Hull KR's Top-Four Hopes Hit Hard as Toulouse Run Riot at Craven Park
Hull KR's bid for a top-four Betfred Super League finish took a heavy blow on 22 August 2026, as Toulouse Olympique handed the reigning champions a 32-12 defeat at home — their second successive loss at Craven Park in five days BBC Sport.
A win would have lifted Hull KR into fourth place. Instead, they remained stuck in sixth, their grip on a play-off spot loosening at precisely the wrong moment BBC Sport. The Super League table — where the top six qualify for the end-of-season play-offs — currently shows Hull KR on 30 points from 24 matches, with 15 wins and 9 losses Super League.
Toulouse, meanwhile, arrived sitting ninth with only eight wins all season and a points difference of minus 138 Super League. On paper, this was a fixture the champions should have navigated. On the pitch, it was anything but.
The match was level at 6-6 at half-time. Elliot Minchella had crossed for Hull KR's first try, with Martin adding the goals BBC Sport. Whatever Toulouse's coach said at the break, it worked. The French side ran in five second-half tries through Mathieu Jussaume, Romeo Tropis (twice), Anthony Marion, Paul Ulberg and Luke Polselli, with Rouge converting four of them BBC Sport. Hull KR managed only one more score — Louix Gorman racing down the left edge in the 79th minute, far too late to change the outcome Hull KR.
Fatigue was a factor. This was Hull KR's third game in ten days, a punishing schedule that tests even the deepest squads BBC Sport. Head coach decisions around selection also raised eyebrows: Mikey Lewis and Tevita Pangai Jr were both omitted from the squad despite their latest suspensions not taking effect until the following week BBC Sport.
For Hull KR, the timing could hardly be worse. As the reigning Super League champions — a title they claimed earlier in 2026 BBC Sport — they now face a nervous run-in. Two home defeats in under a week, against opposition they would have expected to beat, leave them looking over their shoulders rather than pressing forward.
For Toulouse, a first win at this level in some time will feel like a statement. Six tries away from home is a serious haul, and the second-half demolition of a champion side suggests there is more fight in this team than the league table implies.
The remaining fixtures will tell us whether Hull KR can steady the ship — or whether the champions are sliding out of the play-off picture altogether.
