Wakefield beat Toulouse 40-22 to reach Challenge Cup quarter-finals

Tom Johnstone continued his super form with four tries against Toulouse

Rising star Tom Johnstone scored four tries as Wakefield moved into the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a laboured 40-22 victory over League One outfit Toulouse.

The French visitors, who reached the semi-finals of this competition in 2005, beat big-spending Championship side Leigh in the previous round but trailed 22-0 inside the opening 15 minutes.

They roused themselves to touch down twice before the break and twice again in the second half to ensure a tense finish but winger Johnstone completed his treble in the 72nd minute and added his fourth in the final seconds at Belle Vue to ensure Wakefield's rich run of form under head coach Chris Chester did not falter.

Toulouse, rated as favourites to win promotion from the third tier following their entry into the division this season, were far from disgraced but were left to rue their awful start.

With half-backs Liam Finn and Jacob Miller orchestrating play, the hosts quickly built up a head of steam and led inside the third minute.

Captain Danny Kirmond was denied from close range, but Wakefield worked the ball across the face of the Toulouse defence and Johnstone took Miller's pass to cross in the left corner.

Gavin Marguerite scores Toulouse's first try at Belle Vue

The visitors then enjoyed a period of pressure but they could not make it pay and Miller then dummied his way past a Toulouse defender for the Wildcats' second try in the 10th minute. Three minutes later the hosts struck again when Craig Hall intercepted an errant pass from a Toulouse player and ran 80 metres to score.

A fourth try arrived moments later when second-rower Matty Ashurst swapped passes with Hall down the left flank before his looping pass put Johnstone in for his second.

Toulouse finally steadied themselves and hit back in the 28th minute when centre Gavin Marguerite outstripped the Wakefield defence down the right flank and dived over in the corner.

Six minutes before the interval, replacement hooker Mourad Kriouache burrowed his way over the line from acting half to make it 22-10 at the break.

Matty Ashurst touches down for the Wildcats

Although Ashurst touched down for Wakefield in the 57th minute after good work from Ben Jones-Bishop inside the right channel, Toulouse replied with two quickfire scores.

First, Danny Hulme brilliantly scythed through the Wakefield defence and then Kuni Minga burst through inside the left channel.

With Mark Kheirallah converting both tries to add to his solitary first-half conversion, it was 28-22 with the game right in the balance.

But Johnstone eased home nerves when he scooped up a loose ball around 40 metres out and scampered clear in the left corner, with Finn converting for his fifth goal of the match.

Johnstone bagged his fourth try in the last minute when he took Hall's pass and crossed,with Finn again adding the extras.