NRL gunning to buy Super League, wants it played in UK winter

The NRL is reportedly looking to buy the English Super League, with plans already brewing to shift the top U.K. competition into a winter league with a closer partnership with Australian rugby league.

The reports, which were first shared by Matty Johns on SEN 1170 on Thursday, suggest the NRL and Super League would become official sister competitions.

This unification would begin with the Super League being shifted from being played in the summer to a winter-oriented competition in England, meaning most games would be played in the NRL offseason. This would come alongside a formalised cross-comp loan system so top players from each league can easily play in both.

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“It helps the English game two-fold. We can send players there and have guest stints, whether it’s half a season or even just four or five games,” Johns explained while sharing the news.

“The other thing as to how it helps them is guys like Jack Welsby can get their NRL fix, come out here and prove themselves while still being a part of the English competition.”

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Any negotiations—if they are indeed happening behind the scenes—are still very much in the early days, with The Sporting Base hearing some NRL clubs haven’t even been informally approached about the plans. Johns says things have been “mooted” between top NRL and Super League brass in recent days though, so things are rolling up the chain.

If the huge sale was to go through, it would take some time before things came into effect and some changes, like any date overhaul, would not be enacted until the late 2020s.