A vote on a partnership between the National Rugby League (NRL) and Super League is close; it is understood the NRL would want to increase Super League to 15 teams and add London Broncos into the competition for 2027
Monday 12 October 2026 16:44, UK
Leeds Rhinos, St Helens, Hull KR and Hull FC have released statements in favour of the NRL's investment in Super League after Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont came out against the deal on social media.
Talks have been ongoing for months regarding the Australian competition's potential future involvement in Super League to bring alignment between the top two rugby league competitions in the world.
As a requirement of the deal, it is understood the NRL would want London Broncos added to the top flight as the 15th team from the 2027 season onwards which has been a potential sticking point for some clubs, with Leigh Leopards owner Derek Beaumont taking to social media to say he is against the deal because of that particular point.
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Beaumont said it is "just not right to put London in Super League".
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The Leigh owner's particular grievance is that London finished 16th in the gradings, outside of the automatic Super League spots.
Not only that, if they were to be added to Super League, he would want a similar process to take place to the one that saw Toulouse Olympique and York Knights elevated in 2026. Their applications went through an independent panel.
However, other clubs see the partnership as a "landmark" and "defining" moment for the sport.
A deadline for the deal to go through is reportedly at the end of this week at which clubs will vote on whether they want the partnership to take place.
Beaumont said on Sunday that he would vote against the deal. Since then, Leeds, St Helens and both Hull clubs have released statements to confirm they are in favour of the partnership, the two Hull teams releasing a symbolic joint statement in a show of solidarity between the city rivals.
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Leeds owner Paul Caddick said "Leeds Rhinos and the Caddick Group give their wholehearted support to a working arrangement between the Super League and NRL and I believe this will be a gamechanger for the sport in this country".
St Helens then followed to say they "reaffirm their long-standing support for a strategic partnership as part of an exciting plan to globalise the sport".
The joint statement between Hull KR and Hull FC then followed, in which they "confirmed their united support for a proposed strategic partnership between Super League and Australia's National Rugby League, in what could represent a defining moment for the future of rugby league in the northern hemisphere".