Haven't Widnes been there and done that?

As a Superleague club they didn't really add much to the competition with exception of a few interesting Cheshire derbies. Even as World Champions in the 80s they struggled to get crowds above the 7k mark.

Leigh and Halifax can be added to the pile. They are good part time teams that want to be more but fail financially whenever they get up to Superleague.

Bradford, depressingly, seem to be joining this group of teams that are unsustainable as full time clubs. You would also fear for HKR if Hudgell gets fed up and takes his ball home. London are the same.

The only hope is for new blood is in other teams and investors wanting to back them. Now if North America is too exotic for our pastry loving palates then we need to find more local projects that need backing. South Yorkshire, Newcastle, Cumbria, South France, The Midlands, Rochdale/Oldham all sound interesting but have never been able to get significant backing.

So until we can find a millionaire that believes in Cumbrian Rugby League then the clubs are were people are prepared to spend the money and at the moment that is North America.
So we either have to find some backers to fund some new blood or we keep on sending our medium sized clubs into Superleague like lemmings over a cliff.

Where's yours that it wont?

Better coaching will make better players. I don't think I said they'd all be Superleague players anyway.

But trying something different rather than just walking away is a much better option.

No you didn't say they'd all be Superleague players, but we were talking about International players weren't we? We were discussing how poor the French International side is and sure, English coaching may help some players to be better players but by your own admission not all superleague standard, so how does that help when France need International standard players to compete with GB?

Too late now anyway, the Test games have been pulled for good so again what is the point of TWP or Toulouse taking Superleague places?

Is it this idea that it's "expansion"???. When Catalans came in SL Widnes were thrown out for them. Now Toulouse want to come in SL to create a French Derby, so who get's chucked out for them then? How is this expansion?

Martyn Sadler recalled today in his paper when we launched Superleague with a "great night in Paris in 1996. Paris beat Sheffield on a fantastic night. But they folded after two seasons" and Sadler says "After it closed French Rugby Union set up a major RU club in the capitol" instead.

Rugby Union has pretty much squashed League in France hence they don't have the talent anymore more coaching or not. If we hand out Superlague places to Avignon, Catalans and Toulouse all playing players from our English player pool of course this will "Expand French Rugby league"......

To what cost to English Rugby league?

This.

Although the all time low participation numbers of grass roots rugby league in this country is purely Torontos fault, in the eyes of Donnyman and his leigh supporting cheerleaders

Union is bigger in England (where I live) but that doesn't mean we shut down Rugby League.

I don't think all of those clubs in the English leagues works, but I go back to the point that a stronger Elite 1 will benefit the domestic competition and national team in France.

A better national team benefits England as it becomes a viable work out for them mid-season ahead of taking on the Southern hemisphere teams.

I hope the Dragons upcoming matches on L'Equipe will showcase our sport. I think we can all agree on that.