Looks like there will be a 2 week delay to the start of the season as long as sky agree. Reason being to make it more likely for fans to attend the later matches in the year. Strange decision for me, what difference will two weeks make?

I was going to say the same thing.

If it really is only two weeks, we can consider ourselves extraordinarily lucky.

Are we sure it wasn't two months?

Two weeks is the report. If they can fit in a delay, even one of just two weeks, I’d be fully behind it. As we’ve seen with this virus a lot can change in two weeks. We’re in a shocking place as a country at the moment but hopefully things will look more positive by March (although they’ll be far from good) and if by starting two weeks later, that allows teams to push pre season back a little and not have to mix as much in these next few weeks (when things will be at their worst), I don’t think that will be a bad thing.

I don’t really think this can be about fans in the stadiums because they might be able to push the start date back by trimming the number of games but they won’t be able to extend the season due to the World Cup, so if it’s about getting fans in to stadiums, they may as well leave the start date as it is because starting in early March or starting in late March won’t make any difference to when fans can come back. It seems to be about trying to start as late as possible and get ahead of possible fixture disruption now, as opposed to start postponing fixtures in early March. I’d rather then trim a few games before we start, than start doing it part way though and risk the integrity of the comp again.

Like many other mysteries taking place at the present Covi - 19 situation.

Like for example, Football and Rugby Union still being allowed to be play even though the number of cases at clubs are increasing and some games are being cancelled.

While at the same time, we the public are told to stay in unless doing essential food shopping.

Double standards in abudance!

With Australia and NZ looking like limiting travel until 2022, when are they going to make a call on the WC? Surely the sensible thing is to knock it back a year now! Also avoids us trying to compete in such a busy sporting calendar. Let the euros and olympics go this year and we can go next surely?

cancel the challenge cup then it will free up space in the season

No, it brings vital sponsorship money and prize money to the game. Where would you get that money from?

sky as if its disrupted they will want some of their money back

Talk that magic may go and that would make sense. Even in late May you could only see a small crowd being allowed and without the fans at that event it becomes pointless. If they knock a couple of loop fixtures on the head then hopefully that would be enough to avoid any mid season postponements/cancellations/fixture shuffles when it enables a later start.

So Sky are going to pay more money than they are contracted to? I'm glad your not running my business.

Weren't the fixtures due to be released this week?

Every week is pretty much magic anyway if they play in 1 venue again.

That’s true but hopefully by late March we may be able to start with everyone playing at their home ground and of things picked up enough, potentially in front of small crowds. Nobody knows if that will be possible and peoples views on the likelihood of it will differ. I’d say it’s unlikely we’ll see crowds until early May at the earliest but you never know.

I’m like you I just don’t see crowds being back before may or even June at the earliest and even then it’ll be back to the tier system so minimal,if any crowds at all

I probably see it slightly differently, in that I think we may see crowds back only in May ish but when we do, I think we might see them at a higher level than in those last tiers. If (and it’s a huge If with Boris and his lads) they can get these vulnerable categories vaccinated it will bring the number of deaths down hugely and once they do that I think Boris will bow to the pressure of getting the economy back on track. It’s no picnic having covid (I was laid low with it just before Christmas) but a huge percentage of non vulnerable people are coming through it in reasonable shape and there will come a time when money will win out.

All guesswork though, so we’ll see where we end up. I’m ready to get back to the games that’s for sure.

I cannot really see the point in this. If the issue is the transmissibility of the illness then two weeks makes no difference. If it is about getting viewers back in the stadium then once again no real benefit. Unless the players are less likely to get ill less by playing less otherwise I cannot work out what the benefit is.

Why is it that football can complete a season but rugby cannot

Hah! I think it's a bit early to be predicting that the football season will complete.

I'm guessing the premise may be that 12 less games at the start of the season with no fans is 12 more games later on with fans. There's an obvious financial benefit to that even if they have to be squeezed in midweek. We also don't know whether this will be the last delay. Maybe they will gradually push it back as far as they can until either fans are back or they have to play in order to get all the games in before the WC (if that even happens this year). If the WC does get cancelled then they'll have scope to push it back even further, thus increasing the amount of games that will ultimately be played in front of fans.

Can Rugby League afford to do the mass testing that the premier league are doing?

Footballers and their close family also live different lives to Rugby League players given their wealth so can probably stick to bubbles more and are therefore lower risk, as shown in the numbers.

they going to base Catalans in the UK?

At who's expense? Seriously doubt it.

I dont know, they cant be in 10 day quarantine before every game though, same happened in the NRL with NZW then the storm