Toronto Wolfpack coach Paul Rowley expects a "fight to the death" Saturday against the London Broncos.
While Rowley had a slight smile in saying it, the stakes are high for Round 3 of the Super 8 Qualifiers.
Both rugby league teams are 1-1-0 and have four games remaining after the weekend clash at Lamport Stadium with the Wolfpack and Broncos knowing a win offers a chance at separation in a tight table.
The Super 8 Qualifiers group the bottom four teams in the elite Super League (Leeds Rhinos, Hull Kingston Rovers, Salford Red Devils and Widnes Vikings) with the top four sides in the second-tier Betfred Championship (Toronto, London, Toulouse Olympique and Halifax RLFC).
The eight teams play each other once. The top three finishers 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.
Salford and Leeds currently top the table at 2-0-0 followed by Toronto, Toulouse, Hull Kingston Rovers and London, all at 1-1-0. Widnes and Halifax are 0-2-0.
Toronto, which topped the Championship with a 20-2-1 regular-season record, opened the playoffs with a 14-0 win at Halifax before losing 28-22 to visiting Hull Kingston Rovers in a game marred by poor Toronto execution.
It marked the second straight loss at Lamport Stadium, following a season-ending defeat by Featherstone Rovers that ended Toronto's 18-match winning streak home or away in league play. Prior to the two setbacks, Toronto had gone 19-0-0 at home over 2017 and '18 (18 games at Lamport Stadium and one at Fletcher's Fields).
Adding spice to the weekend matchup is the fact that Toronto's only other league defeat this season was a 47-16 setback in London on Feb. 25. Toronto avenged that loss on June 9, beating the visiting Broncos 32-12.
"We know what it's like know now. We've been there," said London's Elliot Kear. "And we know they're beatable as well. We've got a good team."
Rowley agrees, calling the Broncos a side brimming with speed.
London split its first two playoff games against Super League opposition, beating Widnes 21-20 and losing 48-32 to Leeds.
Toronto will be without the injured Liam Kay, Ryan Brierley, Cory Paterson, Jack Bussey, Adam Higson and Greg Worthington. Winger Matty Russell is available after completing the concussion protocol.
The team discovered after a second scan that Paterson had played against Hull KR with a fracture in his leg.
After London, Toronto plays at Salford, hosts Toulouse and Widnes and finishes at Leeds.
The transatlantic Wolfpack can take heart from Catalans Dragons' 20-14 win over Warrington in the Challenge Cup final last Saturday. The French side became the first team outside England to hoist the trophy in its 122-year history.
Rowley, whose team is trying to break into the rugby league establishment, says it's the kind of shakeup the sport needs.
One dollar from each ticket sold Saturday will go to the anti-bullying organization Kill It With Kindness.
The Canadian Press
