Journalist Gareth Walker has said that he spoke to Ryan Carr, and if Featherstone are to defy the odds and win promotion then they'll do it the hard way. They fly to Toulouse in the early hours of Saturday (today). They play Toulouse at 19.30 (Toulouse time) on Sunday. They fly back on Monday to Bristol, (200 miles from Featherstone) so won't be home until evening time on Monday.
If they manage to beat Toulouse they then fly to Toronto on Thursday.

If they can make it onto the Air Transat flight (the only direct flight from Manchester to Toronto on Thursday) it will be an 8 hour flight. Any other arrangements will of course increase the travel time and involve one or more stops.

In any event the players will take the hit of a 5 hour time change. The final kicks off at 14.30 (Toronto time) on Saturday.

In my humble opinion - Total Insanity !!!

How many Fev fans would be able to afford the cost of this to follow their team ?

Are Super League going to put up with such potential stupidity next season.
This madness is simply not sustainable.
Meanwhile the RFL continue blindly on with talk of Ottawa and New York.

PTB

I couldn’t agree more with you. I in Toulouse to watch us this weekend and expect there to be 200ish of us at the game tomorrow. I fly back on Monday. I have looked at flights to Toronto and it is doable but I have to get time off from work at short notice (I’d have 2 days turnaround to sort everything), earn some more brownie points form my good lady before I even think about the cost.

For me as with the SL grand final, the million pound promotion game should be in the UK at a neutral ground. After all in is a UK league.

Fev Grinder - all I can say is Good Luck (and I hope you don't need it).
Our family trip to Toulouse was badly disrupted by local transport issues resulting from Green Jacket demonstrations in the town. Taxis were stopped from entering the town and the buses were on strike.
Four key Leigh players were bumped off their Flybe flight because the airline decided to run a smaller plane than scheduled. These guys were flown to Heathrow and then on to Paris. At which point they were expected to travel by car to complete their journey to Toulouse - only a 421 mile, 6.5 hour journey (without allowing extra time for stops).
Absolute joke !

I understand the RFL arrange the club travel arrangements via their appointed Travel Agent. It seems the Travel Agent has about as much idea as the RFL themselves.
I haven't contemplated the prospect of a trip to Toronto.

Couldn't agree more. The more of these well-funded overseas teams that appear the more this is going to happen, completely devaluing the whole concept. Featherstone (and their supporters) have been superb in the play-offs and deserve much more than this.

It's unfortunate that Toronto & Toulouse have finished in the top 2, pre-season I would have definitely predicted Widnes to be in there, but for their financial problems/points deduction.

Appalling situation! I really am rooting for you now! Just imagine Wigan, or Leeds, or any of the SL teams being put through that?

Here's hoping that none of your guys get bumped off the fight to Toulouse. (or Toronto) That's what happened to a group of our players, when we played Toulouse away - they had to find their own way there, via Paris!

I love that the game is trying to go global BUT
The situation that Fev are in ( and it could have been us) is truly unbelievable. How is this even acceptable in anyone’s vision of a fair playing field.
Best of luck of Fev, but even more, I hope against all odds that somehow they rise above such an uneven playing-field.
How can anyone see this as anything more than a stacked decked.
All the best Fev !

I'm home in Rovrum glued to the telly.... win tonight and its all hands to the buttons to try and secure flights at short notice at a small fortune..... it would kill me not going to the final.

As mentioned elsewhere Toulouse had to fly to Toronto two weeks ago with a potential return trip should they beat Fev.

Keep it going Fev !

Good old teamwork has done the trick. Toulouse game plan is suicide !

Good luck Fev. I think Toronto will be one trip too far but you have been fantastic with a diverse style of safe rugby and spread it.

Well done

Thanks to everyone for the best wishes, I suspect that next week will be a step too far with London winning there last year. Still we’ll go in hope of a surprise.

Be proud of what you have achieved and give it a go.

We are all gunning for you.
Hope you win but if you lose then we get back to leisurely Sunday afternoon rugby vs Fev (both home and away) including a couple of beers in the local before the game.
Most importantly our part time players would get back to reasonable expectations from their bodies.

Win or lose next week i’m still hoping to meet up with my Leigh mates at a couple of games next year