Toronto in talks with Super League as travel ban set to block games in Canada
Toronto are in urgent talks with Super League and the Rugby Football League after a travel ban was imposed that is set to delay their homecoming.
The Wolfpack are playing the first two months of the Super League season in England due to a combination of the cold Canadian winter and the unavailability of their Lamport Stadium until mid-April.
Toronto’s next two games against Wakefield and Huddersfield have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic and the Wolfpack will also lose their game against Catalans in Perpignan over Easter because it falls within the French government’s time period for the ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people.
The Wolfpack’s next three games against Hull, Wigan and St Helens are due to be played at the Lamport Stadium but the Canadian government have imposed an indefinite ban on non-US and Canada citizens flying into the country.
Toronto’s UK business manager, Martin Vickers, said: “These are critical issues for us. It’s a complex situation.
“We’re urgently in dialogue with the governing body and Super League about proceeding with plans around these games.
“We have not contemplated playing games anywhere else but Canada.
“The home games are our sole source of income because, unlike other clubs, we do not receive central distribution and it would be a huge factor if we were to lose the competitive advantage of playing at home.”
Toronto have stood down their entire playing staff after four players were showing symptoms of the coronavirus and agreed to self-isolation.
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