Play-offs expanded to top six and commence next week; Super League chief commercial officer Rhodri Jones said: "We believe this revised structure provides the best and fairest way to ensure the two most deserving teams reach the Grand Final"
Tuesday 3 November 2020 17:56, UK
Super League's play-offs will commence next week in an expanded top-six format after more positive coronavirus tests at clubs forced a change to the plans previously put in place.
The regular season had been due to conclude on Friday, November 13, with the table decided via points percentage. However, matters were complicated by Castleford Tigers and Hull Kingston Rovers both being forced to cancel matches after positive Covid-19 tests in both camps left them short of players - in Rovers' case, forcing them to conclude their season early.
The Super League board have now taken the decision to expand the play-offs to the top six and remove the qualification that a team has to have played a minimum of 15 matches to take part, which would have ruled out fourth-placed Catalans Dragons.
The decision to bring forward the end of the regular season means the League Leaders' Shield will be decided on Friday evening when Wigan Warriors play Huddersfield Giants, and Super League chief commercial officer Rhodri Jones laid out the rationale behind the change of plans.
"We believe this revised structure provides the best and fairest way to ensure the two most deserving teams reach the Grand Final," Jones said.
"I'm sure everyone will be excited about five huge games, set to deliver an even more exciting climax to the 2020 season."
The regular season will now conclude on Friday evening in a double-header at Emerald Headingley, live on Sky Sports, with the match between Wakefield Trinity and Salford Red Devils kicking off at 5.30pm followed by Wigan's clash with Huddersfield at 7.45pm after being pushed back 24 hours.
Nothing has been predictable in this 2020 season and we hope players, supporters and the media will appreciate why we have made this change.
Victory for the Warriors would see them claim the League Leaders' Shield for the first time since 2012, while defeat would see St Helens finish top of the table for the third year running on points difference percentage.
Saints had been due to travel to Perpignan to play Catalans on Thursday, but that match has now been cancelled with both teams now certain of a play-off place, and due to concerns over international travel with England set to enter stricter national measures on the same day.
The new play-off format will see the top two automatically seeded through to the semi-finals, to be played on November 19 and 20, with third place playing sixth on November 12 and fourth taking on fifth the following day for the other two semi-final spots.
Meanwhile, the seventh-placed team will remain on standby and the five teams at the bottom of the table after this week will have their remaining fixtures struck out with their current win percentages remaining in place.
"The revised format to the play-off schedule provides fans and Sky Sports with an extended series of exciting knockout matches to finish the season," Jones said.
"Nothing has been predictable in this 2020 season and we hope players, supporters and the media will appreciate why we have made this change."
Meanwhile, Super League's clubs have voted unanimously in favour the competition reverting to a 12-team format for next year which will see one new side admitted from the lower leagues in place of Toronto Wolfpack.
The competition had been running with 11 teams since the 2020 season resumed post-lockdown in August following Toronto's decision to withdraw for the rest of the year as a result of financial problems, with the Canadian club's application to re-join next year being rejected on Monday.
The vote means there will now be a mini-licensing process to determine which team will become the 12th member of Super League next year, with clubs in the Championship and League One having an opportunity to state their case soon.
"Our clubs unanimously voted for a 12-team Super League in 2021," executive chairman Robert Elstone said. "The process of choosing that 12th team will start as soon as possible.
"We are committed to ensuring that the process is independent and impartial, and stands up to scrutiny, and accordingly, ensuring the committee is properly constituted and clearly mandated is our first priority."
PA Media has reported French side Toulouse Olympique, who were top of the Championship when the 2020 season was cancelled, have already submitted an application.
Featherstone Rovers chairman Mark Campbell has also been making his club's case for inclusion after they finished runners-up to Toronto in the 2019 Million Pound Game.
"Promotion to Super League should be decided on the pitch and not in a boardroom," Campbell said. "On that basis, Featherstone Rovers has earned the right to be the 12th team in the 2021 Super League season."
