English rugby league had its million-pound game at the weekend, with the Toronto Wolfpack emerging victorious against the Featherstone Rovers 24-6 at a packed Lamport Stadium in Toronto.
With this win, the Wolfpack secured promotion into the Super League – English rugby league’s top flight – after being formed just three years ago.
It is a commendable achievement that caps off an astonishing season for the Wolfpack, who lost only one game all year.
There are plenty of positives about the Wolfpack. They will enter the Super League with great support from a sport-mad city with nearly 2.5 million residents. They also have financial backing and strong governance. But despite this, the reception from Super League clubs and fans has been far from warm – in fact some could argue it has been downright frosty.
A large number of fans have taken to social media to let the men from Toronto know just how displeasing their promotion to Super League is.
(Richard Lautens/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
Part of this is because some fans believe that Toronto will not bring away fans to the United Kingdom and immediately impact those clubs bottom line.
The clubs themselves, who now run the game after seeking independence from the Rugby Football League this season, appeared to speak through Super League CEO Robert Elstone, who stated last week that even if Toronto win promotion, entry into the top flight isn’t guaranteed unless the club can meet “certain criteria”.
The statement seemed vague and unclear as the details of said criteria were never made public. The timing was also unfair considering the Wolfpack were preparing for the biggest game in the club’s short life.
It’s not exactly clear where this pushback against the Wolfpack has come from and why it is so direct and immediate, but it does make it easy to see why rugby league in the UK is having so many problems at present.
In Australia we have a culture of sport governing bodies funding expansion teams, at least in part.
Not so with the Wolfpack. Since their inception in 2016 they have done it almost entirely on their own, paying for everything, including the travel expenses of visiting teams, and so far not excepting one penny of central broadcast funds, which one would hope would mitigate any lost revenue for clubs through poor away attendance.
Through all of this they have built a formidable roster full of ex-NRL and Super League talent to catapult themselves through the lower tiers in almost record time, all the while building an enviable following and sponsorship network.
But while this was happening, a quiet wave of discontent was building across the Atlantic. One can only speculate that it stems from a tinge of jealousy.
When clubs have to rely on opposition fans filling their stadiums and hopefully buying pies and pints see an up-and-coming rival in another country signing sponsorship deals with international companies, they must see a real risk of getting left behind.
While I love the story of Featherstone scrapping their way through the play-offs with a part-time roster of mostly hard West Yorkshire lads and with fans who legitimately wear flat caps and celebrate over a century of tough mining town history intertwined with the communities beloved Rovers team, there is really no argument that they will add more value and vibrancy to the Super League than Toronto.
You only have to look at the scenes from Lamport Stadium at the weekend to understand that the inclusion of the Wolfpack is a very special event in rugby league, not to mention the fact that they are commonly reported on in Canadian newspapers like the Toronto Star, the Globe the Toronto Mail as well as by local news channels.
Add to that that professional sports outfits from the city, such as the Blue Jays (MLB) and the Maple Leafs (NHL), shared the Wolfpacks success with their millions of followers on social media. This should be vindication enough that this club gives rugby league untold opportunities.
The simple fact is that now we have rugby league played professionally in five countries.
This new team does have its challenges, but it sits in a progressive, vibrant and sport-loving city that fills their stadium with fans who didn’t even know what rugby league was four years ago.
With untapped reserves of talent and a population that is craving sport in the NHL off-season, record investment has already flocked to this team with more coming.
With more franchises keen to compete in the English leagues, hopefully fans can look past the immediate pain to the whole world of opportunities.
Albo
Roar Rookie
So sorry Jean ! I would say we Aussies are probably more ignorant than arrogant regarding the correct name of that Rugby League competition way over there in Europe ? Probably due to the fact that most SL media we get out here in the antipodes has lead us astray using the term English Super League (ESL) rather than just Super League (SL) or the Betfred Super League. Even the English commentators on the few matches we get to watch here in Australia use the term English Super League , maybe because last season 160 of the 174 matches were played in England ( none in Scotland , Wales or Northern Ireland, the rest of the UK) with just 13 played in Perpignan, France and one in Barcelona, Spain ? Unlike our poor knowledge of geography, we Aussies are well aware of the long history of rivalries between the French & English over the centuries, but whinging about Aussies prefixing the “English” word to the front of the Super League name of a European football competition, may I suggest, could reek of ………..typical and pointless French arrogance ?
