TORONTO TO GET FIXED UP FOR RESTART

TORONTO WOLFPACK will be included in the reworked Super League fixture list released today – as the competition and RFL pledge to help them finish the season.

The Canadian club revealed in Mirror Sport yesterday how visa issues with their seven overseas players mean they might not be able to fulfil their fixtures.

The players, including marquee signing Sonny Bill Williams (above), use similar visas to those of overseas golfers or tennis stars taking part in competitions in this country.

They limit individuals to six months in the UK at any one time, and expire at the end of this month.

Ordinarily, those players would have been travelling to and from the squad’s UK base to Canada for home matches – but that has not been possible during lockdown.

Both Super League and the RFL have issued statements saying they will do all they can to help the Wolfpack overcome the issue with the Home Office. And Toronto will be part of the new 22-match season that is published today as talks continue.

Super League said that news of the Wolfpack’s visa issues – which have bubbled under the surface throughout their three-and-a-half-year existence – were concerning, and the timing “unhelpful.”

But a statement added: “We are looking into the details and have offered the club, and the RFL, our full support to resolve these issues ahead of the season restarting on August 2.”

The RFL also insists that it will continue talks with the Government in coming weeks.

It said: “We have been working closely with the relevant authorities to help Toronto Wolfpack with the issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, specifically their inability to play home fixtures in Canada, and the resulting need for their overseas players to stay in England for several more months.

“We are grateful to the Government for recognising these issues in recent days – but appreciate the situation remains challenging for the club.”

Mirror Sport understands that the Wolfpack players have not yet been told when they will return to training ahead of their August 2 opener against Hull KR.