With half of the regular season done, it’s already looking like Huddersfield will have to see off Toronto, Featherstone and Toulouse in the Qualifiers to retain their Super League place. Catalans, Hull KR and Widnes will do well not to join them.

None of the Super League strugglers would relish a win-or-bust clash with Toronto, who have just one early season defeat and draw against their name. The Wolfpack blew away supposed top-four contenders Halifax 42-10 over the weekend in north London. Having played everyone away, Toronto are in a bizarre run of “home” matches taking place in Barrow, Wood Green, Markham (Ontario), Warrington and Newcastle before eight matches on their new pitch at the Lamport Stadium. It would be a shock if they are not miles clear at the top come late summer.

The four full-time clubs stuffed their part-time opponents last weekend, while part-time Featherstone – whose budget is apparently as large as London’s full-time one – have crept up to second place. “There’s two mini leagues and the disparity between them is huge – and getting bigger each year,” says Rochdale Hornets back Richard Lepori. “But it’s strange at the moment. There are different styles between the full-time and part-time clubs.

“Toronto are looking to win the league, but only beat us by a point and almost lost twice at Barrow, although that is one of the tougher part-time places to go. Featherstone were better against us than London were, but I’d expect Toronto and London to do better against the Super League sides. Leigh are coming on strong now and I think they will make the top four. Toulouse put on a show at home but don’t seem the same team away. I don’t think they’ll get promoted.”

A Wolfpack fan watches his team beat Leigh in the Championship. Photograph: Matt West/Rex/Shutterstock

If Toulouse finish in the top two they will get four home Qualifiers, which could help them to the Million Pound Game, potentially against Catalans: a lose-lose scenario for rugby à treize. If the final table reflected the spending power, Toronto will finish top, followed by Leigh, with Featherstone and London fighting Toulouse for the other two play-off places. At the bottom, Lepori’s Rochdale and Swinton already look doomed. It is no surprise, given their central funding is approximately a tenth of what Leigh received this season.

“The reality is some opponents may be on five, six or even 10 times more than me,” says Lepori. “But I want to play against these teams, not in League 1. People want promotion and relegation [in Super League] and the only way is to have full-time teams in the Championship. But we’re getting to the place where the Championship can’t sustain many more.”

Like most semi-pros, Italy winger Lepori leads a double life. Last week, hours after playing in Rochdale’s humiliating cup defeat at Whitehaven, he was invigilating a Maths exam in Islington. “Each squad has experienced Championship players, some internationals, even some who have played Super League. But the full-time teams will be fitter, a little stronger and last a bit longer. They also have one or two big names who make a difference. For example, London might be losing and Jarrod Sammut does something magic. The half-backs are the key, defining factor, the money men. You get Toronto signing a halfback with 200 NRL games to his name [Josh McCrone]!”

Toronto unleashed former Manly prop Darcy Lussick on the Championship on Saturday, his huge and athletic frame adding youth to a veteran pack. With Joe Westerman returning to Hull and Rene Maitua revealing on Saturday that he has retired again, there is room for further up-grading of the Wolfpack ahead of the qualifiers. Frightening for the rest, they have yet to sign a salary cap-exempt marquee player.



“I don’t think Toronto are signing players for their run of home games in the summer,” says Lepori, who played in the World Cup alongside NRL superstars James Tedesco and Paul Vaughan. “They’re signing players for when they go away to Salford or Widnes [in the Qualifiers] and have to churn out a result.” The likelihood of Toronto being in Super League next year may not please everyone but get used to it: we should all be excited by what they may bring to the party.

Clubcall: Toronto Wolfpack

Ryan Brierley in action for Toronto Wolfpack. Photograph: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images

The Wolfpack’s attempt to recreate the Lamport spirit at New River was rather undermined by the abysmal weather, and the Broncos and London Men’s League all in action across the city on the same afternoon, which ruled out at least a thousand potential spectators. There were teething problems, but an hour after the game the atmosphere in the hospitality tent could not have been warmer. One family had flown over from Toronto just for the weekend, and owner David Argyle – a pint-clutching figure wrapped up in club scarf and hat – said he was confident Wolfpack fans would travel the world to see their team if they take early season games to far-flung warmer climes. The club have ambitions to be back in London in August for the Challenge Cup final. Warrington will have something to say about that.

Foreign quota

The French championship is coming to the boil with last year’s league and cup runners-up Lezignan hunting down surprise Elite 1 leaders St Esteve-XIII Catalan. Lezignan made a slow start under new coach Jamal Fakir, the former cult Dragons enforcer, but have got their derriers in gear, sparked by the arrivals of Super League stars Eloi Pelissier and Ben Pomeroy. But the Dragons’ second string – “Les Baby Dracs” – are somehow top despite most of their best players being drafted into Steve McNamara’s hapless line-up. Reigning champions Limoux are close behind in third with unlikely early leaders Avignon now fourth. St Gaudens are doing as well as bankrupt fallen giants AS Carcassonne, who were beaten 40-6 by Catalans last Saturday.

Goal-line drop-out

The biggest attendance in London this year outside the Challenge Cup final should come at East London Rugby Club on 21 July. The inaugural London 9s will feature 24 men’s teams, from Brixton to Belgium, Wests Warriors (of London) to West Papua Warriors (of PNG or Indonesia, depending who you ask), Queensland, Fiji, and several American players. The six women’s teams include Castleford Tigers and there will be 10 Tag teams. With 100 games, music, food and drinks, the day should have a festival feeling. Credit to Graham “Jumbo” Oliphant for getting it off the ground.

Fifth and last

Toronto v Halifax was not the most surreal fixture I have seen at New River. West Indies XIII against the “South African Wild Dogs”, or Scotland beating Serbia at Nines – both teams being simultaneously coached by John Risman – are right up there. They are surpassed by the Russia v Lebanon World Cup qualifier in 2006 which was forced to neutral territory due to visa issues. Where better than an athletics track in north London? It led to the memorable vision of Russia coach Tim Sheens wandering around the deserted car park with two flat balls in his arms, asking if anyone had a pump. Thankfully his international coaching career would improve considerably.

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