NRL officials in England as Super League investment talks advance; Wigan and Warrington confirm Dublin date
NRL officials have arrived in England to hold talks with Super League clubs as a proposed investment deal edges closer to completion, and Wigan Warriors and Warrington Wolves confirmed they will meet at Leinster’s RDS Arena in Dublin on Saturday 24 April next year.
Discussions between rugby league’s two premier club competitions have been ongoing for most of this year about a deal that would see the NRL invest a significant sum into Super League while taking authoritative control of the competition; that investment would also ensure the financial security of clubs. Talks were paused while both competitions finalised broadcast agreements: the NRL has completed a A$5.3bn (£2.8bn) rights deal and Super League expects to confirm how its new-look broadcast deal will be shaped in the next week, with Sky Sports expected to show two or three games a week and the remainder streamed or broadcast elsewhere.
Multiple Super League clubs told the Guardian they have either been visited by Australian officials or expect to receive visits as NRL figures seek to gauge the mood around a proposal from Super League to invest. The Guardian said the attention from Australia is the clearest sign yet that a deal is close and that the NRL has now made Super League investment its number one priority.
Rhodri Jones, Super League’s leading official, set out a short timetable for progress, saying: “We’re very hopeful that we’ll make some significant progress with the NRL over the next seven days. “We’ve been engaged with them since May but they’ve now done their TV deal, so I can say it feels like we’re their top priority. It’s still with them to come back to us. We’re hopeful we’ll get something very soon.”
Wigan and Warrington, who were the first Super League clubs to travel to Las Vegas with the NRL last year, have long supported Australian investment and governance. The two clubs announced the Dublin fixture on Wednesday, with Wigan CEO Kris Radlinski reiterating support for the NRL: “100%. As we have been from the start. What they’re doing in the NRL is fantastic. I think it’s the start of a significant few months for the sport. We’re at a point where we’ll find out our broadcasting future at a time when our NRL counterparts are closing in on an offer.”
Both clubs hope to attract a capacity crowd of 20,000 in Dublin and expect to call on Ireland rugby coach and Wigan legend Andy Farrell to help promote the match. Hull FC are in talks about moving a home game on Sunday 25 April to the same venue to create a weekend-long event for Super League.
Super League now faces a near-term run of confirmations: the competition expects to finalise its broadcast arrangements in the next week, and Super League officials have signalled they are seeking substantive movement from the NRL within the coming seven days.