TORONTO — After six rounds of rugby league's promotion-relegation playoffs, the Toronto Wolfpack and five other teams are still in Super League contention with one round remaining.
The Super 8s Qualifiers grouped the bottom four teams in the elite Super League (Leeds Rhinos, Hull Kingston Rovers, Salford Red Devils and Widnes Vikings) with the top four in the second-tier Championship (Toronto, London Broncos, Toulouse Olympique and Halifax RLFC)
The top three in the standings will secure automatic places in the Super League while No. 4 faces No. 5 in the so-called Million Pound Game on Oct. 7 to see who joins them.
Here's a look at the final round of games:
Toulouse Olympique (3-3-0) at Salford Red Devils (4-2-0), Thursday
Second-place Salford should secure its Super League status with a win, given it enters the game with a plus-109 point difference (the first tiebreaker). A loss and the Red Devils could slip into the Million Pound Game depending on other results.
Fifth-place Toulouse, which has the second-worst points difference (zero) among the six teams still in contention, needs a high-scoring win and some help from other teams to keep its promotion dream alive.
Toronto Wolfpack (4-2-0) at Leeds Rhinos (5-1-0), Friday
A victory would not necessarily guarantee the third-place Wolfpack (plus-17) a place in the Super League since Salford (plus-109) and Hull KR (plus-five) can join Leeds and Toronto on 10 points. But a win does mean, at the least, a top-four finish so the promotion dream lives on.
A Toronto loss and the transatlantic side will need help from other teams. Falling to sixth spot is a possibility.
A win or draw will keep top-ranked Leeds (plus-80) in the top-flight. They could end up in the Million Pound Game but it would take an unlikely combination of a lopsided defeat and other results.
Halifax RLFC (0-6-0) at London Broncos (3-3-0), Saturday
Sixth-place London (minus-10) needs a big win and help from others. On the plus side, the Broncos are up against eighth-place Halifax, which faces a return to the Championship after conceding an average of 34 points a game in the Super 8s Qualifiers.
Widnes Vikings (1-5-0) at Hull Kingston Rovers (4-2-0), Sunday
Fourth-place Hull KR (plus-five) will have a better idea of where they sit after the three previous games play out. But a win will ensure they finish in the top four — and possibly higher. Seventh-place Widnes is already relegated.
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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
