Okay so it's now four days since it became known for certain that us and Leeds would not require a Cup Final replay and this still hasn't been sorted out.



I'm sweating on a change to the Friday because I can't get the Saturday off work now and I can't for the life of me see why they can't confirm it either way.

The RFL and Sky know that Wigan have finished top and Wigan Athletic are at home that weekend so they will require either a ground change or a switch to a Sunday fixture, and they know that us and Saints will finish second and third in either order. They also know that we will not have to play Leeds on the Wednesday night in Sheffield so can have no reasonable objection to a fixture on the Friday.

If Wigan are to play on the Sunday then one other fixture needs to move to the Friday to accommodate the switch. Whether it's our game (I hope) or a straight swap with a fixture currently down for the Sunday (I expect but hope not) then they should have confirmed it either way by now. The clubs will all want to know the permutations going into this weekend's games so home clubs can start selling tickets on the Monday with everyone knowing when the game will be, so leaving the announcements until after this weekend's games suits nobody. If they're going to announce it before this weekend's games then there is no reasonable reason why they haven't done so already.

If they wait it's presumably because Sky want to see if an appetising fixture (a Hull derby perhaps?) can be swapped with Wigan, thus getting the weekend off to a mouth watering start without shuffling more fixtures around. I could understand that if there was a gap of two weeks between this weekend and play off week one, but with it being the following weekend they are out of order in not confirming it sooner.

More likely the RFL cant get their head around the facts that the fans can understand "warrington v st helens on the friday but the venue isnt known yet and wigan v leeds or hull on the sunday". they probably think they need to wait until after the weekend so that they can definatively announce its "xxx v xxx 8pm Friday and xxx v xxxx Sunday"

Thats a more likely explanation. If Sky announce something tomorrow, then something else happens over the weekend that affects Sky's plans/ratings then all hell would break loose if they change their mind.

League Express would be bombarded with letters of complaint, this server would go into meltdown and the RFL would be forced to flee the country and hide behind false moustaches until the Grand Final.

There's also maybe the Hull, Huddersfield (football) and Leeds (cricket) to factor in depending on how this weekends results go.
I haven't checked the football / cricket fixtures so I don't know if it will be a problem.

Yorkshire and Huddersfield Town are both at home on that day according to the Beeb.

So if Huddersfield win and Leeds lose they will both be at home on the first round play offs
Huddersfileld v 8th placed team, and Leeds v 7th placed team.

all the things that can either move the game or change the ground of the game.

1st. Wigan. Saturday, 11 September 2010 | Premier League Wigan v Sunderland 15:00 (wigan game likely too be sunday)

2nd Warrington. Most likely too be friday or saturday. No fixture clash.
2nd St Helens. Most likely too be friday or saturday. No fixture clash.


5th. Leeds. Free Fixture from the cricket. (yorkshire is playing at trent bridge) So are free too play whenever.
5th. Hull. Again. A free fixture. Hull play away to cardif on saturday.
5th. Huddersfield. A free fixture. Huddersfield play leyten oriant away on the saturday.

6th. Hull Kr. Unlikely, But unaffected. No fixture clash.


These are all the possible home fixtures. And only wigan is affected in terms of ground usage...

Thank God we own and run our own stadium and we aren't anybody's beeatch. I appreciate Wigan's financial situation forces them to heel but it's still a sad (if amusing) state of affairs.

Not really. Rugby teams aren't even allowed to use the penalty areas when warming up.......

Being able to play your games whenever you like (within reason) should be a franchise criterion..

And.. game on a Saturday?! What about folk who work in retail?

we better not be moved to friday im workingicon_neutral.gifand im away week after so cant ask for it off grr would be typical of rfl this a$$holes

if wigan are forced 2 play sunday then they should just replace whoever is playing sunday? simples but nooooo bet they make us play friday

should wigan lose the 1st playoff game next week then have to play week after, wigan fc are also at home that weekend but sky games are fri n sat so what will happen then?

Arrogant sods at the RFL probably think Wigan will win round one and havent even thought of that! Hopefully for the first time in god know how long the RFL will have to say to Sky...."looks like you are going to have to move one of your games to fit in with the rugby"...(yeh right). They also have the option of playing on a neutral ground.

Noticed that they play City on the Sunday so DW stadium might let them play Friday night.

Nothing, Wigan Athletic are at home on the Sunday.

Re round 1.
Leeds, if they beat Hull can't play on Sunday the 12th September as there is a one day cricket International at Headingley, so it would be pretty obvious for Leeds to play on the Friday and Wigan to play on the Sunday.

Unless they make them restrict the ticket sales.

This happend earlier this season but can't recall what game it was for? It may have been a cup game??? Think they had a restriction so they could only sell 10k tickets??

That was for a Yorkshire game, with very few spectators (and it was rained off

) The police wouldn't allow it whilst a cricket International game was on.

Fair one!!!

Can remember it raining, the camaras showed the cricket ground empty!!! Was always going to happen after the ticket sales had been restricted. Sod's law!!!

wigan athletic play sunday at 3/4pm 48 hours before that is 4pm friday playoff game starts 8pm friday = inside 48 hours lol not being picky just i thought they couldnt play within 48 hours

It was the Challenge Cup game against Wigan. WY police forced Leeds to limit the attdendance as Yorskhire was scheduled to play. Admit the fact that its England might make a difference but wasnt the Yorkshire game scheduled to be against Lancashire. Roses game would probably attract a bigger crowd.

Im still banking on us playing Friday.

I think the convention (remember this is just a landlord/tenant agreement, nothing to do with Sl or premiserhsip rules) are that Warriors can only play 2 days before Wigan Athletic (to give the pitch time to recover). Its been mentioned before that a Thursday night game would be Ok before a Saturday match so I think they are taking calender days rather than strict chronological time.

If Leeds beat Hull they will be away to Wigan!!!!! (1 v 4) If Leeds finish 5th then there could be fun and games as i believe leeds united are at home on the Saturday BUT I still think Sky want a top 4 game for Friday night and if it cant be Wigan........

It's confirmed on the website now that our game will be on either the Friday or the Saturday depending on the Hull/Leeds result this weekend.

It doesn't actually say what the outcome will be though (ie, who needs to win for us to play on the Friday) so no doubt we'll still be frustratedly twiddling our thumbs waiting for confimation once that game has taken place.

If Leeds win they are away to Wigan and therefore on the Sunday. If they lose they are at home to Crusaders/Cas and with Hull City away this weekend I'm amusing if Leeds win then we are on the Friday, as [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/fixtures/default.stmYorkshire CCC are at home on Saturday[/url and Leeds would rather not have the ground limited again.

Its fecking confusing, isn't it?

Comepletley right. I'll be wanting a Leeds win then.