Rugby League

Rugby League Ireland chairman Richard Egan has said that the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) is planning to launch a Six Nations tournament next year as part of an effort to enhance the presence of Northern Hemisphere countries on the sport’s global stage.

Rugby league’s World Club Challenge will return to Australia in 2018 and revert to a one-match format, with National Rugby League (NRL) champion Melbourne Storm to play host to English Super League victor Leeds Rhinos.

The English city of Newcastle has retained hosting rights to the Magic Weekend, Super League’s annual gathering of its 12 clubs, after holding off competition for the rugby league event from a number of other cities.

A consortium has lodged a bid to form a New York-based rugby league team that would begin competing in the third tier of the English game.

The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has announced that chief executive David Collier will leave his role when his contract expires in May 2018.

The man behind Toronto Wolfpack, the world’s first transatlantic rugby league club, has said he is in talks to launch two more teams in North America, with Boston and Hamilton reported to be in contention for the new franchises.

Salford Red Devils owner Marwan Koukash has announced that he will transfer control of the English Super League club to a community-led board of trustees.

Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium will continue to host the Grand Final of the Super League English rugby league competition until at least 2020, it has been announced today (Wednesday).

Australian NRL rugby league club the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles has reached an agreement to stage a regular-season game in New Zealand for at least the next two years.

Jon Dutton has been appointed as chief executive of the 2021 Rugby League World Cup, which will take place in England.

Australian NRL rugby league club the Newcastle Knights has been taken over by local not-for-profit membership organisation The Wests Group, leaving the Gold Coast Titans as the only team in the league that is controlled by the competition’s governing body.

England’s Super League rugby league competition will stage its first regular-season match outside of Europe next year when Wigan Warriors face Hull FC in Wollongong, Australia.

Australian rugby league competition the NRL has opted to suspend the 2018 edition of its Nines competition to allow players more time to recuperate following this year’s World Cup national team tournament, and has suggested that the pre-season event will not be staged in New Zealand when it returns.

Organisers of this year’s Rugby League World Cup are being faced with the prospect of losing a host of star players from the national team tournament amid a dispute between Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) and the Rugby League Players Association (RLPA).

The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has today (Tuesday) said that the Great Britain and Irish Lions will reform for the first time since 2007 to participate in a tour of New Zealand, while plans have also been unveiled for both Australia and New Zealand to play series in Europe.

The Rugby Football League (RFL), the governing body of rugby league in England, has approved plans to increase the salary cap in the top-tier Super League club competition from £1.825m (€2.1m/$2.3m) to £2.1m by 2020.

The Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has announced plans to introduce a nine-a-side World Cup tournament in 2019, while Sydney will host the Emerging Nations World Championship.

The Rugby Football League (RFL), which governs rugby league in England, is set to introduce a Women’s Super League to run alongside the men’s competition.