The Kingstone Press Championship One competition got underway at the New River Stadium as London Skolars were the hosts to Toronto Wolfpack as they began to write the first words, of the first chapter, of their big adventure.
It was a record home crowd as the sunshine broke through the clouds looking to see a fast and competitive game in the 4G pitch.
After an evenly matched opening eight minutes it was the Wolfpack who opened the scoring with a Craig Hall solo effort from the back of the scrum as he went thirty metres to round and improve the angle. He added the extras for the best of starts for the visitors.
On fourteen Toronto got their second when Hall found Jonny Pownall who stepped inside the Skolars tackler and went ten metres to score. Hall was again accurate with the boot for 12-0.
On seventeen Fuifui Moi Moi stormed past two tacklers to dive over and when Hall kicked the extra two it was becoming one-way traffic.
The Skolars looked to be tiring under the Wolfpack onslaught when a Steve Crossley offload bounced into the hands of Bob Beswick to scamper past the remaining defenders to score giving Hall a simple conversion from by the left upright for 24-0.
On thirty-one the Wolfpack scored their fifth try when Liam Kay took a Greg Worthington pass and grounded the ball before hitting the corner flag and the touchline. Hall failed to convert from the touchline.
Just before half-time Beswick went from acting half back and put Andrew Dixon through a gap to score from five metres. Hall kicked the conversion to send his side into the sheds with a 34-0 lead.
Toronto brought up the forty on forty-four minutes with a barnstorming run from Moi Moi, busting three tackles to score from twenty metres. Hall kicked the extras with ease.
Try eight came on forty-eight when Kay got his second of the afternoon with a simple walk in from three metres off a Worthington pass. Hall used the wind for his seventh conversion of the afternoon.
Greg Worthington scored a simple walk in after a forty metre Kay break off a Beswick pass and when Hall kicked the conversion it was 52-0 and a very bad day at the office for the Skolars. Within a minute Hall was the provider to give Pownall a simple walk in and from directly in front of the sticks Hall added the extra two.
On seventy-three Greg Worthington was first received from the back of the scrum and dragged a tackler over the line with him to get his second of the game. Hall was again accurate from the touchline for 64-0.
From the kick-off return Hall picked up the bouncing ball and found Moi Moi on the half way line to put the prop forward free to go fifty metres to score his hat-trick. Hall converted for 70-0.
In the dying minutes Quentin Laulu-Togaga'e walked through an exhausted Skolars defence to canter under the uprights and when Hall added his twelfth conversion it was 76-0.
It was a thirteen try demolition job by the games newest side which will serve as a massive warning to the rest of the Championship One about what they can expect over the coming season. It was a thoroughly professional performance on a perfect pitch but in deteriorating conditions. Moi Moi picked up the man of the match award but there were stars across the whole of the field in the white shirts of the Wolfpack.
Skolars: Melling, Nash, Pearce-Paul, Brown, Winfield, Lawrence, Bishay, Sykes, Pointer, Williams, Bryan, Vavega, Davis. Subs: Robinson, Dollapi, Mbaroga, Driver.
Wolfpack: Laulu-Togaga'e (T), Pownall (2T), Hall (T, 12G), Worthington (2T), Kay (2T), Wallace, Jacks, Moi Moi (3T), Beswick (T), Emmitt, Dixon (T), Laithwaite, Bussey. Subs: Wheeler, Sidlow, Whiting, Crossley.
Referee: John McMullen.
Half-Time: 0-34.
Full-Time: 0-76.
Attendance: 1,542.
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