Toronto and Widnes do not have much in common at first glance, not least when their respective histories in rugby league are factored in. But on Sunday afternoon Canada’s largest city – or at least a small part of it – will be rooting on a small industrial town in north-west England to help fulfil the dreams nobody in the sport believed were possible two years ago.
How the rugby league landscape scorned at talk from Toronto Wolfpack as they prepared to shake the sport to its core in 2016 when they declared Super League was the goal, preferably as soon as possible. But the Wolfpack have held up their end of the bargain and all eyes turn to Widnes’ trip to Hull Kingston Rovers to see if they are automatically promoted.
The arithmetic is fairly rudimentary. If Hull KR win by 13 points or more, they claim the final automatic place in Super League for 2019. That would consign Toronto to next Saturday’s Million Pound Game, where the 12th and final top-flight place will be decided. If Hull KR do not, then Toronto are officially a Super League side. “We’re all Widnes fans now,” said their coach, Paul Rowley afterwards.
Rowley and Toronto were indebted last night for this situation to their full-back, Gareth O’Brien, who kicked the winning drop-goal - just as he did two years ago in the Million Pound Game for Salford to consign Hull KR to the Championship for a 17-16 win. “Today is a memorable day and the biggest victory of our short existence,” said Rowley.
As for Leeds, this was a defeat which summed up an insipid defence of the Super League title they won last October. They are safe from the Million Pound Game, which is at least something but the Rhinos were uninspiring and this was a firm reminder of the size of the task the incoming coach, David Furner, faces.
“It’s hugely disappointing and it probably sums up our season,”said Kevin Sinfield, their director of rugby. “We survived, that’s the positive, but it’s pretty clear we need to make some changes.” Toronto led 12-10 at half-time after fine tries by Cory Paterson and Nick Rawsthorne, before Jimmy Keinhorst put the Rhinos ahead, Liam Sutcliffe converting to make it 16-12. However, after Matty Russell levelled the scores with a fine try, both sides turned to desperate attempts at drop-goals to snatch victory. Joel Moon and Josh McCrone each missed, before O’Brien obliged to seal a monumental victory. Toronto beating Leeds. Who in rugby league could have predicted that just two short years ago.
Meanwhile three of Super League’s top four warmed up for next week’s play-off semi-finals with wins. The leaders, St Helens, comprehensively beat Castleford 28-0, with Man of Steel favourite Ben Barba scoring twice. The Saints face Warrington on Thursday and the Wolves prepared for that game with a 36-23 win at Wakefield. Wigan, who host Castleford, were 14-12 winners over Hull.
Leeds Golding; T Briscoe, Keinhorst, Moon, L Briscoe; Sutcliffe, Myler; Crosby, Parcell, Peteru, Ferres, Jones-Buchanan, Thompson. Interchange Dwyer, Smith, Mullally, Cuthbertson.
Tries T Briscoe, Sutcliffe, Keinhorst. Goals Sutcliffe 2.
Toronto O’Brien; Caton-Brown, Rawsthorne, Wheeler, Russell; McCrone, Wallace; Lussick, Beswick, Sims, Dixon, Paterson, Emmitt. Interchange Buchanan, Ackers, Sidlow, Krasniqi. Tries Paterson, Rawsthorne, Russell. Goals O’Brien 2. Drop goal O’Brien
Referee R Hicks. Attendance 11,565.
