Championship Grand Final line-up locked in following semi-final drama

Wakefield Trinity will host Toulouse Olympique at Belle Vue in the 2024 Championship Grand Final next Saturday, October 19, after the pair came through dramatic semi-final ties.

The second tier’s showpiece, which has a 7pm (BST) kick-off scheduled, will see the division’s top two meet for the third time this season.

Toulouse were the only side to beat Wakefield in the league this season, winning 32-4 over in France in Round 16 back in July.

Prior to that though, League Leaders’ Shield winners Trinity had reigned supreme when the pair squared off at Belle Vue, ending up 28-12 winners on home soil in Round 6 at the end of April.

Due to IMG’s new grading system, whoever wins next Saturday night’s Grand Final is not guaranteed automatic promotion like in previous years.

The likelihood is that, however they fare in the showpiece, Wakefield will be promoted back up to Super League in 2025.

Toulouse’s situation remains unclear though, and the additional 0.25 IMG points they would receive from a shock Grand Final win could prove highly valuable.

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Championship Grand Final locked in following semi-final drama

Despite both being odds-on favourites to win their Championship semi-final ties, neither made light work of their last-four clash.

Having gone unbeaten at home across all competitions so far this year, Wakefield hosted York, and trailed 7-6 at half-time after a drop goal from Knights half-back Liam Harris.

They then fell behind again on the hour-mark, with York taking a 13-12 lead after Will Dagger converted Ata Hingano’s try.

Soon after though, winger Derrell Olpherts crossed to put Trinity back in front, and veteran Iain Thornley also grabbed a try late on to put the seal on a hard-fought win.

When Max Jowitt converted that Thornley try, making the final score 22-13, he took his personal points tally for the year up to 494. No player in history has scored more points for a single team in a single season.

He now needs just three more points to become the highest-points scorer in a single season ever in the history of the game, currently sat two behind Lewis Jones.

Toulouse meanwhile booked their spot in the 2024 Grand Final with a 21-20 victory against Bradford Bulls at the Stade Ernest-Wallon. They too trailed at the break, heading into the sheds 12-8 down.

Two quickfire tries from Guy Armitage and Anthony Marion, both converted by Jake Shorrocks, though saw Olympique take a 20-12 lead.

And after Jordan Lilley’s penalty had brought the Bulls back to within six points, Eloi Pelissier slotted over a drop goal for the hosts to make it 21-14 with five minutes remaining.

That one-pointer proved decisive, with Papua New Guinean Keven Appo crashing over for Bradford moments later and Lilley subsequently converting.

It’s the second season running that Sylvain Houles’ side have seen off the Bulls in the play-off semi-finals. This time last year, they went on to be beaten on home soil against the odds by London Broncos in the Grand Final.

This time around, they will head to Wakefield as the underdogs.

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