Wolfpack lose first match of the season to open Super 8s playoffs

Members of the Toronto Wolfpack rugby club are seen during practice at Lamport Stadium, in Toronto on Wednesday, July 12, 2017. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Neil Davidson)

YORK, United Kingdom -- The Toronto Wolfpack opened the Super 8s playoffs on Sunday with a 26-16 defeat to the York City Knights.

The Wolfpack, who topped Kingstone Press League 1 in its inaugural season with a 15-0-0 record, had tries from Craig Hall, Bob Beswick and Ryan Brierley en route to their first ever loss.

Toronto, aiming for one of two promotion spots to the second-tier championship, plays eighth-place Workington Town next week in the second round of the Super 8s.

Sunday's game saw fourth-place York City roar to a stunning 18-0 lead at half time that proved too much for Toronto to handle. While the Wolfpack came out strong after the break with back-to-back tries in a five-minute span, they couldn't keep the Knights down.

Hall's try, his 21st of the season, cut Toronto's deficit to 20-16 but York's Connor Robinson restored the 10-point cushion roughly 10 minutes later. Wolfpack winger Jonny Pownall had a try disallowed with five minutes to play.

Under Rugby Football League rules, the 16-team league is split into two after each team has played the other with the top eight taking part in the Super 8s.

The teams carry forward their regular-season points with the top team after the Super 8s winning automatic promotion. The other promotion spot will be decided via a four-team playoff: No. 2 versus No. 5 and No. 3 versus No. 4, with the winners playing off for the prize.

Toronto entered the Super 8s with a three-point lead over second-place Whitehaven.

In the Super 8s, the top four teams get four home games while the bottom four have three home fixtures.