Champions Leeds Rhinos will begin the defence of their Super League title with a trip to Wrexham to face the Crusaders on Friday, 29 January. The match is one of two to be played a week before the first full round of the 2010 season on 5-7 February. The game has been rearranged because of the Rhinos involvement in the World Club Challenge on Sunday, 28 February against Melbourne Storm.

The season will climax with the Grand Final on Saturday, 2 October.

Next season starts a week earlier than last year because of England traveling to the 2010 Four Nations tournament, which will be played in the southern hemisphere in October and November.

The Magic Weekend will take place for a second successive year at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on 1 and 2 May, with the draw for the matches to be made on shortly.

Welsh side Crusaders recently dropped the word “Celtic” from their name, while 2010 will be the second year of the three-year Super League franchises awarded to the clubs when promotion and relegation was abolished.