Despite all the money and effort that has been spent in the close-season, if I were a Catalans fan I would be much happier to have last years squad (remaining injury-free) than to have the new lot. They will need time to gel. I suppose the same could be said for Leeds who have all the injuries as well.

And then we'd probably have a 10 club SL, due to reduced funding, which would help the game immensely

Is there any evidence to suggest that Sky - the main source of funding - or any of the commercial partners wouldn't touch the competition if it didn't have a French team in it?

What do Sky Sports get out of having a French side in SL with its own separate broadcast agreement with a French channel, exactly?

Nope, it's just a well worn arguament for the expansionist's to use.

Conversely, is there any evidence that a league made up with 12 clubs along the M62 corridor can attract a higher level of sponsorship or TV revenue.

Short of tapping into manufacturers of cloth caps and clog repairers where would the additional revenue come from ?

Seriously though, we already bemoan the scant coverage that our sport attracts and the loss of London to the lower leagues and the possible inclusion of Catalan in the "relegation" league would not help the sports profile.

An extra game to broadcast on a Saturday evening, without having the extra expense of sending a production team to Perpignan. The benefits would surely outweigh the minimal costs.