Rugby league fans have a packed weekend ahead, with 16 games available to watch or stream as Super League, the NRL’s Magic Round and Women’s State of Origin all land in the same schedule. The action starts on Thursday morning with Women’s State of Origin Game 2 between Queensland and New South Wales at 10.45am BST.
That Origin clash will be shown on Sky Sports+ TV Channel, Sky Sports Action and Watch NRL. Queensland and New South Wales meet again after the Blues beat the Maroons 11-6 in the first game last month, a result that gives Thursday’s match an immediate edge. In the same afternoon, Super League Round 11 resumes after a break last weekend for the Challenge Cup semi-finals, beginning with Huddersfield Giants against St Helens at 8pm BST.
Huddersfield Giants v St Helens will be available on iPlayer, Sky Sports+ Red Button and SuperLeague+, and the will show the same game again on Friday, May 15 at 10am via the Red Button. That is the first of two straight nights of Super League action before the NRL shifts into the spotlight from Australia. The calendar is tight, but the draw is straightforward: if you want rugby league on tv across the weekend, Thursday is the warm-up and Friday is where the schedule starts to fill up.
Friday begins early with the NRL Magic Round match between Cronulla Sharks and Canterbury Bulldogs at 9am BST, live on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action and Watch NRL. South Sydney Rabbitohs face Dolphins at 11am BST on Sky Sports Action and Watch NRL, while Super League brings two 8pm BST fixtures back-to-back: Wakefield Trinity against Catalans Dragons on Sky Sports+ Red Button and SuperLeague+, and Wigan Warriors against Leeds Rhinos on Sky Sports Action. Wigan v Leeds at The Brick Community Stadium is Sky’s main game.
Saturday keeps the pace going with three more NRL Magic Round matches. Wests Tigers face Manly Sea Eagles at 6am BST on Sky Sports Action and Watch NRL, Sydney Roosters meet North Queensland Cowboys at 8.30am BST on the same channels, and Parramatta Eels take on Melbourne Storm at 10.45am BST, again on Sky Sports Action and Watch NRL. All times are kick-off times and are in BST, which means the biggest challenge for viewers may be deciding how much of the weekend they are willing to lose sleep over.
The broader picture is simple enough: Super League is back in full flow, the NRL has taken over the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest stage, and Women’s State of Origin still has a series to settle. The next few days will not lack for choice. For anyone planning their viewing early, the real problem is not finding rugby league on tv. It is choosing which match to leave off the screen.
