Here's a link to another take on the new league structure. And below the link is the interview with French Federation President, Carlos Zalduendo, which was on the same page in Saturday's Liverpool Echo.
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/ru ... to-4876932
CARLOS Zalduendo is a man on a mission.
That mission is to see Toulouse Olympique admitted to Super League in 2015.
Zalduendo was a long-time Toulouse president before winning election to become president of the French Rugby League Federation in November last year.
He is passionate about the need for a second French club to join Catalan Dragons in Europe's premier rugby league competition and he made it part of his platform when standing for his current position.
Speaking exclusively to the Liverpool Echo, Zalduendo explained "It was always part of the project with Toulouse to be in Super League; not just for the sake of the club, but for the sake of French rugby league.
"In my campaign to be elected president of the French Rugby League I said we need to have a second team in Super League because if we don't, at the end of the day, Catalan will be in a bad position.
"With a single French team in Super League, the interest will eventually decline.
"A second French club makes it a much more attractive proposition for television and we need television to survive.
"It will work especially well with one club in the south east of France and one in the south west in a major city.
"Everybody agreed with my position though I don't think it's been the position of the past board."
The city of Toulouse recently hosted a Super League match between Catalan and Hull Kingston Rovers which was judged a roaring success.
It added kudos to Olympique's bid, not that Zalduendo himself needed any further proof of their viability as a Super League club.
"I was always convinced of that," he insisted.
"When the Dragons came to Toulouse to play Hull KR, we said it would be a success if we had a crowd of between ten and twelve thousand spectators and we had close to fifteen.
"I never had a doubt about Super League. That game was a test and we're happy about the result.
"Many of the people had never been to rugby before but just because they knew of Super League - a very good competition and a great product - so they come.
"Although some of the sponsors in the boxes were sponsors of Toulouse or Catalan, some had never been involved with rugby league before.
"So there is a real commercial impact."
Toulose is a large sporting city with a very successful and high-profile rugby union club, Stade Toulousain.
Zalduendo insists that far from seeing each other as rivals, a Toulouse Super League Club is ready to work together with their union counterparts.
"We had the support of the rugby union club to organise the Catalan game because now rugby is a business.
"Toulouse aim to have a new ground for the start of 2015 with 10,000 seats, 18 boxes and all the facilities.
"The rugby union knows that when we play Catalan, or the likes of Warrington or Leeds we'll have to go to their ground because the crowd will be too big, so it will provide business for them also.
"It's good for everybody. So instead of fighting, we are co-operating and it's good for the image of rugby league."
So just how big a deal, in the commercial sense, would it be if Zalduendo's dream comes true and Toulouse do get the nod in 2015.
It's a question that finds him at his most effusive.
"If you have these two teams in Super League, you immediately have national exposure for rugby league in France.
"You can go and meet with big companies in Paris because you'll get so much more exposure than with just one team.
"As well as being good for Super League it will also be good for the international game.
"I think it's vital we develop the international game - that's what attracts people's interest.
"We can attract more revenue from broadcasting and France is a big potential market for rugby league."
