A possible deal for the NRL to purchase a stake in Super League and invest in the game in Britain could finally be approved or taken off the table altogether on Tuesday.
Reports in Australia have revealed that Peter V’landys and Andrew Abdo will meet with Warrington’s Simon Moran, Wigan’s Mike Danson and the Rugby Football League on Tuesday in London. Those reports have been confirmed by sources to Love Rugby League, with Nigel Wood set to be present.
That will determine whether or not a possible move to invest in Super League could be given the green light, after talks began all the way back in February in Las Vegas.
The NRL are open to a proposal that would see them purchase a 33 per cent stake in the competition – though they want complete autonomy on the game’s prospects at administration level if they are to invest.
Moran and Danson are determined to get the NRL on board and believe they have support from enough key clubs to get a deal over the line. However, it will likely be the RFL who have the definitive say.
The meeting on Tuesday is therefore seen as crucial about whether or not a deal can go ahead. If V’landys and Abdo believe there are too many stumbling blocks, that deal could finally disappear for good.
However, positive talks could signal a major step forward for the two competitions joining forces after talk over the deal going cold for several months.
V’landys and Abdo are, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, also holding talks with IMG about their role in a future broadcast deal for the competition.
One major hitch could be that the NRL are keen for Super League to reduce in size, at a time when the competition has just expanded to 14 teams in 2026. That would appear to suggest the two governing bodies are moving further apart, not closer together, in terms of their respective visions for the game in Britain.
But V’landys and the NRL are both keen to ensure British rugby league has as strong a platform as possible to succeed, and are prepared to give the talks every chance of success.