Super League to return on August 2

The restart of English rugby league’s elite club competition will see Hull Kingston Rovers play Toronto Wolfpack, St Helens face Catalans Dragons and a Yorkshire derby between Huddersfield and Leeds.

All three matches will take place at a single behind closed doors venue in a bid to guard against the coronavirus, which brought the current campaign to a halt in March.

Super League chiefs have decided the revised season will have 15 rounds of matches followed by top-four semi-final play-offs, with the winners contesting the Grand Final near the end of November.

“At the moment, and until (UK) government directives change, Betfred Super League fixtures will take place behind closed doors at a small number of neutral venues that meet the stringent guidance from both government and the game’s clinical advisory group,” said a statement.

A further complication is that Toronto are based in Canada and the Dragons in France, with Friday’s statement saying the league were “closely monitoring government directives” in both countries.