[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/8365564.stmThis[/url kind of demonstrates the difference in financial clout from one code to the other doesn't it?

They didn't stump up the cash themselves. The insurance company paid for it

I can read too mate. So if it was that easy why don't SL clubs offer the same kind of thing?

Didn't think of it?

who knows what the terms of the insurance were. Its a pretty remote chance, but Im not sure the competition will be offered next week.

Two things strike me from that article (and its' not the payout).

The lads local RU team run FIVE teams. How many RL clubs can do that?

Sarries got 46k attendance at Wembley.

Impressive on all counts.

Quite. And on a tuesday night too.

How much profile would an insurance company get from a Friday night match at Belle Vue?

Was the Suncharm Headingley challenge not the same???

I like the way you did that. How much would they get for a Saturday match at Old Trafford? Or Saturday afternoon match at Wembley in the sunshine?

The point is that Union DO do these things. They do have the collateral and the support. You want to know why the Aussies kill us Internationally, as G1 says, Welwyn are putting 5 teams out at senior level, be interesting to see what they're doing at junior levels too.

correct - you can insure against it happening, good idea though.

I've played against Welwyn in the dim and distant past. My club in Bedford put out 5 teams - many weekends we had 6 (and a very good colts team). There were two other junior clubs in Bedford that could put out 4-5 teams. There were also half a dozen smaller clubs in and around the town who could put out 3 teams. And of course there was Bedford RFC itself which ran 5 teams.
The same scenario was in Northhampton and Leicester where we used to play a lot of teams. It's no surprise that Leicester can fill their ground every week.

My RU team often get 5 teams out too, again, in leicestershire