St Helens chairman McManus calls for NRL-Super League partnership to unlock rugby league's global growth

St Helens chairman Eamonn McManus has called for Europe's rugby league to join forces with Australia's NRL, warning that clubs face bankruptcy unless the sport changes course.

McManus, one of Super League's most prominent voices, said the European game is the "antithesis" of what Australia has built but argued that the gap can be closed through partnership rather than takeover. "It is not a matter of picking at a carcass, taking over a weak sport," he told BBC Sport. "Both sides should look at how to combine to make rugby league a sport that can grow and strengthen globally." BBC Sport

Rugby league — the 13-a-side code distinct from rugby union's 15 — has long lived in two halves. Australia's NRL (National Rugby League) is one of the most watched domestic competitions in world sport. Super League, its European counterpart, has passionate fanbases across northern England and southern France but has struggled to match the NRL's commercial muscle.

McManus was blunt about Australia's dominance — and its limits. He called the NRL's club competition "one of the great successes in world sport" but said Australia remains "a prisoner of its own geography" and "a prisoner of its own economy." In other words, the NRL's growth ceiling is built into where it sits. Europe, by contrast, offers what McManus described as "unlimited growth potential." BBC Sport

The remarks build on language McManus used a year earlier, when he said he was "absolutely open to dialogue" and would welcome NRL investment into Super League. At that point he also warned that unless things changed, clubs would go bankrupt, and made the case for tying the two competitions together. Sky Sports

Rhodri Jones, managing director of the Rugby Football League — the sport's governing body in England — confirmed the RFL is interested in exploring a "mutually beneficial and financially fair partnership" with the NRL. BBC Sport said it had contacted the NRL for comment. BBC Sport

McManus has been consistent in his criticism of rugby league's governance. In March 2025 he accused the RFL of causing "a major destruction in shareholder value" in the sport. BBC Sport His appointment to the RL Commercial board in November 2024 as a Super League nominee gave him a seat at the table where the sport's commercial future is shaped.

For fans, the pitch is straightforward. A closer relationship between Super League and the NRL could mean shared revenue, cross-competition fixtures, and a broader platform for players on both sides of the world. It could also stabilise clubs that have spent years fighting financial headwinds.

McManus also confirmed St Helens will face Hull FC in a Super League match in Dublin on April 25 — a step toward taking the game to new audiences. Sky Sports

The NRL has yet to respond publicly. Whether Australia sees Europe as opportunity or obligation may decide what happens next.