The Rugby Football League’s board have agreed to approve the terms of a deal sheet that will see the NRL partner with Super League from the start of 2028.

The governing body held a high-level board meeting on Thursday when it was decided to ultimately give the green light to the historic partnership between the NRL and Super League.

With 12 of the 14 clubs also agreeing to the deal last month, it means the partnership is almost completely approved: but there is still one more significant step to take.

RFL approve NRL deal

The terms of a deal sheet were presented before the governing body’s board of directors on Thursday, with the outline and framework of a partnership explained and how it would benefit the whole sport.

And ultimately, those on the board decided they would give the green light to the terms on offer, meaning talks can once again progress to the next stage.

It is a significant and sizeable moment for a deal which has been on and off at various points over the last few months, but now looks as though it is finally reaching a resolution.

The two parties agreed there was not enough time for 2027, meaning a full-blown partnership will begin in the 2028 season.

However, the NRL will help Super League with its broadcast package in the short-term with three games per week on Sky Sports, and four going onto DAZN.

What happens now?

The next significant step is an RFL Council meeting in December.

There, all stakeholders from across the sport will get the opportunity to have their say on what happens next. Super League clubs are broadly in favour, as are the RFL’s board, so there is thought to be no major blockage or obstacle from this point.

But with the terms of a deal sheet agreed on both sides of the world, it is now seemingly inevitable that an historic partnership will be launched and the two competitions will come together to try and boost the fortunes of the sport in Europe.

The NRL are also keen to help French rugby league as well as the game in England, and will launch a separate package to bolster the game’s fortunes across the Channel after a disappointing Rugby League World Cup for France.