Fax “definitely interested” in applying for 12th Super League place for next season

Clubs in the Super League have voted unanimously for the competition to revert to a 12-team format for next year.

This 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 restarted in August following Toronto’s decision to withdraw for the rest of the year due to financial problems.

The Canadian club’s application to re-join next year was then rejected on Monday.

The vote means there will now be a mini-licensing process to determine which club becomes the 12th member of next year’s Super League, with teams in the Championship and League One having an opportunity to state their case soon.

In a statement to the Courier, Fax said: “Yes, Halifax are definitely interested in taking our place back at the top table.

“Let’s see what the criteria is next and we can work with the fans and sponsors to see how we can add value to Super League, the wider game and, of course, to our Halifax rugby family.”

The Halifax squad reported back on Tuesday night for initial physical checks ahead of the start of pre-season later this month.

The club is due to begin pre-season in the last week of November, working on the basis that the 2021 season will be played from March onwards.

“Lockdown has chucked a spanner in the works so we’ll have to see what happens with that,” said head coach Simon Grix.

“Although I think we’re going to be classed as an elite sport, because it’s semi-professional, that doesn’t mean we’re going to have anywhere to train, depending on our usual facilities at the college, which I believe at the minute is shut.

“We’re governed by numbers as well, you’re only allowed so many in the gym at one time, only allowed so many in a sports hall at one time.

“And then there’s the physical element of the game, contact time, actual face-to-face contact, looking at building up our contact prep, we’ve got to be mindful of that as well.

“We’re going to have to be pretty cute about how we manage it but it’s the same for everyone, it is what it is, and we want to get the game back so we need to just do what we can and make the best of the situation.”

Grix says he will be working with a “similar size” squad to last year.

“We’ve got quite a few changes,” he said. “There’s still a couple to add, we’ve got a couple of youngsters to be announced shortly, who have no Championship experience, they’ve come out of academies and they need opportunities.

“It’s going to be a really different feel to us, we’ve got a couple of big personalities moving on.

“They can’t play forever, that’s life, so someone else gets an opportunity to step up and make their own mark in the team or a bigger mark in the team.

“It’s been a bizarre time. Everyone can’t wait to get back in, everyone’s making the right noise but we’ll see what they look like when they’re running.”

When asked if Fax had any pre-season games lined up, Grix said: “Nobody can plan anything properly about pre-season at present, because you just don’t know how it’s going to look.

“I could be wrong but I don’t think a definite start date has been confirmed yet.

“We’re working off the March scenario at present but things have been changing quickly lately so we’ll see.”