Barry Eaton insists Cougars will have no excuses if they let standards slip in Saturday’s trip to Toulouse.

Cumbria is the furthest many of Keighley’s players have previously journeyed for a game but they are determined not to let travel affect preparations.

Cougars departed for France early today in preparation for their Championship clash at Stade des Minimes.

League rivals Dewsbury suffered a nightmare trip to Toulouse after strike action by French air-traffic controllers meant they had to travel to the south of France by coach before losing 26-22.

Cougars are keeping fingers crossed their own journey runs smoothly and will not allow the novelty of the game to cause disruption.

Eaton said: “It’s something that’s foreign to just about all of my squad – travelling to a foreign country to play a game of rugby.

“Travelling to Cumbria is about as much as most of the squad are used to but we are aware of that and we’ve planned for it.

“It’s not something Toulouse avoid themselves because they have to make long journeys every other week. We’re fortunate we only have to do it once.

“We’re hoping the trip will actually give the players added excitement and we’re preparing that way. We’re trying to make sure we leave no stone unturned.

“The travel arrangements have been excellent so we have the organisers and the RFL to thank for that.

“We’ll certainly have no excuses for a poor performance.”

Eaton knows mental toughness will be crucial to his side’s chances of success.

Toulouse are the kind of side happy to play the waiting game, doing the basics well and waiting for the opposition to make mistakes.

Errors proved to be the Cougars’ downfall when they lost to the Frenchmen in the Challenge Cup two weeks ago and again in Sunday’s 34-12 defeat against Leigh.

Eaton said: “One thing we’ve taken from the Challenge Cup game is that they are a patient side that are willing to complete sets and bide their time, waiting for you to make errors or concede penalties.

“A statistic I often refer to is that 65 to 75 per-cent of tries at any level are scored or conceded as a result of teams giving penalties away or making errors.

“You have to accept there will be errors, they’re a part of the game, but the side that deals with them best is the side that’s mentally stronger.”

Cougars could be bolstered by the return of prop Brendon Rawlins, who has progressed better than expected but Dan Belcher (ankle) and Scott Law (groin) are ruled out.