Pre-Match Interview | Matty Dawson-Jones | Toulouse Olympique (H)

11/04/2025

As the men’s squad prepare to return to Betfred Championship action this weekend, experienced winger Matty Dawson-Jones has underlined the importance of bouncing back from last week’s AB Sundecks 1895 Cup defeat to Bradford.

Despite still being in the early stages of the season, the 34-year-old believes the upcoming fixture against Toulouse Olympique on Saturday afternoon is a vital opportunity to get back on track.

“I know it’s already early in the season, but I think we feel that this game is one that we really need to go out there and try to win,” Dawson-Jones explained.

“The first half last week against Bradford was bang on we felt, apart from that try we gave away on the hooter. We stuck to the game plan and did what was asked of us.

“We seemed to crumble and go into a shell in the second half. It’s something that we’ve spoken about before, and we just need to make sure we put in a performance for eighty minutes and see what comes with that.”

Dawson-Jones, who was joint-top try scorer last season, has already crossed the whitewash six times in seven games this campaign, but his focus remains firmly on helping the team secure the all-important two points this weekend.

“It’s always nice to go over and score a try – as a winger it’s one of your jobs – but I’d rather swap tries for wins at the minute.

“We’re not too far away from where we want to be. I know it’s not an excuse, but we’ve had a lot of changes on and off the field in the last few months, as well as a few injuries recently – but we can’t use any of that as an excuse.

“We know that we need to try and find a performance from somewhere, and we know that we’ve got enough quality within that dressing room to try and do that. Hopefully we can do it this Saturday.”

This weekend’s challenge comes in the form of Toulouse Olympique – a side consistently among the top contenders in the Championship.

“They’re always there or thereabouts aren’t they, in the Championship. They’re one of the top sides in this league and we know we need to be aware of them this weekend.

“It’s going to be a tough game, there’s no doubt about that, but we need to ensure we try to do our best to get the win this weekend.”

With a double-header at the stadium – as both the Men’s and Women’s teams are in action this Saturday – Dawson-Jones hopes the team can rise to the occasion and deliver a performance to match the atmosphere.

“As I’ve already said, we all know that we have enough quality within this squad to beat anyone on our day, so it’s about focusing on the task ahead, and that’s to get the win this weekend.

“Hopefully there can be a great atmosphere – it’s great that both us and the Women’s team will be playing at the ground. It gets people in the stadium early and creates a great buzz around the place. Hopefully we can go and put a show on for them.”