So, now we know.
Thanks to Tuesday’s Sydney Morning Herald report, we know the NRL wants a 33 percent stake in the Betfred Super League.
We know, too, the NRL wants a 10-team competition and full admimistrative control from 2028.
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However, we know – and already knew from Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’landys – the NRL is not going to make the first move and will wait for an official approach from Super League clubs.
As for this side of the world, we (think) we know the preferred direction of travel agreed by Team Nigel at last week’s meeting at Batley is for an expanded 14-team Super League, possibly with London Broncos and Bradford Bulls granted those other two slots.
But we do know for certain Betfred Championship and Betfred League One club reps in attendance enjoyed a pie and peas lunch before being shaken down to contribute to Batley Bulldogs’ floodlight fund by the host of last weeks’ meeting.
We know there is brewing anti-French sentiment against Catalans Dragons and Toulouse Olympique being part of the British professional game, although we know as well the NRL are keen for both to be part of their vision.
We know Warrington Wolves, Wigan Warriors, Leeds Rhinos, the two Hull clubs and – despite chairman and, crucially, Super League (Europe) Ltd director Eamonn McManus being a fully paid-up member of Team Nigel – St Helens are apparently on board with the NRL’s plan, but there is also a lot we do not know.
We do not know, for example, the financial specifics of how much the NRL value a 33 percent stake in Super League as being worth – although we do know whoever at Rugby League Central leaked these details to Morning Herald journalist Michael Chammas was at pains to point out the Australian interest is not motivated by a “financial windfall” but a desire to grow the game in the Northern Hemisphere at club and international level.
Of course, if you believe the NRL is doing this for altruistic reasons above all else, then I’ve got a League One franchise in Cornwall to sell you. Why else would they make it known to the Morning Herald there is the option to start their own breakaway European competition given the clubs all own their intellectual property rights?
We know the NRL’s desire for a post-2028 administrative takeover is because that year marks the start of a new cycle for their broadcast rights and the international game’s, although we don’t know what this means for Super League for 2027.
The British competition’s current broadcast deal expires after the 2026 season, as does it’s sponsorship deal with Betfred. We know this because we covered it extensively.
Would current rights holder Sky Sports be willing to enter a single-year extension and enter talks over what follows along with other broadcasters? Would they still match the curent £21.5million per season for one more year? Would it be a multi-year deal covering the 2027 season and then whatever comes post-2028 up to at least 2032?
We don’t know, although we can probably say we know RL Commercial will be having to re-evalute the rights tender they were preparing to put out towards the end of this year or the start of next.
We don’t know what a deal with the NRL would mean for RL Commercial or the marketing agreement with IMG, or even for certain what Team Nigel want to do in regard to both.
We don’t know what the NRL want to do with regards to the Betfred Challenge Cup or, if anything, the rest of the sport below Super League – not just the two men’s professional divisions, but the women’s game, the wheelchair game, and the adult and junior community game.
We don’t know what NRL clubs being “affiliated” with a European counterpart would mean either, nor what an NRL club buying into a Northern Hemisphere side – as South Sydney Rabbitohs are reported to be interested in doing.
Both of those unknowns will be particularly troubling for anyone fearing NRL involvement would mean NRL Europe simply becoming a feeder competition for the Southern Hemisphere clubs.
Of course, we still don’t know what Team Nigel’s club-led review will come back to the RL Council with in July either.
Thanks to Tuesday’s Sydney Morning Herald report, we know a lot more than we did at the start of the week. But we also know, there is so much more we still don’t really know.
