Looks like tremendous Toronto, despite a poor preseason preparation, have decisively defeated lowly Leigh on Leigh's home ground. The Canadian club was only recently reeling from the sacking of three top quality forwards, This performance today suggests that Toronto are favourites for promotion to Super League on their merits in a P & R match if such a game is to take place. Otherwise no one can moan if the club is promoted on the basis of election under a new franchising system, should one be established. Toronto are definitely deserving of a Super League place.

On the basis of the first round matches of the Championship, Toronto, Toulouse and London are deserving of favouritism in terms of promotion.

Leigh have not learnt their lessons from their stint in SL it seems. Poor discipline costing them again today. No idea what the final penalty count was but it can't have been pretty.

I would rather talk about Widnes destroying the outfit you predicted for silverware? How long till McNamara is walking the plank ?

McNamara is a plank...

It took me a moment to realise which team was which.

Silly Chorley Jean...so after 1 game. Toronto are heading for Super League, and Catalans for the Championship......If Leigh would have won you would have typed nothing, what a pathetic pseudonym you continue to be.

Dear Budgie,

If Leigh had won today then people would have said little, because Leigh were playing at home against a poorly prepared Toronto side. But Leigh not only lost but lost heavily at home to this poorly prepared Toronto team. Since Leigh and Toronto were considered before the game to be the two most fancied teams in the Championship, and because Leigh had acquired several quality players, then Toronto's strong performance entitles them to be considered the favourite for promotion at this admittedly very early stage, even if promotion and relegation is operating. Leigh will have to improve greatly to even get a chance of being considered for Super League, especially when clubs like London and Toulouse are showing signs of good form (an under strength Toulouse admittedly in patches today).

Sincerely,

Jean from Carcassonne.

Hi Cokey and Boyroy29

Regards

King James

Don't think any of the SL teams have anything to worry about in the middle 8s. If we're having them that is. Looked like 2 bang average Championship teams. Quite fancy Batley after watching that!

1 game in.....and we're surrounded by experts.

Indeed......the 5 or 6 main protagonists will all be there abouts by the time we get to the 8's and THEN and only THEN will it matter who is 'the real deal".

Great result for Toronto and yes, they will very likely make the "qualifiers" but, it's round 1.
Nothing to see here.

I will say one thing about Jean he is good for a laugh lol

pretty funny seeing Toronto win away at Leigh when all the doubters keep hoping to see them fail.

Yes, it's only Round 1, but I have to admit they out-played us in every facet of the game. Decent level of support too - although I suspect it was mainly family & UK friends.

It was food for thought to see that the main architects of Leigh's demolition, were former 'rejects' who, on this occasion, looked far better players than their replacements. Also, the former Leigh coach must be pretty satisfied with the way he comprehensively 'out-coached' his replacement!

Both teams would have convincingly beat Catalan on the weekend though.

and castleford

Regards

King James

I dont know whats this is about, but at least get my name right you cretin

But I thought the main argument against including Toronto was that don’t bring any away fans? (Despite every club in League one getting their biggest home gate when Toronto visited last season)

I wouldn’t put it down to big families and lots of friends. A lot of people in the UK support Toronto having taken them on as their 2nd team to follow.

Please don't misunderstand me - their support was impressive. Ironically, we (Leigh) probably couldn't muster as many family & friends, as our newly assembled squad seems to come from the four corners of the globe! (statement not intended to imply that I also dispute that the earth is round!)

For what it's worth, I thought Toronto were vastly superior to us, in all aspects of yesterday's game.

Nobody wants them to fail. I suspect on the other hand that a great many actually would like a level playing field in terms of what they promised and what they are actually delivering.........they promised H and A fixtures, but the minute their ground wasn't available, rather than play in Hamilton (1hr away)....a town that is apparently next on the Perez list, they get to play all their away games in a block followed by all their home games in another block, saving them and their sponsors money and meaning that they are 100% fresh in Toronto playing teams straight off the plane.......in a regular season they'd make 22 Return Journeys........this year they'll make maybe 3.......some sponsorship deal that is!

It's not an ideal situation, but I'd rather give them benefit of the doubt that they had no other option than to wait until Lamport was ready (as well as to continue to meet any contractual obligations they have with the City of Toronto who own the stadium), rather than think it's some underhand tactic to save money and get an advantage on the pitch.

If something similar happens in the future, then maybe it'd be fair to throw some accusations their way.

Stadium issues happen, especially when not owned by the club. Hull have to play a month of away games each July due to the SMC relaying the pitch, Wakey very nearly had to play a season away from Belle Vue this year, Leeds are fortunate enough to have an agreement to play games at Elland Rd whilst Headingley is being developed.

It would make no sense for them to play home and away fixtures alternate weeks, Rugby League isn’t rich enough to throw money away like that.

Toronto are currently paying other clubs travel costs while receiving no central funding, now that’s not a level playing field and is likely to put off would be investors for the New York side.

You need to work back a couple of steps.
Toronto want to join SL, nobody is forcing their hand and as part of the deal THEY have said that THEY will cover the costs of visiting clubs and without this "sweetener" the League 1 and Championship clubs would no doubt have said NO.
Now that they have become a little more established and with issues surrounding where they are to play their home fixtures, THEY have moved the goal posts and at the same time, gleaned some advantage by playing their home fixtures en block.
Clubs in the lower leagues receive very little central funding anyway. Are you suggesting that a club in League 1 or The Championship, who have aspirations of being in SL, should receive a hefty slice of Sky funding



The Toronto/N.American idea has some real possibilities but NOBODY has really though them through and yet again, our sport is winging it, just hoping for a miracle.

I like Perez, as he is a breath of fresh air within the game and he has vision and ambition in equal measure but it could still all end in tears.

Leigh, Toronto’s main rival in the Championship received £500,000 in central funding.