SO, what did we learn from Andrew Abdo’s appearance on Sky Sports?
Well, we learned that the NRL CEO’s first exposure to rugby league came on these shores in 1992 when he was living in York on exchange from Selborne College in his homeland of South Africa.
We also learned the boy who had grown up watching rugby union was immediately enthralled by the exploits of wing wizard Martin Offiah while attending a clash between Wigan and Halifax.
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What we did not learn, however, was what we all really wanted to – namely, more specific details on the proposed NRL takeover of Super League.
Sorry, partnership. Abdo was very specific that what he was in Hull to discuss with the likes of RFL chair Nigel Wood and RL Commercial managing director Rhodri Jones was a partnership – albeit one where you suspect one partner (the NRL) would be significantly more equal than the other (Super League).
“This is not a takeover, this is a partnership,” Abdo told Sky Sports rugby league presenter Brian Carney ahead of Thursday’s Super League match between Hull FC and St Helens. “It’s rugby league coming together.
“This is the NRL and Super League coming together to make the sport stronger on a global stage – not just here in England, France, Australia, New Zealand, but globally.
“We really believe in the globalisation of Rugby League” 🌍
CEO of NRL, Andrew Abdo discusses the opportunities for the sport to grow 💭 pic.twitter.com/QP8fFASyEa
— Sky Sports Rugby League (@SkySportsRL) April 16, 2026
“It’s not about an offer, it’s about a partnership where we can collaborate on how we can grow the game and revenues, and how can those revenues be pumped back into the game here?
“That’s pretty nuanced and something we have to develop together.”
That is despite NRL chair Peter V’landys clearly stating the NRL want “complete control” in exchange for what Rugbyleaguehub.com Long Reads reported last month was an investement of £250million over five years to grow the game in the Northern Hemisphere.
Then again, you suspect Abdo is the more nuanced operator of the two. The smiling assassin to V’landys’ bombastic carnival barker.
There did, however, appear to be a slight softening on V’landys’ previously stated deadline of the end of May for a deal to be done, with Abdo stating “the next few weeks or months, not years”.
That might be a lot to do with both Abdo and Jones stating no firm, specific financial offer is yet on the table.
Convincing the Super League club owners to give up some level of control clearly remains a major sticking point, too.
And after they led what was effectively a coup against the previous RFL regime to bring about the controversial return of former governing body chief executive Wood last year, who could blame them?
Nevertheless, Abdo insisted some progress was made at Thursday evenings, although the question about the specifics the sides remain apart on was left hanging in the air.
“We did take a few steps forward because it’s a common understanding about what our objectives are,” Abdo said.
“In terms of the actual mechanics of the deal and how it will all fit together, there are still a few things to work through and that’s what we’re going to focus over the coming weeks.
“It’s not sustainable to have private owners putting money in and it’s not sustainable to have an uneven competition, so clearly there needs to be strong investment back into the clubs to make sure they’re strong and sustainable.
“That is a key element of this – but how much and how it all fits together, we’re still working through that.”
So, what did we learn from Abdo’s appearance on Sky Sports? Not a lot we didn’t already know, and that we likely won’t know much else about this proposed takeover partnership (delete as appropriate) any time soon.