York secured a convincing 38-14 win over fellow relegation‑battle opponents Toulouse at the LNER Community Stadium, thanks in large part to a spectacular hat‑trick from Australian winger Scott Galeano. The triumph marked York's third Betfred Super League win of the campaign and snapped a five‑match losing streak that had spanned all competitions.
The Knights opened the scoring early in the first half. Paul Vaughan, who was celebrating his 35th birthday, powered his way over the line under the posts to give York an early lead. A second try appeared to follow when the ball was grounded in the corner, but officials ruled that the grounding had not been clean, and the score remained unchanged.
Undeterred, York pressed on and Vaughan added a second try before the half‑hour mark. Cody Hunter’s conversion was successful, and the home side led 12-0 after just 20 minutes of play. The early dominance set the tone for what would become a dominant performance. Toulouse managed to get on the board after about thirty minutes when Thomas Lacans displayed quick footwork to cut inside and touch down, narrowing the deficit to 12-6.
However, the momentum quickly shifted back to York when Galeano, exploiting space on the right flank, dove into the corner for his first try of the evening. The score at the break read 18-6 in York's favour. The second half saw York extend their lead even further. Around the 55‑minute mark, Jesse Dee chased a high kick, was driven into the advertising boards, and managed to hook the ball back to Galeano, who was waiting unchallenged to ground the ball for an easy try.
This added another six points to the tally. Kieran Buchanan then crossed the line, giving York a comfortable cushion and cementing their control of the match. Cody Hunter added a penalty goal shortly after the hour mark, pushing the score to 32-6.
Toulouse, who had been at the bottom of the table and were trailing York only on points difference, fought back for a consolation try in the 66th minute. Henry O'Kane displayed impressive strength, powering the ball over the line despite the pressure from multiple York defenders. This reduced the margin but did not threaten York's dominance.
In the final stages, Galeano completed his hat‑trick with a try eight minutes from full‑time, sealing the victory for the Knights. Toulouse managed a late consolation when Mathieu Jussaume broke through the defense, but the French side suffered their seventh league defeat of the season. Elsewhere on Thursday night, the Leigh Leopards secured a 30-16 win over the Huddersfield Giants.
Josh Charnley, celebrating his 400th appearance, scored two second‑half tries, bringing his career Super League try total to 263 and placing him just five tries shy of Ryan Hall's all‑time record. AJ Towse also contributed two tries, while Innes Senior added another and Lachlan Lam earned a penalty try. Huddersfield's points came from tries by Adam Swift, Taane Milne and Jacob Gagai.
The Giants remain joint‑bottom of the table alongside Toulouse, each with four points, while Leigh moved up to eighth place. The match highlights underline York's resurgence after a difficult run of form, with Galeano's three‑try performance proving decisive. The Knights will look to build on this momentum as they aim to climb further up the Super League table, while Toulouse must regroup quickly to avoid slipping further down the standings.
The upcoming fixtures promise more excitement, with Sky Sports continuing to broadcast every Super League game live throughout the season, offering fans comprehensive coverage of each round.