But Union are having the issue of the top league being too far ahead of the Championship. Bristol last year, London Irish this year, both promoted, and both going straight back down.

At the end of the day, there is no perfect system to satisfy everyone. I personally am a fan of the current structure. No matter how fair the salary cap is, you're always going to have a crap team or 2. See the NRL, NFL etc as examples. I'd rather see those crap teams challenged, than plod along waiting for next season. And I think most fans would too.

What Union have which we don't is the European cup qualification, those teams who aren't going to win, but aren't going to go down, still have something to play for.

We’ve had various different systems/setups of the leagues over the life of SL and yet the same clubs are mostly the ones with realistic chances of winning it. Personally I think this shows that those clubs are the best run ones and so we need to find a structure that allows the other clubs to follow their lead.

In my opinion P&R isn’t the answer. We’re too small for it to work as it does in the Premier League.
Gutterfax rightly points out that Union have P&R and it seems to work, with a turnover of clubs including some big names in there. However I think RL is virtually unique in the nature of the game. I think it’s easier for an RL team that is slightly better than its opposition to dominate and rack up big scores both in each game and over the season. I think it’s easier for “lesser” sides to compete in most other sports but especially football and Union.
I’m not saying that as a criticism of those sports by the way, I think it’s a failing of our sport and when I say we need to find a structure that enables clubs to build to the levels of Leeds/Wigan/Saints etc. I don’t just mean the makeup of the leagues. I think we need different financial criteria as part of the setup to incentivise clubs to increase income and to spend in the right areas and in the right way. I also think we need to look at the on-field rules to both increase the spectacle and mainly make it less easy for one team to gain a foothold in the game and to stay there.

Without those changes I can’t see how we can ever have a truly fully competitive league and perhaps more importantly don’t see how we can ever get second tier international teams to be competitive.

And? I've just listed some pretty big names in Union that went down, but that's sport. 3 winners of the Premiership were also relegated in the last 22 years.....they all got back, others didn't.....that's the life of a sport. We have become far too obsessed with Super League......the Championship this year is just as exciting...Imagine if London, Toronto and Toulouse were all looking at one spot whilst ALL having H and A games alternate weeks and taking part in the Challenge cup......but none of that is happening, because we don't know yet what the plans are for 2019....it's insanity.


Do you work in PR? English Premiership Rugby Union professional comp has been won by 9 different teams in the period that SL has existed.....no matter that they took a few years to adapt to the knock out stuff.....but that was a lovely bit of spin....if you're not in PR, Australian Cricket perhaps?


Not the foggiest where Delboy is, but 5, 6, 7 13 19, 31 B28.......[size=50bugger, I'll have to buy than now just in case[/size

Im looking on here www.premiershiprugby.com/about-us/history/ and can see 7since 96. Who am i missing? See if you can reply without being a pillock.

Im looking on here www.premiershiprugby.com/about-us/history/ and can see 7since 96. Who am i missing? See if you can reply without being a pillock.

A major reason why the "lesser" union clubs are better able to compete is the player drain experienced by the big boys during the 6 nation, autumn internationals etc. Which is why their fans tend increasingly regard their GF equivalent as a better barometer.
In regard to RU's P&R, this is going to have to change IMO. The premiership clubs lose, on average, over £3m per year. That's each. Last time I heard, about 4 were up for sale and most had been for some time. The uncertainty of P&R may not be wholly responsible for stymying new investment but it sure as hell ain't helping. And I suspect none of the less successful league teams will ever attract the level of investment needed to challenge for as long as it's impossible to determine what the long term costs of such a venture might be.

Quote Seth="Seth"Im looking on here www.premiershiprugby.com/about-us/history/ and can see 7since 96. Who am i missing? See if you can reply without being a pillock.'" Since 1996 the winners of the rfu profesional premiership have included: Bath, leicester, saracens, wasps, Newcastle, Northampton, sale, Harlequins and Exeter. .......no need to be a pillock when supported by fact....these aresults winners of the com petition as it was run at the time...... once we get to grand finals london irish and Gloucester have been bridesmaids meaning 11 of the current 12 have been at the business end of the season.....

Quote Seth="Seth"Im looking on here www.premiershiprugby.com/about-us/history/ and can see 7since 96. Who am i missing? See if you can reply without being a pillock.'" Since 1996 the winners of the rfu profesional premiership have included: Bath, leicester, saracens, wasps, Newcastle, Northampton, sale, Harlequins and Exeter. .......no need to be a pillock when supported by fact....these aresults winners of the com petition as it was run at the time...... once we get to grand finals london irish and Gloucester have been bridesmaids meaning 11 of the current 12 have been at the business end of the season.....

Nice one, just cut out the pillock bit next time and youre on to a winner.

RU administrators are certainly more forward thinking than their RL equivalent.

I've read the thread several times, and I'm now completely lost as to who's the stupid person (definition of pillock)?

Maybe it's me........

I believe it was me who was called a pillock.......possibly because when asked to fins a sport that had little if any change to its structure over the last 22 years which had prospered I reverted to type.......and when faced with the reality of me being right after questioning my facts I was then called a name......standard rl forum fare to be honest. The truth has no place here, only opinion and only if it's positive and and out my club....

"Do you work in PR? English Premiership Rugby Union professional comp has been won by 9 different teams in the period that SL has existed.....no matter that they took a few years to adapt to the knock out stuff.....but that was a lovely bit of spin....if you're not in PR, Australian Cricket perhaps?"

Here you go. You were correct obviously re RU winners and i couldnt find the numbers due to the changes in structure and therefore was wrong (not really standard rl forum fare to admit that i know). I challenged the information and you backed it up. I agreed about how forward thinking RU is. The pillock assertion was for the 2 sarcastic digs that were unwarrented and just kind of came accross a bit pillockish.

As i said earlier i think the games at a longtime low and i follow leeds but im not a die hard fan and theyve been the winners of a tallest dwarf equivalent last year (cas aside til they choked). So how does that fit with your 'the truth has no place' and 'only if its positive'?

Back on topic.

London 10 - 30 Toulouse is the half time score. It looks like lots of people have underestimated Toulouse this year, myself included.