By Canadian Press

Another Wolfpack player goes into self-isolation as rugby league ponder future

Mar 16, 2020 | 9:47 AM

The governing body of English rugby league met Monday to decide the sport’s future as news broke that a fifth member of the Toronto Wolfpack has gone into self-isolation after feeling possible COVID-19 symptoms.

Rugby league is one of the few sports that kept playing on the weekend in England. That may change after a meeting Monday of club chairmen, chief executives and owners with the Rugby Football League.

Eamonn McManus, chairman of defending champion St. Helens, told the BBC the future of rugby league is at stake, unless the sport receives government assistance to help it through the virus outbreak.

“There’s huge financial implications, the very existence of our sport is on the line,” he said.

On Sunday, the Wolfpack said four of its players had gone into self-isolation after experiencing mild possible COVID-19 symptoms. That number rose to five Monday, prompting Wolfpack coach Brian McDermott to stand the whole team down Monday.

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“I think it would be irresponsible at the very least to carry on, given that there is a section of society suffering the ultimate loss,” McDermott said of the season.

Toronto, which had the weekend off after a midweek Challenge Cup win, is slated to play Sunday at Wakefield Trinity. The team has a day off Tuesday and is slated to return to training Wednesday.

McDermott said the players in question have gone into seven-day isolation. Under the advised British medical protocol, they would get tested for the virus if the symptoms continue after that. The first player to go into self-isolation did so last Thursday.

The Wolfpack started the season with a small 23-man squad due to salary-cap issues. Rugby league teams dress 17 for games, with 13 starters and four on the interchange bench.

Does the team have enough players to field a team at the moment?

“Right now, we wouldn’t,” said McDermott.

If the season continues, McDermott said the team would have to ask for the game to be postponed.

The transatlantic rugby league team, which is currently based in England, played the Leeds Rhinos on March 5. Leeds subsequently advised that one of its players had self-isolated after showing “symptoms of possible coronavirus.” That player eventually tested negative for the virus.

The Rhinos opted to not to travel to France to play its scheduled game Saturday against Catalan Dragons. The game had been scheduled to be played behind closed doors at Stade Gilbert Brutus in Perpignan following a local ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 spectators.

Catalans Dragons captain Remi Casty told the Perpignan-based L’Independant newspaper he plans to self-isolate and will not attend training sessions. He said while healthy, he did not want to catch the virus and pass it on to someone “more fragile.”

The RFL said it had followed the lead of the British government that “there was no medical rationale to call off games.”

“The situation is fast-moving and evolving,” the RFL said in a statement Sunday. “By the end of the weekend the RFL will have sent further detailed papers to all clubs in the Betfred Super League, Championship and League 1 on the in-depth plans developed by the governing body over a number of weeks, in discussion with both clubs and broadcast partners.

“Meetings will be held with the professional leagues at the start of this week to continue contingency planning and discussions around all competitions and events together.”

The RFL did switch the venue for Monday’s sixth-round Challenge Cup draw. It was to have been held in New York, to mark a new U.S. franchise in the works. Instead, it will be held in Salford, England.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2020.

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Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press