Rugby league potentially facing the biggest crisis in its history - Peter Smith

In rugby league terms, nothing is happening at the moment and nothing is likely to continue to happen for the foreseeable future, which presents the code with maybe the biggest crisis in a 125-year history littered with them.

The sport has been on its knees before and there have been periods without rugby in past seasons, owing to bad weather, but the coronavirus pandemic is outside anyone’s experience.

Without knowing how long it will last, it is impossible to judge how well-equipped rugby league is to survive without its main source of income.

The game is not exactly awash with money and some clubs live a hand-to-mouth existence as it is, so there must be a real danger of those teams not surviving, if the suspension of matches lasts much beyond April 3.

With the situation forecast to get worse rather than better over the next couple of weeks, nobody in the sport really expects any rugby to resume at the start of next month.

Of course, every year clubs go at least three months without matchdays, during the off-season, but some of them have other revenue streams and the difference now is they have budgeted for regular income throughout the summer.

When that is no longer coming in, the situation becomes serious very quickly. Thus far, the Rugby Football League (RFL) has followed government advice and that is probably a wise policy if the sport will be looking for financial aid when the impact of the crisis really begins to bite.

Various of the bigger clubs are about more than rugby. Leeds Rhinos, for example, have recently spent around £50 million on a complete overhaul of Emerald Headingley Stadium, which now boasts some of the best corporate facilities in world sport.

It is, as chief executive Gary Hetherington says, a “strong and diverse business”, but banqueting facilities aren’t much use when the advice is to stay at home. The same applies to Headingley Lodge hotel.

Rugby league is part of the entertainment business and that is an industry which will be particularly hard-hit.

The RFL and Super League do not have deep reserves of cash to help clubs out, so there will be a reliance on fans and sponsors. But, unfortunately, many of those will also be struggling as the country goes into something approaching lockdown.

Playing behind closed doors may offer a partial solution, if the code’s broadcaster is willing to pay extra to televise some rare live sport. But it is not a long-term fix. Catalans Dragons were horrified at the prospect of entertaining Leeds without a crowd last week and were probably more relieved than anyone when Rhinos decided not to travel.

No fans means no income, not just through the gate, but from merchandise sales, food and drink and such sundries, but there is still a cost to hosting a game.

Plus, what is the point of a spectator sport without spectators? It may be all right as a one-off, but would raise as many problems as it solved if repeated.

What happens now is almost impossible to answer, without any indication of when the crisis might ease.

Though certain clubs already have two or three fixtures to fit into a packed schedule, it may be possible to rearrange the next two weeks’ matches without huge disruption.

But beyond that, it simply won’t be possible to complete a full 29 Super League games and still stage the Grand Final on October 10.

The season might be extended, but the Australian Kangaroos are due here for a three-Test Ashes series in October and November, tickets are already on sale and that is a big income-generator which the governing body won’t want to lose.

If the shutdown lasts six weeks or so, the obvious answer would be scrapping the half-dozen ‘loop’ fixtures, when teams face each other a third time. That would leave 22 rounds, teams playing each other once home and away, plus Magic Weekend.

Again, not ideal as all clubs would lose three home fixtures, which have been factored into season tickets, but it would be a way of completing the season.

Unfortunately, at least 12-14 weeks seems the most likely scenario, which would put the Challenge Cup in doubt and mean the league season having to be shortened ... if it carries on at all.