Super League season start date 'confirmed' as Grand Final set to be moved forward
Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 8:51 pm
Exclusive: Rugby League Live have discovered key dates for the 2022 season
The 2022 Super League season will begin in February, with an earlier Grand Final date planned to accommodate the 2022 World Cup.
Rugby League Live understands the campaign will begin on Thursday, February 10th, which will be the opening weekend of a 27-round schedule for the season.
It means the competition will return to the season length that was in place before Covid-19. Each team will play every side home and away before loop fixtures and Magic Weekend.
Meanwhile, plans are in place to stage the Grand Final on Saturday, September 25th, an earlier than usual climax to the season.
That has been determined by the World Cup, which begins three weeks later on October 15th. England head coach Shaun Wane is understood to have previously expressed the importance of a longer break between the World Cup and the Grand Final in order to optimise England's preparations for the tournament.
Had the World Cup taken place this year, the Grand Final would have taken place just two weeks before England's opener with Samoa, which would have given Wane limited time with his squad before the competition and also prevented any players who featured in the Grand Final from featuring in a pre-World Cup warm-up game, which Wane was keen to have ten days before the opening game.
However, revised plans would allow for that to happen.
The start date is understood to be locked in, while the Grand Final date has yet to be finalised.
There will still be a small number of double-header weekends as part of the schedule, though there will be fewer than 2021.
Meanwhile, a date for Magic Weekend has yet to be finalised, with several options on the table, it's also unclear whether Super League fixtures will take place on the designated international weekend drawn into the schedule.
Clubs decided to play in the days before and after England's clash with the All Stars, which resulted in a number of selection issues for the representative side.
It's likely that England will play on that weekend, though their opponent is currently unknown.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... dium=email
The 2022 Super League season will begin in February, with an earlier Grand Final date planned to accommodate the 2022 World Cup.
Rugby League Live understands the campaign will begin on Thursday, February 10th, which will be the opening weekend of a 27-round schedule for the season.
It means the competition will return to the season length that was in place before Covid-19. Each team will play every side home and away before loop fixtures and Magic Weekend.
Meanwhile, plans are in place to stage the Grand Final on Saturday, September 25th, an earlier than usual climax to the season.
That has been determined by the World Cup, which begins three weeks later on October 15th. England head coach Shaun Wane is understood to have previously expressed the importance of a longer break between the World Cup and the Grand Final in order to optimise England's preparations for the tournament.
Had the World Cup taken place this year, the Grand Final would have taken place just two weeks before England's opener with Samoa, which would have given Wane limited time with his squad before the competition and also prevented any players who featured in the Grand Final from featuring in a pre-World Cup warm-up game, which Wane was keen to have ten days before the opening game.
However, revised plans would allow for that to happen.
The start date is understood to be locked in, while the Grand Final date has yet to be finalised.
There will still be a small number of double-header weekends as part of the schedule, though there will be fewer than 2021.
Meanwhile, a date for Magic Weekend has yet to be finalised, with several options on the table, it's also unclear whether Super League fixtures will take place on the designated international weekend drawn into the schedule.
Clubs decided to play in the days before and after England's clash with the All Stars, which resulted in a number of selection issues for the representative side.
It's likely that England will play on that weekend, though their opponent is currently unknown.
https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/ru ... dium=email