The winds of change are blowing through rugby league more than ever before as IMG’s plans to revolutionise the sport begin to take shape. With a grading-style system replacing promotion and relegation later this year, the end goal is simple: the biggest and best clubs on and off the field competing in Super League.
In a sport where big city presences are perhaps thin on the ground, Hull FC and Leeds Rhinos represent two major pillars of the IMG plan. They are two of the seven clubs who were awarded provisional A gradings at the end of last year, meaning that their futures in Super League are safe no matter what happens on the field: which is just as well.
