau
17 David Delpaux
Tries: Ross (25,33,50,70), Meurin (30), Houston (79)
Goals: Kriouache 4/6
Sending-off: Borlin (15) – use of elbow in tackle
Penalty count: 6-6
Half-time: 0-16
Referee: Dave Sharpe
Attendance: 242
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-10, 0-16, 0-22, 4-22, 4-26, 10-26, 16-26, 16-32
