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Greenwood reflects on Toulouse defeat

Dewsbury Rams were defeated 42-14 by Toulouse on Saturday afternoon in blistering conditions, as the Rams fought hard against a high flying Toulouse side.

Greenwood spoke to the press after the game, he said on the defeat: “It was a depleted down at the bottom of the table team waiting for the end of the season, playing against a team in red hot form in red hot conditions, spending a lot of money and gearing up for the playoffs.

“I can not fault any of the 17 lads that went out there, we have traveled without any wingers, so there is people going into positions that they haven’t had to play in before. There were people making their first starts or first appearances for ages, and then obviously if you add in the conditions and who we were playing and you can’t criticize any of the players out there.

“We have had players out there who have played in Challenge Cup games but then not played for ages like Harvey Whiteley and Jack Ray. Jacob Thomas who hasn’t played since week one and Liam Johnson has only just got back from injury and done 80 minutes out there in that heat. There were massive efforts out there on that pitch from all the players.

“I do like to pride myself on putting certain game plans in place for certain games, we felt we could take some energy out of the centres in Vaivia and Ford. To an extent it worked, the issue was we couldn’t get out of our own half for over thirty minutes and it was just constant defending. Toulouse were pretty much perfect in that first thirty minutes and we were 18-0 down before we even touched the ball in their half. We got pushed out in the far corner, but I always feel that Toulouse can get a bit frustrated too easily when you put them under a bit of pressure and compete with them.

“There were periods in the game where we got in there and frustrated them, and we had two people down through injury. so it meant we only had two subs to play with.

“Sam Day volunteered to go back out onto the wing and scored straight away and then scored on the opposite wing for the second try. He did the same last year, and when we had to make a change this time around, Sam said to me to put him back out on the wing, and his first involvement was to score a try.

“I can’t knock the lads that have come here, we have enjoyed each others company, there was a bit of volley ball and table tennis and jumping in the pool on Friday at the hotel, and then they put in a real shift for 80 minutes.

“It wasn’t about the score really as I half expected that type of scoreline, however what was important was to see 17 lads to really dig in for each other. When they are looking at each other with sweaty bodies they can’t be having a go at anyone, because you can’t say nothing bad about anyone who has traveled with us on this trip.

“That was nothing i’d ever quite been involved in before conditions wise, it was scorching, I was in the shade and even I was struggling so those lads out there all 34 to them fair play to them.”