Both sides are determined to reach Super League next season but their match on Saturday might not matter at all

By Gavin Willacy for No Helmets Required

The favourites for the Championship title meet in the south of France on Saturday evening. It would be a surprise if the match between Toulouse Olympique and Bradford Bulls is not repeated at the end of the campaign in the Championship Grand Final. But what the 13 teams in the second tier are playing for this season remains unclear – and will still be unknown when autumn leaves begin to fall.

Toulouse and Bradford are the only two clubs still spending anywhere near the seven-figures usually required to reach the Grand Final. The removal of automatic promotion and relegation last year did not prevent the Championship winners, Wakefield, from replacing Super League’s bottom team, London Broncos, in the top flight this season. But that scenario is unlikely to be repeated this October, when the 12 clubs in Super League will again be decided solely by the IMG grading system. Winning the Championship may be about glory rather than promotion.