The thoughts of Hull FC interim coach Andy Last.
Hull FC interim coach Andy Last.
Andy Last labelled Hull FC’s first-half performance at Toulouse Olympique the ‘worst’ of the season and questioned the lack of willingness of his players to stand up and defend.
The Black and Whites were defeated 44-30 in the South of France, with Toulouse 30-0 up at half-time after a woeful opening 40 minutes from the travelling FC side.
They managed to revive the scoreline in the second half, scoring 30 points themselves, but they still conceded 14 more after the break for their 19th Super League defeat of the season.
“That was the worst 40 minutes of the season, and by some distance,” Last said after the game. “We just didn’t get into the contest; we didn’t build the game, we turned up cheap ball and then we weren’t prepared to defend. The scoreboard turned ugly pretty quickly.
“We spoke all week about the importance of our ‘Team Based Actions.’ Things like kick chase, kick pressure, and diving on the loose ball – and we got down with a sloppy kick chase try conceded.
“Toulouse – when they are hot and confident – play an expansive brand. We just weren’t at the races in that first 40.”
On the second half, which saw a revival of sorts, Last continued: “It shows where our mentality is at. I just challenged them to get the basics of the game right.
“I wasn’t emotional; I wasn’t high rate – I just spoke from a position of disappointment because this group of players have been better than that.
“We needed to fatigue the opposition. It was hot, really hot, and we turned over so much cheap ball, we never robbed them of any energy, and they did that to us in the first half.
“They had 61% possession to our 39%. There was no wonder we were down by 30 points and then in the second half, we flipped that. We fatigued them and we showed that when we fatigue an opponent, we’re capable of posting some points, but it was too little too late.”
Last also thanked the 600-plus Hull fans for their support at Toulouse. He said: “It was unbelievable support again from those in Black and White. The team went there and thanked them but as a performance, it was way off.”
The interim coach also confirmed that Ligi Sao has played his last game for the club, having failed his HIA in the first half and unable to return. He will leave Hull for Bradford Bulls at the end of the year. Amir Bourouh also had an illness in the run up to the game.
“Ligi failed his HIA,” Last confirmed. “He was no good to go back. Amir ended up with a chest and cough. I felt he was capable of getting 20-25 minutes for us and he did that.”