NRL bows to rugby in 'embarrassing' Magic Round dates gaffe

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NRL CEO Todd Greenberg could be a little red faced after the NRL double booked its newly announced Magic round with Super Rugby.

It is embarrassing, but whether Rugby Australia should be calling it embarrassing is another question.

The NRL's Magic Round - in which an entire round will be played at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane in a festival-like weekend next May - hit a major speed bump at the weekend.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg held a media conference in Brisbane on Sunday morning to announce that all eight games of round 10 next year would be held at Suncorp Stadium, over the weekend of May 17-19.

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Penrith Panthers chief and rugby league commentator doesn't support Brisbane staging the NRL's Magic Round.

However, it soon emerged that the Queensland Reds were booked in to play their Super Rugby clash with the NSW Waratahs at the ground on May 18.

Hours later the NRL announced the Magic Round would come a week earlier.

"There has been some miscommunication over the availability of dates," the NRL said in a statement.

"NRL Brisbane Magic Round will occur in Round Nine of next year's NRL Premiership from May 10-12."

An article on rugby.com.au, the media arm of Rugby Australia, termed the mix up "an embarrassing gaffe for the NRL"

Given the year Rugby Australia has had with the furore over the axing of the Western Force from Super Rugby, the subsequent departure of CEO Bill Pulver and continuing controversy over star player Israel Folau's biblical tweets, it was inevitable the "embarrassing gaffe" charge would attract comment.

"Australian rugby is calling league embarrassing. Assemble the pitchforks and flaming torches," Australian journalist Tim Barrow tweeted.

Greenberg spruiked Brisbane as the best place to launch Magic Round, forecast to become an annual event.

The NRL has signed a multi-year agreement with the Queensland government and Brisbane City Council to hold it in Brisbane but he admitted it could move locations in the future.

"I think it's a fitting start for what will be an annual event," Greenberg said.

"There's probably not a better place to try it than here in Queensland.

"I expect it to be a roaring success.

However, Penrith Panthers CEO Phil Gould is not happy about the plan.

"Brisbane has vehemently fought against the idea of a second team in the city for two decades. It ran the Crushers out of town through greed. Now suddenly it's the city to reward with 8 NRL games on one weekend. Give me a break," he posted on Twitter.

He then followed it up with a comparison to the Auckland Nines, which are not being held this year.

"I'm not anti-Broncos at all. I just don't see the sense at all in such a gimmick when it serves no strategic purpose. The Auckland 9's was going to sell the game of rugby league to NZ and the rest of the world. FLUFF!! It's about the money."

- Stuff and AAP