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Midweek fixtures, location changes and improbable Ashes – How the 2020 season could shape up

The world has been turned upside down by the Covid-19 pandemic and we’re all facing our own unique challenges during these testing times.

Sport, and specifically rugby league, normally helps carry us through difficult periods. It’s a get out and the love of our clubs and the game is a huge part of our lives. Without the escapism of it, this crisis feels that little bit worse. The virus is continuing to spread and we wait in hope that it will go as quickly as it has come. Although it doesn’t seem important right now, we’re all craving some form of rugby league coverage and I think prior to the suspension, this season was shaping up to be one of the best in the 25 years of Super League.

Castleford beat St Helens in the last Super League game prior to the season suspension. Credit: News Images

At the start of the campaign many were placing the focus on St Helens. The champions were being tipped to lead the league for a third season in a row and make it back to Old Trafford. The only real question was, who would join them? That answer seemed pretty straight forward too. The arrival of George Burgess and Jackson Hastings at Wigan made them seem certainties for the top three. The only other contender seemed to be Warrington, with the arrival of Gareth Widdop leading many people to believe that they could go the distance in 2020.

The rest of the top five was expected to be made up of Catalans, Castleford or Hull FC – whilst the other six teams were set to scrap for survival with none of them troubling the upper echelons of the table. But, after seven rounds, those expectations have been turned upside down.

Back in round one, Hull FC made a statement by battering Leeds in their own backyard. They backed that up with a Hull derby win and were brought into the title contention conversation. As were Warrington, after an impressive win over Saints going so far as to nil the reigning champions.

Four rounds later and both had been forgotten. Hull lost three on the bounce while Warrington were utterly torn apart by Leeds, who had drastically turned the corner since their opening game defeat. After their win over the Wolves was followed by a 66-12 win over Toronto – the biggest score of the season so far – they had replaced Warrington in the top-of-the-table discussion. Hull were also replaced in the early-season Grand Final debate by an impressive Castleford side.

Leeds scored 11 tries in their resounding win over Toronto. Credit: News Images

The Tigers rubberstamped their title credentials by inflicting St Helens’ third defeat of the season in the last game before the virus sadly put a stop to things. Another side to beat the Saints – Huddersfield – are also now being talked about at the right end of the table. Meanwhile, among the shifting and changing sides at the top are Wigan. Presently, the Warriors sit top of the table after five wins from seven, but even they were surprisingly beaten by Salford last time out.

In truth, after such a frenetic and tight opening to the season, I have no idea where this season will go. But I can tell you, it will be hotly contested. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you is how the 2020 season will pan out structurally. The strangeness of the next 12 months of rugby league means we’re going to get a season that will go down in history. Obviously, these are circumstances no one wanted but if we can pull through, we could get quite the rugby reward once this crisis has averted.

There are plenty of avenues that the RFL could take in completing the Super League season; the removal of loop fixtures has been pitched, as have midweek games. Part of me is desperate to see midweek fixtures arrive in Super League, despite the problems posed to player welfare. These circumstances are likely to lift your rugby league appetite and what better way to quench your Super League thirst than with games on Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. The TV revenue this could generate would be astronomical if marketed right and would ensure clubs don’t miss out on the revenue generated by loop fixtures – a real concern for the 12 top-flight clubs at the moment.

Sadly, I don’t see a scenario where the Magic Weekend survives in 2020. It is just over a month away now and the season is very unlikely to have restarted in time, and the logistics of rescheduling it seem very complex. Another victim of the virus will likely be the Ashes. Both the NRL and Super League will have designs on crowing a legitimate champion in 2020 and keeping themselves afloat through the continuation of this season, with many clubs in both hemispheres facing financial difficulties if the season remains incomplete. That means we could be facing the prospect of a November Grand Final, closing the window for international rugby in 2020. This is not ideal with the World Cup on the horizon, but perhaps this is the best move to ensure it can go ahead in 2021.

The Ashes series between England and Australia is in serious doubt. Credit: Mark Cosgrove/News Images

One thing that cannot be dropped in my opinion is the Challenge Cup. The trophy is the oldest in our sport and I fear rugby league would lose a bit of its soul if it was ditched. The latest chat is to move the Challenge Cup Final to Old Trafford and the Grand Final to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with both venues already booked out by the Rugby Football League.

So, right now, the rugby league calendar is shrouded by doom, gloom and a lot of uncertainty. But sit tight, stay indoors and keep safe because there will be some light at the end of the tunnel.  One of the most competitive and exciting Super League seasons awaits us and the prospect of two games a week for spectators to indulge in. So let’s cross every part of our bodies and hope this awful virus deteriorates so we can get back to enjoying our escapism, the one thing that brings us true happiness, the greatest game of all, rugby League!

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