Super League format to be finalised ahead of fixtures announcement

SUPER League is set to finalise its season format this week.

A meeting will take place where a final decision will be made on the length of the season, with a 25 or 23-match format set to be implemented.

The longer, 25-game campaign is thought to be favoured by most, though there are calls in some sections of the competition to reduce it further in an attempt to give England more preparation time for the World Cup.

The season was initially due to be 27 games long, but with the start of the campaign pushed back two weeks to March 25, a decision to remove two fixtures is favoured by many.

That said, the Super League Grand Final is currently scheduled to take place just two weeks before England’s World Cup opener with

Samoa and there are concerns that a lack of contact time will damage their chances of winning the competition.

Coach Shaun Wane has yet to take charge of his first game after the Autumn Test series with Australia was cancelled, and protocols around Covid-19 are set to restrict his opportunities to bring players from various clubs together.

Super League hopes to publish this season’s fixture list week commencing February 22.

Championship and League 1 clubs are expected to learn of their fixtures for the season this week, with the RFL planning to publish details on Sunday, February 14.

Clubs in the second tier, as well as three League 1 clubs who have entered the Challenge Cup, will return to the field on the weekend of March 20/21.

The draw for the first two rounds of the competition will take place next Thursday before Super League clubs enter the competition in round three, which will take place on the weekend of April 10/11.

The four non-super League clubs that reach round three will automatically become 1895 Cup semi-finalists, with the Final to be staged at Wembley alongside the Challenge Cup Final on July 11.