JEAN CAPDOUZE
Roar Rookie
How on earth can it be a the 'English' Super League when it contains a club from FRANCE, never mind the name of the host nation being the UNITED KINGDOM?? What is it with Aussies and geography anyway?? So much ignorance...or arrogance.... :sick:
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Exactly ,a team in country with no history of rugby league has to start somewhere. Considering they are imported rl players for the Wolfpack, their local fans have no objections and neither does the local press.The attendances and column space in the local papers ,show this to be the case. For anyone to bag a successful franchise in a short space of time, is TBH not picking.
Amaroo Eagle
Roar Rookie
Pete, I think given that the Arrows are a Canadian team that has moved from Ottawa to Toronto, and in their start up year they'd expect to have sizable crowds. But I'm sure they'd be disappointed with their largest home crowd being 2,488 (at Lamport Stadium) and the much smaller York Lions Stadium, they had 1,913 in attendance. I think it might be a while before they need to move to a larger stadium Also according to their webpage, they have a few more than 2 international players in their team, and that's not including the two NZ players who have lived their (in Canada for three years) and qualify for the Canadian Rugby Team.
Jaime
Guest
Pete, I think given that the Arrows are a Canadian team that has moved from Ottawa to Toronto, and in their start up year they'd expect to have sizable crowds. But I'm sure they'd be disappointed with their largest home crowd being 2,488 (at Lamport Stadium) and the much smaller York Lions Stadium, they had 1,913 in attendance. I think it might be a while before they need to move to a larger stadium Also according to their webpage, they have a few more than 2 international players in their team, and that's not including the two NZ players who have lived their (in Canada for three years) and qualify for the Canadian Rugby Team.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
The Wolfpack are a brand new club in a country that has never played League so of course their playing group will be foreign if they want to play professionally. Hopefully they will be able to find some local talent, but I’m not sure what your point is?
Pete
Guest
Because they were actually rugby union players now the Wolf pack is all made up of all foreign players this is my point. I guess the poaching has done a big turn n Canada it's usually league scouts poaching young rugby talent.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
The Wolfpack did have a few homegrown players on their books but they were unfortunately poached by Rugby Union clubs. There definitely will be competition for players but I think the fact that there is no historic tensions between the two codes in Canada is a good thing. The Wolfpack have been really well embraced by the City and are a good news story for Toronto at present, I don’t think they’ll be too worried about the competition from Union at present.
Pete
Guest
They will certainly get some competition from the Toronto Arrows rugby team that play in US Pro league they also have had some very healthy crowd numbers and are looking at a larger stadium. A good friend of mine who lives in Toronto told me that there is not one Canadian born player in the Wolfpack all players are from Aussie England NZ and Pacific Islanders where as the Arrows only have two foreign players in their line up.
Jimmy
Roar Guru
I was inferring to full time professional, sorry I probably should have made that clear.
Fred
Guest
A couple of semi professional teams on Wales too
baz
Roar Rookie
14 / 15 player are born os and rep Japan through residency. http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2019/09/09/foreign-born-raised-players-at-rwc-2019/?fbclid=IwAR1Hceu4fbUjV_oA0-qIdlZh5_3q9R8QRi9wXoNi8l5_kZJBU85Pv8nxpyU
Marco
Guest
It needs to be recognised that as well as TW agreeing to forgo their share of the Super League broadcasting rights (the 11 teams will split and feast on their share), the TW will also be covering all the travel costs and accommodation/food etc for the other teams when they fly out to Canada. This more than outweighs the fact that their away following will naturally be limited. What is not to like about the TW. All the criticism they are receiving is typical of the parochial attitudes that have stymied the growth of our wonderful game. For too many it should be just about Sydney, Wigan, Warrington, Widnes and Featherstone.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Geography reminder Terry. Enjoy the fact a team from Canada is involved, and they have a core base there of 8-9,000 already.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
M62 is nowhere near Catalans ,Terry......,and they are part and parcel of Super League.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Yet they(SL) have Catalans involved ,hardly M62.But whatever continually rocks your boat.
matth
Roar Guru
I’d say part. But I’m guessing a bit. The Intrust Super Cup is semi professional
Terry Sanchez
Guest
It's no Lie Cathar. There are people in yellow vests holding up the goalposts while the games were played. It's not hard to find the footage. That's why they didn't play in the big stadium that was planned and played on the Cow paddock with no goal posts
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Do you find it so easy to lie as you do making up all these aliases?
Succhi
Roar Rookie
What a great opportunity to expand the game! This has much more potential than a one off SOS in the States. The Wolfpack should be every Aussie’s second team to support! Somebody give them some marketing nous!!!