The RFL must take the bull by the horns and make a decision – Peter Smith

The simulation involves cadets having to decide whether to attempt a rescue of the civilian spacecraft, which is stuck in Klingon-controlled space, or abandon those onboard to face certain death.

Either way, the students lose. If they attempt a rescue, their ship is inevitably destroyed and the battle escalates into war; leave the Kobayashi Maru to its fate and the captain faces mutiny from his crew, persecution by Starfleet – for ignoring rules on helping vessels in distress – and the Klingons will probably attack anyway.

The Kobayashi Maru scenario, however, is child’s play compared to the bother the Rugby Football League are mired in over the future of this year’s Betfred Championship and League One competitions.

The RFL may not have Klingons on the starboard bow, but they are faced with sorting out a tangled situation which sees some clubs anxious to continue with the campaign which started in February, while others fear they will go bust if they have to play matches behind closed doors.

When the clubs held a forum last month, they agreed only on a survey being conducted to establish which way the wind was blowing.

That in itself wasn’t a good sign and an RFL board meeting on Monday failed to resolve the impasse.

Most clubs outside Super League believe it is “impractical” to play behind closed doors, due to the cost of Covid-19 testing, wages and so on.

But, instead of calling it a day, a “small majority” want to leave the option of resuming open, to monitor how things develop.

Clearly, it wouldn’t be good if the Championship and League One were abandoned for the year, then soon afterwards restrictions were lifted and crowds allowed back into stadiums.

That seems to be the way things are heading, following the reopening of pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops, though obviously nobody yet knows if that will lead to a second wave of coronavirus and a return to lockdown.

There will be meetings on each of the next two Mondays and a deadline of Thursday, July 23, has been set for a final decision.

That is only 10 days before Betfred Super League restarts, with matches initially played at empty grounds. Obviously, if the Championship is made null and void there will be no relegation from the top-tier, but what happens if the competition continues remains to be seen.

Super League clubs feel relegation this year would be unfair, given the fact some games will be played without crowds, certain teams will have more home matches than others, Toronto Wolfpack – who are bottom at the moment – are unlikely to play at all in Canada this year and, with seven rounds played, new laws are being introduced.

From a Championship clubs’ point of view, is there any point playing on if promotion is no longer on offer to the Grand Final winners?

Promotion without relegation could be one option, making a 13-team division next year. But another would be to offer a financial prize, rather than promotion, to the Championship winners.

A relegated club would receive a parachute payment, so – Championship sides have argued – why not turn that into prize money for the second tier Grand Final? There is also the question of what happens at the bottom of the Championship and top of League One. Should there be movement between those divisions, if not in and out of Super League?

It’s a tricky situation and noses will be put out of joint whatever happens. That said, the dithering is doing nobody any good and if no consensus is reached, the RFL will have to take the bull by the horns and make a decision, however unpopular that might make them in certain quarters.

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