Completely understand your argument, but, on the flipside - can we expect a new club to be on an equal footing with those who are much longer established within a couple of years? We either want to expand (in which case we give these clubs a helping hand and more time), or we don't.

Which is why they should of stayed in Championship for at least another 3 years. I mean the % of welsh born players in the squad has decreased... What's that all about?

The problem is last time the RFL said Crusaders were one of the best 14 applicants, fulll stop. So in my eyes they took out the 'new club, needs time' ethos there and then!

Can we? Without seeing the relevant licence applications? No we can't. All we can do is say "this is my prejudice" (in the technical sense of prejudging without looking at, or ignoring, the relevant evidence)


I'll say again what I've said before, as a fan of one of the clubs mentioned

It's about trying to get a first team that's competitive at SL level, rather than do it on the cheap with championship-level players. Fairly obvious, if you bother to think about it.


[language pedant] by the way, the past conditional is formed using the verb 'have' not the preposition 'of'[/pedant]

Surely they would end up in court again for revoking membership on no other grounds than a Club sued you for not adhering to your own laid down procedures and for discrimination.

Sadly as ever, most people who aren't supporters of clubs affected by the RFL's favouritism aren't bothered and think its ok, and chastise any one who have the gall to point out the bleeding obvious, which is the whole credibility of RL as a professional sport is undermined by this type of incident.

It will be interesting in 10 years time when the RFL are pressing ahead with further expansion and certain clubs who are safe at the moment are suddenly coming under threat for a SL franchise, their fans are likely to be whistling a different tune then.

No we cant , so we say , this club is a special case and will not have to comply with any criteria whatsoever , instead the spineless idiots lie through their teeth constantly

Can you not understand it is the constant lieing that pi553s us off

Grow some balls and do the right thing

Has it? Looking at the Crusaders squad as it is now, it looks like the percentage is more now. Lloyd White will be getting more game-time while Gil Dudson and Elliot Kear aren't far off. The Crusaders website currently shows 24 first team players of which 8 are Welsh born and another 1 being Jordan James. That's currently 33% Welsh born, 7 of which went through the junior or academy ranks and with Iestyn in charge, don't expect that to drop too much this year and expect it to increase in 2012.

The South Wales Scorpions squad currently lists 17 players (and will be up to 19 by tomorrow ). Of those 19, 15 are Welsh born and two of the other four also play for Wales due to residency and Welsh father respectively. There are open trials on Sunday that will help fill a couple more spaces too. Those open trials last year discovered players like Steve Parry who scored 20 tries last season and Neil Dallimore who was consistantly a top performer.

Court to club's lawyers: " Did your clients sign an undertaking as part of their membership of this competition that agreed that the RFL's decisions were final and agreed to being suspended from all competitions run by the RFL in the event of taking the governing body to court?"

Club's lawyers" "Err, yes. But they didn't mean it."

Court: "I see."

Very true although my experience in cardiff is a lot of places will leave ss1 on mostly but you are unlikely to get sound and it will get switched over at the drop of one football or union request. The weakness can be a strength at least as far as sky subs go if that helps with our overall money from them.

Except the RFL haven't abused their position.

give me a break. the idea that the even the rational anti-rflers will suddenly go fair enough guv if the rfl come out and say expansion is our game, special provisions apply is laughable. i understand that is an added point of contention that the agenda is denied but i've seen just as many demands that it is 'fair' if the same rules apply to hundred year old clubs as 5 year old clubs.

Ok so setting out a process for reviewing franchise applications and saying the best 14 will get a license whilst at the same time promising one club will come up and effectively guaranteeing that London and Crusaders will get a further franchise is not abusing their position!!!

No wonder they can get away with whatever they want with people like you around.