Wakefield Trinity and Toulouse Olympique, the two teams favoured by the sponsors of the Betfred Championship to meet in the Grand Final in October, were both involved as an intriguing opening round kicks off with two heavyweight Friday night fixtures.
Trinity, who have been taken over and revitalised since relegation from the Betfred Super League last season, hosted Bradford Bulls in a West Yorkshire derby which has captured the imagination to such an extent that it was already guaranteed to be a 7,200 sell-out – meaning the highest crowd for a regular season Betfred Championship fixture since Toronto Wolfpack hosted Leigh in September 2019.
The match was be preceded by an official ceremony to mark the opening of the Neil Fox MBE Stand, named after one of the sport’s all-time greats – who had two brief stints with Bradford after his record-breaking period with Trinity, although it was his elder brother Peter who became more closely associated with the Bradford club as a coach.
Wakefield are 3-1 on favourites with Betfred to win the Grand Final, which will be played on the weekend of October 18-19 – with a significant uplift in prize money at stake for the winners of the Betfred Championship title from 2024 to reflect the fact that the introduction of club grading means that the Championship Grand Final winners no longer achieve automatic promotion to the Betfred Super League.
Trinity won their opening round fixture 42-12 in front of 7,221 people.
Wakefield Trinity title rivals stunned
As for their title rivals, things were quite different on the opening night. Toulouse, who were relegated from Super League in 2022 and denied an immediate return by defeat against London Broncos in last year’s Championship Grand Final at their own Stade Ernest-Wallon, are 7-1 second favourites behind Wakefield – with the Bulls fourth favourites at 12-1, behind Featherstone Rovers at 10-1.
But the French club had a tricky opening fixture in South Yorkshire against a Sheffield Eagles team who are not even favoured to qualify for the top six Play-Offs at 28-1 – but who are the only Championship team to have emerged unbeaten through five matches in the Betfred Challenge Cup and the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup, earning a Sixth-Round Challenge Cup tie at Wigan on Friday week, and an 1895 Cup Semi Final at York in May.
They continued their red hot form by stunning the French side and raising their hand for potential Grand Final glory in 2024.
