By Canadian Press

Toronto Wolfpack to open and close rugby league playoffs on the road

Aug 1, 2018 | 2:36 PM

TORONTO — The Toronto Wolfpack will open and close the playoffs on the road, hosting Super League sides Widnes and Hull Kingston Rovers in the middle of their push to win promotion to the top tier of English rugby league.

The transatlantic Wolfpack, who finished first in the second-tier Betfred Championship with a 20-2-1 record, open the Super 8s Qualifiers on Aug 12 — a seven-game post-season schedule that runs through Sept. 28.

The top four Championship teams face off with the bottom four Super League teams to fill four berths in the first-tier league next year.

The eight teams will play each other once. The top three clubs earn status in the Super League while No. 4 will take on No. 5 in what is dubbed the Million Pound Game to see who joins them.

The Super League teams involved are Leeds Rhinos (8-13-2), Hull Kingston Rovers (8-14-1), Salford Red Devils (7-16-0) and Widnes Vikings (3-21-0).

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The other Championship sides involved are London Broncos (16-6-1), Toulouse Olympique (16-6-1) and Halifax RLFC (16-6-1). Halifax is the lone part-time side.

The Wolfpack will host Hull KR, Widnes, London and Toulouse at home, with away games at Halifax, Salford and defending Super League champion Leeds.

Toronto went 1-1 against London this season and 2-0 against both Toulouse and Halifax. It is 0-2 over the last two years against Super League opposition, losing to Salford (29-22 in 2017) and Warrington (66-10 in May) in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.  

The Wolfpack started play in 2017, winning promotion after finishing first in the third-tier League 1. Their overall record in all competitions is 45-5-2.

Toronto has been a fully professional side since Day 1, unlike all the teams in League 1 and some in the Championship. 

In Leeds, Toronto will face a team that has won the Super League Grand Final eight times since 2004.

In 2015, the Rhinos became just the sixth team to win the treble: the Challenge Cup, League Leaders’ Shield and Super League Grand Final. Leeds finished ninth the next year at 8-15-0 and had to earn its way back into the super League via the Qualifiers.

In 2017, Leeds finished runner-up in the regular-season standings and beat league-leading Castleford in the Grand Final.

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Super 8s Qualifiers (all times ET)

August

12: Toronto at Halifax RLFC, 10 a.m.

18: Hull Kingston Rovers at Toronto, 2:30 p.m.

September

1: London Broncos at Toronto, 12:30 p.m.

8: Toronto at Salford Red Devils, 10:15 a.m.

15: Toulouse Olympique at Toronto, 12:30 p.m.

23: Widnes Vikings at Toronto, 12:30 p.m.

28: Toronto at Leeds Rhinos, 2:45 p.m. 

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press