Two dates have been pencilled in for the Rugby League World Cup final as a contingency plan for the death of the Queen.
The final is currently scheduled for Saturday November 19, but according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the following day has also been put aside should Queen Elizabeth II die towards the end of the tournament.
Protocol dictates her funeral must be on a Saturday, followed by a week of mourning. All 21 nations in the tournament are a part of the Commonwealth.
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The SMH is reporting Kensington Palace would be OK with a Sunday final should the funeral be held the previous day.
“When the Queen passes, the funeral has to be on a Saturday with a week of mourning. We’ve been given to understand a final on the Sunday is possible,” RLWC southern hemisphere strategic advisor Andrew Hill said.
The competition, which kicks off on October 15, has matches scheduled for each Saturday between that date and the final.
Sixteen men’s teams, eight women’s team and eight wheelchair teams will contest the five-week tournament, which begins on October 15.
With games scheduled every Saturday, should the 96-year-old monarch die early in the tournament, organisers would face a major challenge rescheduling matches around the needs of venues and TV slots.
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