Wigan Warriors back in action sooner than expected

Club bosses met today to map out the restart of the competition.

They decided to play 15 more rounds - taking the total to 22 fixtures, rather than 29 as scheduled - and finish the campaign with a Grand Final "towards the end of November".

They had been considering playing the showcase decider in early December.

Super League will fire back into life with a triple-header on Sunday August 2.

The games will take place behind closed doors at a single venue and be screened on Sky Sports - they are catch-up games between Hull KR-Toronto (1pm), St Helens-Catalans (4.15pm) and Huddersfield-Leeds (6.30pm).

A full round of fixtures takes place the following week - rather than the Aug 14 weekend, as predicted - though none of the details have been revealed.

During a Super League board meeting it was also decided that the play-offs will be pruned back to a top-four semi-finals, with the two winners going through to the Grand Final.

Clubs also considered the impact of finishing the 2020 season almost two months later than scheduled and agreed to kick-off the 2021 season at a later date than the traditional opening weekend of February.

At the moment, and until government directives change, Betfred Super League fixtures will take place behind closed doors at a small number of neutral venues that meet the stringent guidance from both government and the game’s clinical advisory group. Super League is also closely monitoring government directives in both France and Canada.

Robert Elstone, Super League's executive chairman, said: "We are delighted to confirm Betfred Super League will be returning in just a few weeks’ time on Sunday August 2, live on Sky Sports.”

“We are in the final stages of confirming where the games will be played, and we continue to work closely with Sky Sports to deliver the best possible broadcast schedule for our fans. Further details of this will be confirmed over the coming weeks.

“Above all we know that fans want to get back into grounds to support their teams. We will continue to follow government advice and work alongside the RFL, clinical advisors and ground safety personnel to ensure that when that time comes, Super League is ready to welcome back its fans at the first opportunity.

“Whilst the recent government announcements underline increasing optimism, the pandemic remains unpredictable. Our final fixture schedule needs to respond to opportunities that will unfold over the coming weeks and accordingly, full details of fixtures, venues and season structure will be confirmed as they become known.

“I would like to express my gratitude for the understanding and patience shown by Sky Sports, Betfred, and our other valued commercial partners, as we have navigated through this difficult time.

“Finally, I would like to thank the fans and players for their patience, positivity and desire to see Super League back up and running post-Covid-19.”