ED WON’T TAKE OVER

But Rimmer could use a little Matchroom magic

EDDIE HEARN will not be allowed to take over Super League.

That’s the message from RFL acting chief executive Ralph Rimmer following talks with the boxing promoter.

Hearn’s Matchroom company have turned around sports like boxing and darts, and he recently turned his sights on rugby league.

He claimed the game is in the wrong hands and could do with a little sprinkle of the Matchroom magic.

Boosting

Rimmer met Anthony Joshua’s promoter and marketing executive, Mark Foster, for a two-hour meeting on Monday and discussed ways of boosting the sport.

But Rimmer insists Hearn knows there is no chance of him owning the game and only wants to help out.

He said: “He talked us through some of the things he does to fill events and stadiums because he certainly knows how to promote things.

“But he understands rugby league isn’t like boxing, darts or snooker that they can own and therefore control a lot of what happens.

“He completely gets that this is different because all the clubs are different businesses. He understands that dynamic.”

Hearn has been invited to attend some games in the hope he can make some recommendations.

Rimmer said: “We never want to stand still. His attitude to the meeting was really good but it wasn’t anything formal.

“It’s too early to say what might happen in the future.

“We’re open to ideas and he’s given us some ideas that we will follow up on, and we’re pretty enthused by it.

“He’s big on developing social media and on building up personalities within the sport, and he does it very well in boxing.” ENGLAND will play New Zealand in Denver on June 23. It will be the first of three matches in north America, with the two countries also set to meet next year and in 2020.