Fewer games and delayed start to rugby league seasonMagic Weekend and traditional Easter derbies pushed backThe 2021 Super League season will operate with a reduced schedule while the Magic Weekend and traditional Easter derbies are set to be pushed back in response to the Covid crisis.
Teams are likely to play fewer games because of a delayed start and an admission the toll on players will be too great if they are expected to play multiple midweek fixtures. Originally planned to be a 29-game season, the season could now be shortened to 25, or even 23, rounds during the regular season.Super League confirmed last week that the start date would be pushed back to 25 March, and with the
World Cup scheduled to begin in late-October, the competition has less room to manoeuvre than in 2020. “Twenty-seven games is unrealistic in terms of the load on the players, and 23 feels a little light in terms of a return for fans so that naturally leaves us with 25,” the competition’s chief commercial officer, Rhodri Jones, said.