By Brian Lowe, Date: 13/9/18 (Photo Carolyn Ritchie)
Rugby League administrators in the United States and Canada are in the final stages of confirming a Select side game between the two North American neighbors for later this month.
The fixture has tentatively been penciled in for Saturday, September 22 and will be played at Lamport Stadium in Toronto as a curtain-raiser to the Toronto Wolfpack’s Super 8s Qualifiers game versus the Widnes Vikings.
USA Rugby League and Canada Rugby League Association had originally considered having an All-Star match on that date, however, getting it officially sanctioned has presented some issues as it wouldn’t be a fully-fledged international, so consequently both leagues have agreed on a Select side format instead.
Meantime, the Ontario Rugby League has organized a trial game for this weekend.
The match will be played following the Wolfpack’s qualifiers fixture against Toulouse Olympique at Lamport Stadium this Saturday.
ORL president Carolyn Ritchie says it’s one of several matches the provincial league has scheduled in the early fall.
She says the trials will be for players hoping to be selected in the Canada Wolverines national team for the upcoming 2021 Rugby League World Cup Americas region qualifying series.
That series is set to be played in November.
The USA, Canada, Jamaica and Chile will take part.
The winner will automatically qualify for RLWC2021 in the UK, while the runners-up will have an option to compete in a World Playoff group in late 2019.
