Daryl Powell: Warrington boss says side could not afford to lose to Toulouse

Warrington Wolves boss Daryl Powell says his side could not afford to lose their Super League fixture against Toulouse as they battled to end a four-game losing streak.

Thursday's win saw them move six points above the French side at the bottom.

They were made to work for the victory, however, having trailed 18-14 at the break before a second-half revival.

"Whatever happens this year now, we want to give ourselves a platform to move forward," Powell said.

Speaking to BBC Radio Merseyside, he continued: "We could not afford to lose. I've been involved in lots of finals as a coach and as a player and I didn't feel as nervous as I did against Toulouse.

"For me, at half-time, staying calm and getting the right message across I thought we did pretty well and the boys responded in the second half."

It was a tense evening for Warrington, who had led 12-0 within just 15 minutes, before Toulouse flipped the fixture into their favour before the break.

With both sides coming into the match out of form, Powell said his players were encouraged by the reaction from the home crowd.

"I thought the atmosphere at the start was great but then it went really quiet," he added.

"The second half, for me, was the best that I've heard the fans. They were really buzzy. There was a period when we were down, and this is the most important thing in my mind, when you're down that's when you need your supporters the most.

"We were behind but the fans were still lifting and that made a big difference to us. As much as you don't realise it, the atmosphere in a ground, it gets you. If it's flat it gets you. If they just lift when the players need it, it just makes such a difference."