Super League hoping for July restart, says Robert Elstone

Drew Darbyshire 07 May 2020 1:34 PM

Super League chief executive Robert Elstone is hoping to get the competition back up and running in July.

All levels of rugby league in the UK has been suspended since March 16 due to the coronavirus outbreak that swept the nation.

A return date has yet to be announced for rugby league – but Elstone hopes that action will return at some point in July.

He told Sky Sports’ Golden Point Podcast: “At the moment we are hopeful that it will be July but to me, this thing to me feels like it is changing all the time.

“My conversations with ex-colleagues around the Premier League table is that there is real optimism about early June but that will be in a regime of mass testing. Does that mean we can get going four weeks later with perhaps a more limited but safe and applicable testing regime? I really hope so.

“I’m really hopeful that the Premier League can get up and running and other sports can within the next five weeks because I think they’ll charter a path that we can hopefully follow.

“What is going to be tough that if the Premier League can’t do that, has to invest huge sums of money and their start date gets later and later because that will have ominous signs for us so it is pure speculation.

“We have to hope the curves all head in the right direction, that some relaxing of social distancing happens and works safely so maybe one or two sports put their toe in the water and that works out well and then we need to be ready to go at the earliest possible opportunity when those events have happened.”

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