Sat 18 Sept: Toronto Wolfpack v D.C. Cavalry KO 19:30 EDT (00:30 BST +1 day)

[ChoboMog]

Apologies to @John Drake for me shamelessly borrowing the standard fixture thread formatting (or perhaps kudos to him for the inspiration, assuming everyone is OK with some positivity ); but a game is a game!

This one is particularly exciting for those of us across the Pond who have been missing live, in-person professional rugby league; and for those excited about a re-born Wolfpack, and North American Rugby League (NARL) in 2022.  Didn’t seem fair to keep any discussion relegated to a single thread in the International forum.

The game will not be televised; but the team has indicated that it will be uploaded to YouTube after the fact.

I think I speak for all when saying that the players from the OG Wolfpack will be sorely missed.  You were the heart and soul of the team.  How things ended (including how you were treated) should never have happened.  Please, remember: You made this possible; you laid the groundwork for this NA Rugby League renaissance, and for future generations of players and fans.

Looking forward to being back at Lamport, and seeing some old friends, once again!
 

[welshmagpie]

Some familiar names on both sides, should be a great game.

I notice a couple of Canadians in the DC line up, I assume they’re being loaned some players from Toronto.

Will be keen to see the crowd figure, the match seems popular on TWP’s social media channels but I’ve no idea what to expect in terms of attendance. 

[ChoboMog]

23 minutes ago, welshmagpie said:

Will be keen to see the crowd figure, the match seems popular on TWP’s social media channels but I’ve no idea what to expect in terms of attendance. 

Given how limited the promotion has been, beyond a bit of social media in the past week or so, I'd be surprised if the team gets much of a turnout. Maybe, a few hundred or a thousand at most.  Every bum in a seat is a plus.

The Wolfpack is directly competing with TFC, with the same kickoff time, which one assumes would hurt attendance for the rugby league.  However, given the season they have been having, many fans of both sports (my group included) will opt for footy over soccer.  The TFC attendance for last week's loss was "official" 7k (stadium holds 30k), but my guess from the seats was ~5k; basically a season 1 attendance for OG Wolfpack...

That said, the fact that some of the local breweries have jumped back on board gives me confidence that numbers might be OK, and if this evening is treated as an exhibition/proof-of-concept then next year could be crackin', once again.

Edited September 18 by ChoboMog

[Omott91]

6 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

Some familiar names on both sides, should be a great game.

I notice a couple of Canadians in the DC line up, I assume they’re being loaned some players from Toronto.

Will be keen to see the crowd figure, the match seems popular on TWP’s social media channels but I’ve no idea what to expect in terms of attendance. 

Covid capped to 2000 people. 

[Man of Kent]

Score?!

[gingerjon]

8 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Score?!

Looks like 42-6 to Toronto?

[welshmagpie]

42-6 win for Toronto.

Crowd over around 500-600 specccies based on the photo I saw.