Former Hull FC Forward Joe Cator Labelled a ‘Machine’ After Stellar Performance Against Former Club
The Toulouse Olympique loose forward scored his first try for the club and helped end a seven-match losing streak win .
TOULOUSE, FRANCE — Joe scored his first try for Toulouse Olympique and was called a “machine” by his coach as the French side snapped a seven-game losing streak with a tense 12-6 victory over his former club, Hull FC on sunday afternoon at Stade Ernest-wallon.”
Joe Cator, a 26-year-old Toulouse forward, left Hull FC under cloud of disappointment carrying the weight of unfulfilled promise. Returning to face his old teammates with his entire family watching from the stands, Cator delivered the defining moment of his Toulouse career: crashing through the middle of the Hull defence to score. For him, this was not merely a try. It was redemption.
“"Since he came to us, he has really applied himself. He's a great professional and a great competitor. You see the size of him and the way he competes on the field – he's a machine."”
— Sylvain Houles, Toulouse Olympique head coach
The match itself became a struggle between two opposing forces: Toulouse’s brilliant first-half execution versus their second-half collapse, and Hull’s relentless attack versus Toulouse’s desperate defence. Toulouse soared early, building a commanding lead through tries from Olly Ashall-Bott and Cator. But the second half turned into a siege. Hull FC, desperate to end their own frustrations, mounted wave after wave of possession on Toulouse’s goal line. At stake was everything. For Toulouse, another defeat would have sunk their season deeper into a relegation battle. For Hull, a comeback would have stolen a victory that felt inevitable. Yet Toulouse held on through sheer defensive grit and organisational control from Ashall-Bott. “We made so many mistakes but we defended everything,” Houles admitted. The human cost was clear: Hull’s players walked off knowing they had dominated but had nothing to show for it.
Joe Cator joined Hull FC for the 2020 season after a year with leigh Centurions.
Before Sunday, Toulouse had not won since March, enduring two months of near-misses and morale-sapping defeats. The French side had developed a painful habit of falling behind early—often 12-0, 16-0, or even 18-0. This time, they flipped the script. Hull FC arrived with their own frustrations, having struggled to turn possession into points. The victory lifts Toulouse to their third win of the Super league season, breathing life into a campaign risked becoming a relegation battle.
After the final whistle, Houles offered a candid assessment. “It’s great to walk away with the win, but that second half was not very good from us. Our effort in stopping every attack was outstanding. I’m very pleased for Joe – he has embraced the Toulouse culture.” Fullback Olly Ashall-Bott, who organised the goal-line defence, added: “We can be lost in our defence sometimes, especially on our goal line. I just tried to organise the numbers and the space. It was ugly, but these are the wins that build a team.” Inside the Hull dressing room, one source speaking on condition of anonymity put it bluntly: “To have that much ball on their line and come away with nothing – it’s gutting. We felt we had them. But credit to Toulouse: they bent but never broke.”
What comes next for Toulouse is a test of consistency. The team has shown they can start fast and defend desperately, but Houles knows the second-half mistakes are unsustainable. Next week, Toulouse face a mid-table rival where another win could lift them out of the bottom three. For Joe Cator, the “machine” has finally found a home. With his family having witnessed his best day in a Toulouse shirt, the question now is whether he can keep firing week after week.