Rugby League Today: RL losing £2m a week due to pandemic, Dwyer’s COVID scare & Boyd’s remarkable 112-year-old record

James Gordon

What’s on site

Cause for concern in Ralph Rimmer’s statement in response to the new coronavirus restrictions, which means the remainder of the rugby league season is likely to be played behind closed doors, including the Challenge Cup final and the Grand Final.

Rimmer’s statement followed a call with the Secretary of State, prompted by the earlier announcement that the planned pilot events at the end of the month have been shelved, with Super League releasing the revised fixture schedule for the round at the end of September.

Only earlier in the day, the RFL had announced that the Challenge Cup final would be played at Wembley – with both semi-finals taking place at St Helens.

With so little rugby league to cover, we’re having to think outside the box to keep you entertained at the moment – Drew’s made a start on the Alphabet Dream Teams, starting with his best XIII of players beginning with A.

Former Widnes duo Tom Gilmore and Oliver Ashall-Bott have linked up with Salford for the remainder of the season.

What’s on social

Eye watering. That’s just under 30 stone in old money, by the way.

Some good stuff from St Helens around the famous wide to West try, 20 years ago.

Bugger.

What’s in the papers

The Government is drawing up a package to bail out up to eight sports, that have been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and the new restrictions that threaten to keep fans away for a further six months, reports The Guardian.

Leeds hooker Brad Dwyer has opened up about his experience of a positive coronavirus test, in The Mirror. “If anything its highlighted to me how difficult it’s going to be to control this. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not been too serious in my case, it’s just been an illness. But it’s how easily it’s spread and can go unseen, it highlights how difficult it will be to control it,” he said.

The Yorkshire Post’s Peter Smith muses on the decision facing Super League executives this week, about whether to keep Toronto Wolfpack in the competition for 2021.

Birthdays

Sky Sports pundit and Castleford director of rugby Jon Wells is 42 today (September 23).

Also celebrating: dual-code international Lote Tuqiri (42); former Warrington and Toronto back-rower James Laithwaite (29).

What’s on TV/radio

6pm – Rugby AM – FreeSports

Trivia

Darius Boyd will retire after this weekend with a remarkable record as the most-capped test player in Australian rugby league history to have never tasted defeat – he has won all 23 of his tests for the Kangaroos.

Features Brad Dwyer