2017: By my reckoning, TWP had eight transatlantic flights including one at the end of the season back to the UK. All League 1 clubs had two (out & back x 1). Whose advantage?

2018: A new pitch was being laid at Lamport Stadium, owned by the city, the work was completed in late May. Wolfpack came out for the Swinton game early May, then back to UK, then back for June 9. That's four regular season flights when you add a return to the UK in August. Also by my reckoning, very likely four more flights going home & away for the Qualifiers and then returning to the UK. Wolfpack eight trips, Leigh 2 or 4 trips, all other Championship and SL qualifiers two trips.

Bring on the Qualifiers.

Argyle will have to buy Air Transat if TWP are accepted in SL. Scheduled flights won't be acceptable to SL fixtures.

If Wolfpack make Super League, teams can choose from a dizzying array of carriers including but not limited to Air Transat, Air Canada, British Airways, Icelandic, Aer Lingus, Virgin, or any other airline that they find acceptable. They'll be paying their own way.

You lot should be playing in a Canadian league.....end of discussion.

And there's the dilemma for the SL clubs. Allow TWP (or TO) to join SL and there's allegedly more central funding available for the UK clubs, versus virtually zero away support and the extra cost of travelling abroad... along with the added difficulty of winning games after travelling.

As many suspected, the race to collect the £1,800,000 SKY cash is part of the Plan A for Argyle...he should call the very wealthy owner of the London Broncos and ask why £4,500,000 isn't enough to run a SL club......and a foot of the table one at that.
CA$20 Tickets.....and this is a real stretch saying that 6k gates are 100% paid entry is CA$1,320,000 on the door, the shirt sponsor is 100% contra....so £750,000 on the gate and £1,800,000 from SKY......neither TV deal is worth a brass farthing, so where will the £2,000,000 a year come from...Argyle will get bored pretty quickly......that's CA$3,500,000 he needs to generate from 11 games......or CA$320,000 a game...........so 4 times what he takes on the gate currently, IF they are all paying now........it just doesn't stack up.

Any SL side that thinks there is even a remote possibility that Wolfpack might make Super League and that has any bad boys on the team should be working with the immigration consultant already.

It's been debated endlessly in these forums whether the responsibility belongs to RFL or to individual clubs to organize visa applications. But there's no excuse for any team to crank up the moan machine about player visas if they left it too late for players with criminal records to get required paperwork.

Don't think there were any unexpected losses for Championship teams in the game they played after the Wolfpack game. Quite a few of them won the next game. I'm sure if there was a performance dip, someone will be along shortly with the details.

IMO TWP are trying to set the standard. They have to. In the North American market, professional standards are higher than the British ones. This is why their operations are so much bigger and more successful.
For Toronto to compete with the other 6-7 sports in that city, they, from day one must operate fully professionally. Not many Championship and L1 clubs are even close to being run as pros yet they state they are 'professional'! Geez, even Nottingham Outlaws have a more pro attitude than Whitehaven or Doncaster ffs.

RL in Britain has to adopt or remain an inferior run sport always lingering in the shadows of more professionally run sports. It's that simple.
The dead wood of old mindsets or mediocrity have to go. Adapt or die.

The state of RL in the UK is because this is the 'standard' northern RL clubs are so used to for donkeys years. These clubs would not survive in any American sporting comp with their mediocre attitude and incompetence. Standards must raise for RL to be taken seriously by the globe.
Either that or remain a small boutique pastime for a limited demographic and limited income.
Australia has done it better. They can attract different cultures and demographics to the game. Go to Sydney, and you'll find various cultures like Greeks, Vietnamese, Italians, Croatians, Jews, Arabs plus not just the working class white British decent Aussie's, but middle class white collar types at games too.
The fabric of appeal doesn't attract these types of people to UK RL because of the self-perpetuated attitude and signal the RFL gives off. That is; "only working class white folk from the west or east sides of the Pennines are only welcome to 'our' game!"

That is the perceived attitude that has to go. Like it or lump it. It's true.
You choose RL.

Running a few beer festivals where the brewers don't pay to be there, but get to sell beer, having a hot-dog canon and giving away free tickets to anyone and everyone is neither big nor successful. PSG and London both performed far better in their first seasons and once the reality of home and away fixtures sets in, as well as having home games in -1 degree temps and having to actually "buy a ticket", we will see if the Wolfpack will survive.....at present, they've had every door opened for them.....let's see what happens when they knock at the SL door with nothing other than the clothes they are wearing....no TV deals, no major sponsors....just another mouth to feed.......

Maybe not, but still ore than the Barrow's, the Halifax's, the Wakefield's and the Doncaster's are doing mate.

Any news where Eric Perez is?

Nope. North American teams may appear to do better for a few reasons. 1. A huge population compared to the UK with fewer teams to support per head. 2. TV own sport. Gridiron can have play stopped by a linesman waving a flag mid game to go to an ad break. 3. Franchised leagues. If the third one were the case in SL again, Toronto wouldn't have even bothered setting up their RL team.

As for trying to set the standard - even though I'm a HKR fan, everyone can see that's a title that the Saints hold this season.

I see you have no response to why Toronto should have specialist fixture treatment.

Your arguement about convictions may be correct and isn't the fault of Toronto or the RFL, however, as I said, its not our clubs fault this club decided to base themselves in another continent and could be seen as using a legal loophole to their advantage by doing so. If this gives Toronto an SL place based on a canadian result against an existing SL club that was denied use of key players there WILL be a massive legal dispute as that SL club might be pushed to the point of closure.

The real issues here are that the sport of Rugby League needs to expand in order to drive meaningful International competition & as a by product drive up attendance, finance, participation & growth but it has simply been done the wrong way due to the RFL being totally inept & not fit for purpose.

SLE are no better either with Eric Pollard & McManus seeking to feather their own beds while simultaneously cutting off the roots & building RL on a bed of sand.

Here should be the plan .....

You talk with the then proposed TW franchise & stipulate that
1) You will enter at Championship level & play there for 3 years while in preparation for entry to SL.
2) Your Club finances & revenue streams will be submitted & reviewed quarterly & total transparency is vital to your acceptance into RFL membership.
3) Teams in *for sake of argument* Vancouver, NY, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia will be required within 10 years, 5 years to set up 3 new Franchises 1 in Canada & 2 in the USA.
4) Toulouse given an ultimatum to be ready for direct entry to SL in 3 years with all criteria met & signed off.
5) London & Bradford to be SL ready in 3 to 5 years with all criteria met & signed off + the RFL should sell off Odsal & work with Bradford towards a fit venue.
6) A new 2 x 10 SL format to be introduced by X date rubber sealed *it is workable if SL1 has no value over SL2 mixing the teams in each year on year to avoid SL1/SL2 becoming simply SL/Championship which I have explained elsewhere previously*
7. New Championship Semi-Pro

All of this has to be managed with transparency & remove the smoke & mirrors, favours & lies that exist now.
It will emerge in years to come that TW have been favoured by the RFL & deals done, most likely that there is Salary Cap overspend &/or exemption from normal marquee rules + the whole home & away fixture farce.

Remove the deception & lies & I believe this would have the backing of the majority rather than just pro expansionists we have now.

Thoughts ?