If the RFL are serious about expanding in France then maybe they should be concentrating on building a French 'heartland'. The Dragons thrive on being Catalan and Toulouse are also part of this identity.

When I went to Beziers hast August to watch Cats play Hull FC there was a crowd of 9,800! And Beziers is an hour an a half from Perpignan where Cats' home is. The town had its annual festival then and displays of Catalan identity were all over the place. It was still evident when I visited Mille on the same holiday (now there's a place that just feels right for rugby league...).

And Barcelona is essentially Catalan - so there you are: build the Catalan thing Mr Lewis. Just think of those fabulous Magic Weekends!

why not, if they want to be playing SL rugby in a couple of years, why not tell them to get their youth structures sorted


not a squads worth no




yes, it shows we are willing to accept change and growth, 3 years in the championhip wasting time and money doesnt show commitment as much as you want to pretend it does! it doesnt show anything, its simply an arbitrary stipulation to placate the flat cappers, it means nothing and acheives nothing

frankly its a little pathetic the flatcappers can be bought off so easily with something so worthless

if a team has the potential support base, has the stadium, has the business plan, has the skills to execute it and the commitment and financial backing to do so then yes we should give them the opportunity of an SL side

so why hasnt it changed in over a hundred years?

since you cant read, wakey have to be out of SL next time.

and next time toulose and widnes have to be in, as well as probably paris.

My post was quite simply an attempt to get DM to post what you have , and then ask why the NRL havent done the same with the Wellington Orca's ?

He is a fan of expansion in Europe but not in Australaisia

Changing the point of the argument again Smokey , you know where I was going with that post

because the NRL have a faction (unbelievably) which is more parochial than anything we can muster in RL in this country

Ah … of course. Two people attending the same international match. It has to be a cospiracy.

Or a CONspiracy even

Read it more carefully.

Most of the teams required are absent.

Many of the areas previously with an influence have little or none.

This needs to change, through exposure, especially via TV.

The ESL should be fused to this structure, not replace it.

Etc.

A valid point, but there is more pressure in the Championship than in the academy league, which is why SL sides look to lending academy players to Championship clubs. Which suggests that the Championship is a better test of whether a club is ready for SL than having an academy side.

The Championship also gives them time to develop a home following and establish the idea before they join SL.

1 - You can have an exploratory meeting without deciding the outcome.
2 - I could see the RFL going two up two down with one Championship club what ticks all the boxes and the other being TO - even if they don't tick the boxes, but I'm not convinced. Personally I wouldn't want TO in the SL if they can't get their act together to perform at the Championship level. Looking at the French side vs Nz we saw that the players are there in France and TO could chose to sign an all-French side that could compete with the best. But they don't want to try that because it's a risk. How much more of a Risk will they have to go to to compete in SL?
3 - Barrow is an excellent idea, RL heartland, big money backer, expansion area.