Fears grow over Toronto Wolfpack's Super League future

The situation will be watched closely at Leeds Rhinos whose captain Stevie Ward and half-back Richie Myler are both expected to join the Canadian club next year.

Wolfpack, coached by former Rhinos boss Brian McDermott, were promoted from the Betfred Championship last year and went into the Covid-19 shutdown bottom of the table, without a point from their opening six matches.

The Mirror newspaper on Tuesday reported the Wolfpack's seven overseas players - including Sonny Bill Williams - have been on visas limiting them to six months a year in the United Kingdom, which has now expired.

A statement from Super League on Wednesday said: "Betfred Super League is obviously concerned by the news it received from Toronto Wolfpack yesterday. The timing is also unhelpful.

"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."

Wolfpack are due to play Hull KR in Super League's first fixture following a near five-month layoff.

Having been told by the Home Office it cannot deal directly with them, Wolfpack have been in regular dialogue with the Rugby Football League (RFL) and Super League over the matter, the Mirror said.

Wolfpack owner David Argyle was quoted as saying: "We have laid this out to Super League and the RFL today and it's an issue that we can't keep kicking down the road.

"It's always been a big issue for us and it hasn't been resolved and if it isn't resolved now then I don't see any way we can participate in the rest of this season.

"It has been suggested to us that we could loan young players from other clubs, but we're not here to make up the numbers and we never have been.

"We didn't hire Brian McDermott as coach to do that.

"We also feel that it would be dangerous for us to fill our squad with other clubs' juniors, especially at a time when players might only have four days' rest between matches."

Argyle said the coronavirus pandemic had exacerbated a problem that had been going on for three years.

He insisted: "I'm not blaming anybody - I can understand the bureaucratic position and we are only a very small issue for an organisation like the Home Office, but we've come to a crunch point now where it needs to be resolved."

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Laura Collins