Super League: Season to resume on 2 August with Headingley triple header
- Published
Leeds beat Toronto in the last Super League game played at Headingley on 5 March
Super League will restart on 2 August with a triple header at Headingley, four months after coronavirus forced a halt to the season.
Hull KR take on Toronto Wolfpack in the first game, while St Helens will play Catalans and Huddersfield face Leeds.
The home of Leeds Rhinos will stage the first three rounds of fixtures.
They will all be behind closed doors to ensure the safety of players and staff, as will a triple header at St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium on 15 August.
The revised schedule contains 22 rounds of fixtures, leading to a four-team play-offs and Grand Final.
Following round 14, the schedule will get busier with fewer days between matches as the league targets a late November conclusion, which would avoid issues over player contracts, some of which are due to end before the turn of the year.
Earlier this month, there were doubts over the league's return because of player unrest over continued pay cuts in the light of financial problems for clubs resulting from the virus.
On 6 July, it emerged that only three teams had been able to reach an agreement on wage structures, leaving nine still to negotiate deals.
However, clubs will return to training by the end of next week, as coronavirus testing has now begun.
"Today's fixtures announcement finally brings the 2020 season back to life," Super League executive chairman Robert Elstone said.
"We were really pleased to be able to confirm a restart date - but fans really want to know who their team is playing and when."
News of the restart follows fears that Toronto Wolfpack may not be able to finish the season because of potential visa issues for seven overseas players, including multi-million pound signing Sonny Bill Williams.
The fixture list includes Toronto, but in an open letter the club said they would not hold any matches in Canada for the rest of 2020.
The Wolfpack are bottom of the table after losing their first six games, but the Rugby Football League is still to decide whether relegation from Super League will be scrapped this year.
Initial fixtures (all times BST)
2 August (at Headingley)
Hull KR v Toronto, 13:00
St Helens v Catalans, 16:15
Huddersfield v Leeds, 18:30
8 August (at Headingley)
Toronto v Huddersfield, 13:00
Castleford v Catalans, 16:15
Warrington v Hull KR, 18:30
9 August (at Headingley)
Salford v Hull FC, 13:00
Wakefield v Wigan, 15:15
Leeds v St Helens, 18:30
15 August (at St Helens)
Huddersfield v Warrington, 13:00
Salford v Catalans, 16:15
Wigan v Leeds, 18:30
Football Daily: Reaction to the latest twists in the race for Europe
Hometown: A Killing: The story of a police shooting unravelled
