Being rewarded for playing fewer games hard to accept, says Adrian Lam

Catalans Dragons were elevated to the top of the table after it was announced that final positions in the regular season in 2020 will be determined – for the first time since the formation of Super League in 1996 – by points percentage rather than the number of points gained.

The move by the Rugby Football League acknowledges the real possibility that not all clubs will be able to play the same number of matches before the end of the season due to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

So far there are six league fixtures to re-arrange and, with six of the 11 clubs having players who have tested positive for Covid-19, the RFL is clearly bracing itself for more disruption.

The radical changes come in immediately and the Dragons now top the revised table, despite having played just seven matches, displacing reigning champions St Helens, who have played 10, and relegating Wigan to third.

Lam said: “Obviously no one is going to ever be happy with whatever system you come up with. This is what the RFL felt is the fairest way.

“I guess in the situation as we stand, it’s difficult playing three more games – another 240 minutes – and not being rewarded as much or being rewarded for playing less games.

“I know the RFL will catch up where they can in the slots that are available.

“It’s going to be a difficult one at the end of the year, when some of the teams have played a lot less games and are ahead of you in the table, that’s going to be hard to accept.

“All we can do as a club is try to keep winning – win every week and it will take care of itself.”

The Super League title will still be determined by a four-team play-off and a Grand Final.