Marshall reflects on 'tough week' after back-to-back losses

The French side, one of the form teams in the Championship this season, scored two tries in the first four minutes and then another soon after to open up an early 16-0 lead before easing clear in the closing stages.

Marshall, who had watched a much-changed side slip out of the Challenge Cup against Oldham on Tuesday night, was clearly disappointed ahead of an Easter programme which sees Fax host Barrow on Good Friday (7.30) before heading to Dewsbury on Easter Monday (3.0).

“It’s been a tough week, we’ve lost two games with two different teams and it makes things more difficult for us in terms of what we’re trying to achieve,” he said.

“To not get anything out of either fixture is bitterly disappointing.

“Toulouse had two weeks to prepare for that game and it showed.

“They play with a lot of flair and improvise quite a lot; when you play like that and things come off for you, it’s very, very hard to defend against.

“At 16-0, there wasn’t much in the game for quite a long time.

“The players really gave it to them physically and at 16-6 we had a Shane Grady try disallowed, wrongly, in my opinion, that would have made things a lot closer.

“They put the hammer down late in the game, but the scoreline doesn’t reflect the game.”

Fax were hampered by injuries to Ben Heaton (ribs), Simon Grix and Jacob Fairbank (both concussion) while on-loan Salford prop Dan Murray was sin-binned.

Fax could also lose another prop, Dan Fleming, to suspension for a so-called ‘cannonball’ tackle on Tyler Hepi, although the former Toronto forward should be available for the Easter programme.