Inside rugby league - midweek games inevitable as the sport plays catch up

Before coronavirus, Leeds Rhinos were due to visit Wakefield Trinity on Thursday in the opening match of the Easter programme and the start of Betfred Super League round 10.

Rhinos have played only five times this season.

All clubs will be at least three games behind schedule by the end of this weekend – six in Catalans Dragons’ case – and to catch up Super League will have to either cut the number of fixtures, or extend the campaign into the winter.

As revealed by The Yorkshire Evening Post last week, one possibility is switching the Coral Challenge Cup showpiece from July 18 at Wembley to Old Trafford in October and moving the Grand Final back a month to November, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

White Hart Lane is booked for the third Test on November 14. If the Australian season – also on hold at the moment – overruns, the Ashes won’t happen, but there is now speculation the NRL will be reduced to 13 rounds with a Grand Final as scheduled in October, leaving the Rugby Football League (RFL) and Super League with another headache.

The RFL needs the lucrative international series to go ahead, but if it does, what happens to Super League?

The two maybe could go ahead side by side, but leading clubs won’t want to be without their England players for the play-offs.

Ironically, this year teams were due to play only once over Easter, with the whole round being spread over four days and all six matches televised by Sky.

That comes after years of complaints from players and coaches about the bank holiday workload of Thursday or Friday games and then again on Easter Monday.

Now it seems there could be a couple of months of ‘Easters’ looming as playing three times per week will be inevitable if an attempt is made to complete a 29-round league season, fulfilling Super League’s broadcast commitments and ensuring clubs don’t miss out on home fixtures and vital income. Though this is the first time illness has laid waste to the sport, long lay-offs are not unheard of.

For example, during the big freeze of 1962-63 not a single match was played at Headingley between December 1 and April 3 and Leeds managed only five away games in that time.

The season finished in May and Leeds were left with 17 fixtures to fit into the final two months. They played eight times in April and nine games from May 1 to 24, including on the 13th, 15th, 18th, 22nd and 24th.

In those days, players had day jobs as well but, that said, it is a different ball game now; faster, with fewer stoppages and the athletes are full-time.

Hours spent in the gym ensures the players are bigger and stronger and the collisions more explosive. That’s why, under normal circumstances, teams are guaranteed at least four clear days between games.

Previous Easters have proved playing three times in a week is possible, but players’ bodies and the quality of rugby do suffer. The round after the Easter pile-up often makes for poor viewing.

Toronto’s former Leeds coach Brian McDermott has suggested playing matches over four 15-minute quarters, rather than two 40-minute halves, to reduce the strain.

That, though, would fundamentally alter the character of the sport, which has always been 40 minutes each way. Increasing the number of substitutes and/or interchanges makes more sense. It would ease the burden and retain the integrity of the competition.

Squad depth would be tested but, on the flip side, it could mean an opportunity for some younger and fringe players to gain first-team experience.

The simplest option would be to cut the number of fixtures to match the time left in the scheduled season, thus avoiding midweek matches and an impact on both the Ashes – if they happen – and 2021 campaign, a World Cup year.

Unfortunately, clubs are already struggling owing to the shutdown and missing out on budgeted-for home matches would be a financial nightmare, putting jobs and wages at risk and upsetting season-ticket holders who have forked out for 14 games.

It’s a difficult, ever-changing situation and, whatever decision is eventually made, someone – players, fans, clubs or maybe all three – will suffer.

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