Some weeks change the way a team is seen. By beating the Catalans Dragons (60-18) and then St Helens (46-0), Toulouse Olympique produced two of the biggest results of their Super League season. Enough to forget, for a moment, a broadly difficult campaign.

Two hammerings handed to the big names

The numbers speak for themselves. On 4 July, Toulouse won 60-18 away at the Catalans Dragons, in a one-sided derby. Eight days later they did it again by shutting out St Helens, one of England’s most decorated clubs, by an emphatic 46-0. A shutout is rare at this level.

In two matches, the club from the Ville Rose scored 106 points and conceded only 18. A show of strength that made an impression in Super League.

An up-and-down season

The contrast is striking. Across the campaign as a whole, Toulouse Olympique have a losing record: six wins to 12 defeats, and a points difference of -72.

Before this run, the side had even lost three in a row, to Leeds, Castleford and Leigh. Inconsistency will have summed up the season of a club that struggled for a long time, before finding a far more assertive face in recent weeks.

Now to back it up

The challenge now is consistency. Turning these flashes into a lasting trend is the real test for Toulouse over the closing stretch. The club continue their season by hosting York, before meeting the Catalans Dragons again, who will have to be beaten a second time to confirm the turnaround.