rlThisrl 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

I remember Letchworth and Lutterworth were great away days.

Bicester, not so good.

I think the five teams is indeed very impressive but the crowd for me is probably more to do with opposition than anything (but still impressive). They don't have their own ground and they of course now otherwise use Vicarage Road in Watford and I suspect that is the reason they want to play some bigger games at Wembley. Lets see how they do for the other games.

In terms of the competition most RL clubs could run something similar if they so wished but the insurance premium would be quite high for £250k! Some friends of mine had a prize of a mini cooper for a hole-in-one for their small corporate golf day last year and it only cost them something like £150. I suspect that the dealership pays some money to the insurance company as well, as they of course brought down a mini and several other BMW's for people to look round at lunch. But they felt that it was £150 well spent and it was certainly a talking point!

I remember Saints did a thing all season once where you had to kick so many goals to win a car. Some lad managed it and the club panicked and announced he'd failed to do it in the time limit available. Much booing and protesting occured until I think they gave it to him. I think it was a Peugot 206 and people walked out of the ground worrying if it meant one of the players would have to be sold as the club couldn't afford it.

If there ever was a 'war' union has won it. They've got the grass roots, the money, the investment. Soon enough the big Union clubs will have attendances equal to that of a premier league football team. It's a superbly run sport if you look how far they have come since formally admitting professionalism.