Sheffield Eagles 34 Toulouse 16: Eagles saunter to easy victory but criticised for taking foot off gas

A DOMINANT first-half performance saw Sheffield Eagles score five of their six tries to ensure a second Championship win.

In the final 40 minutes, however, their attacking flair faded to leavecoach Mark Aston with mixed feelings.

“The first 40 minutes were as good as we have played this season,” he said.

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“I’m not happy about the way we played in the second half – we were disrespectful. I asked the lads to be ruthless and we weren’t.”

Sheffield’s half-backs Simon Brown and Kyle Wood, on loan from Huddersfield Giants, took advantage of an error-prone first half from the French team. The pair were able to play off the back of a strong pack with Liam Higgins, Peter Green and hooker Andrew Henderson looking sharp.

Centre Menzie Yere had an easy run in for the Eagles opening try with Brown kicking the first of five goals.

Olympique’s stand-off Darren Nicholls weaved in for a try and added the goal but the Eagles hit back with two tries in four minutes, the first from loose-forward Joe Hirst before a debut score for Vinny Finigan, signed on a dual-registration deal from Bradford Bulls.

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Australian winger Gregory White squeezed in at the corner but any French revival was crushed as the Eagles ended the half with second tries for Hirst and Yere.

Toulouse had a more determined attitude from the restart with former Eagles’ prop Ged Corcoran and fellow front rower Brendan Worth going close.

A try on three-quarter time from centre Jason Cookes eased the Eagles further ahead and Olympique had to be content with a try from Sebastian Planas in the final seconds with Nicholls adding the goal.

The win kept the Eagles 100 per cent record against Toulouse in their six meetings in the Challenge Cup and league since the French team joined the British game.

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Sheffield Eagles: Laulu-Togagae; Finigan, Yere, Crookes, Bergin; Wood, Brown; Higgins, Henderson, Stringer, Szostak, Green, Hirst. Substitutes: Hepworth, Cording, Rowe, Battye.

Toulouse: Bienes; Payan, Planas, Vignau, White; Nicholls, Villegas; Worth, Anselme, Corcoran, Maria, Larroyer, Houles. Substitutes: Wynn, Gout, Tisseyre, Gigord.Referee: J Leahy (RFL).