Chair of the RFL, Nigel Wood, has spoken on a potential NRL involvement in Super League, following talks that were held over the course of the Ashes series.
Both ARLC chairman, Peter V’landys, and NRL CEO, Andrew Abdo, have been in England discussing a potential investment from the Australian game into the English one, though it is not known what kind of involvement the NRL are looking to have.
V’landys gave an interview with the BBC, in which he stated that Super League was heading for a train crash if the financial needs of the game were not met, which suggests the that he and the NRL higher-ups want to take some form of control before it’s too late.
However, Wood, rejects that notion, and in fact shares an opposite view.
“I don’t necessarily share that opinion,” he said in an interview with the BBC this week.
“I’ve probably never been more optimistic about what Super League looks like… we’ve got a terrific opportunity to reset the course for the league.”
The English top flight sees mass change in 2026, with the structure changing from 12 to 14 teams. Bradford Bulls, a team that Wood has previously had major involvement in, York Knights and Toulouse Olympique will make the jump, whilst Salford Red Devils drop out.
Key criticisms about the increase in teams have revolved around timings and the speed it has taken for the expansion to occur. Super League has taken a completely different path to the NRL, with the promoted teams only finding out they were in two months before the start of pre-season.
The NRL meanwhile, have given the Perth Bears and the PNG Chiefs two seasons to prepare for their entry into the competition.
Despite this, Wood believes the league will be a success in 2026. He said: “Virtually unanimously people think that’s a progressive step that opens up new markets, and demonstrates that… we’ve got a growth agenda.
“I don’t think it’s a fair charge to say that it’s been done recklessly and without proper planning.”
“Not the RFL vs the NRL” – Nigel Wood gives verdict on potential NRL takeover
Some key figures in the game believe that the NRL’s involvement in Super League is a negative thing, and would do more harm than good.
However, Wood revealed that the two competitions only want to achieve the same outcome, and that there is no bad blood between the two.
“There’s no real issue between the RFL and the NRL,” he said. “We both want what’s best for rugby league… and obtaining a greater understanding of the collaboration that’s available is vital to all parties.
“It’s not the RFL versus the NRL, it’s rugby league versus the rest of sport, really.”
One positive of the Australian game coming in, and not having an outside party coming in and taking over, is the fact they already know how to run the sport well, and as mentioned by V’landys, a strong international rugby league needs a healthy England, so they have more than enough incentive to do the right thing for the sport.
“I think the advantage of a relationship with the NRL is that everybody should be coming to the table trying to get the same outcome, which is for rugby league to be in the strongest possible position in a crowded global sports marketplace,” he said.
“The challenge with private equity is that there’s a more hard-nosed commercial imperative. So instinctively you would think a ‘sweetheart arrangement’ with the other major league on the planet should offer more opportunities than a more third-party remote investment.”
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