With the World Cup now a distant memory, it's back to reality for RL in 2023, and what happens off the field is perhaps more important than what happens on it.
First what we know:
A 17th team is added to the NRL, with Redcliffe being the successful candidate for a second Brisbane team.. Except they aren't calling themselves Redcliffe, they are only using their nickname (Dolphins), in order to appeal to a wider audience. They will play most of their home games at Suncorp (the Broncos' home) with occasional games at Redcliffe (three in 2023). They have been added not for the purpose of expanding the sport, but as part of a complicated TV rights chess game which isn't worth getting into here. But it does mean that there will inevitably be an 18th team added before long and that gives more scope to add another city.
Leigh replace Toulouse in Super League, rebranding themselves Leigh Leopards to much hilarity in the RL world.
Locally for me, Workington are back in the mess that is Championship 1, an 11 team competition in which they have ten home games scattered from early March to late August, including three in June. The other ten teams seem to be present and correct, even the hapless Cornwall.
The Challenge Cup starts on the weekend of February 11th/12th, with Dublin City Exiles making a long awaited return.
There has been another attempt to re-unify American RL, but I've lost track of how successful that has been (California RL seem to be still shut out).
The World Cup 2025 qualifiers have already started, with Brazil recently winning the three-team South American Championship, to go on to play US, Canada and Jamaica in the Americas Championship in 2023. There will be an eight-team top tier European Championship (England B, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Serbia, Spain and Italy), and a six team second tier (Greece, Norway, Ukraine, Germany, Netherlands and Czech Republic), with some as yet unknown permutation for sorting out who joins England and France in the European spots for 2025. In Africa, Ghana and Nigeria knocked out Cameroon, to join South Africa and the already-qualified Lebanon in the next round in 2023 to determine who plays off against the Cook Islands.
The minor unknown:
Still no international schedule for the big guns. As mentioned in the 2022 thread, State of Origin is reverting to midweek-only, meaning very little chance of meaningful mid-season tests involving the southern hemisphere teams, so it's all about the autumn. Following Samoa's success in the World Cup, the debate is ongoing around eligibility for Origin
The big unknown:
2023 has been deemed a transitional year before IMG fully gets it hands on the domestic sport in the UK in 2024. We know licensing is coming back, with clubs graded according to a number of criteria, as yet unannounced. The A grade clubs will basically get a permanent place in Super League, with the B grade clubs making up the numbers and sinking or swimming, with relegation possible at the whim of IMG. It is likely that the branding will be changed from "Super League", to something not yet known. IMG seem very keen on a top flight club in London, which they might own themselves. Wouldn't surprise me to see Nines pushed as a concept as they talk repeatedly about the success of The Hundred.
It's going to be a bumpy year.
First what we know:
A 17th team is added to the NRL, with Redcliffe being the successful candidate for a second Brisbane team.. Except they aren't calling themselves Redcliffe, they are only using their nickname (Dolphins), in order to appeal to a wider audience. They will play most of their home games at Suncorp (the Broncos' home) with occasional games at Redcliffe (three in 2023). They have been added not for the purpose of expanding the sport, but as part of a complicated TV rights chess game which isn't worth getting into here. But it does mean that there will inevitably be an 18th team added before long and that gives more scope to add another city.
Leigh replace Toulouse in Super League, rebranding themselves Leigh Leopards to much hilarity in the RL world.
Locally for me, Workington are back in the mess that is Championship 1, an 11 team competition in which they have ten home games scattered from early March to late August, including three in June. The other ten teams seem to be present and correct, even the hapless Cornwall.
The Challenge Cup starts on the weekend of February 11th/12th, with Dublin City Exiles making a long awaited return.
There has been another attempt to re-unify American RL, but I've lost track of how successful that has been (California RL seem to be still shut out).
The World Cup 2025 qualifiers have already started, with Brazil recently winning the three-team South American Championship, to go on to play US, Canada and Jamaica in the Americas Championship in 2023. There will be an eight-team top tier European Championship (England B, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Serbia, Spain and Italy), and a six team second tier (Greece, Norway, Ukraine, Germany, Netherlands and Czech Republic), with some as yet unknown permutation for sorting out who joins England and France in the European spots for 2025. In Africa, Ghana and Nigeria knocked out Cameroon, to join South Africa and the already-qualified Lebanon in the next round in 2023 to determine who plays off against the Cook Islands.
The minor unknown:
Still no international schedule for the big guns. As mentioned in the 2022 thread, State of Origin is reverting to midweek-only, meaning very little chance of meaningful mid-season tests involving the southern hemisphere teams, so it's all about the autumn. Following Samoa's success in the World Cup, the debate is ongoing around eligibility for Origin
The big unknown:
2023 has been deemed a transitional year before IMG fully gets it hands on the domestic sport in the UK in 2024. We know licensing is coming back, with clubs graded according to a number of criteria, as yet unannounced. The A grade clubs will basically get a permanent place in Super League, with the B grade clubs making up the numbers and sinking or swimming, with relegation possible at the whim of IMG. It is likely that the branding will be changed from "Super League", to something not yet known. IMG seem very keen on a top flight club in London, which they might own themselves. Wouldn't surprise me to see Nines pushed as a concept as they talk repeatedly about the success of The Hundred.
It's going to be a bumpy year.
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