I've put my team under the stipulation that they have a SL quality stadium in place. Having sold KR, with the recession and us being broke it's not an impossible scenario for St Helens RLFC to not have a ground at all. If so, I wouldn't include us.

My post isn't that controversial if you read it. There are 6 clubs (Saints, Cas, Wakey, Quins, Crusaders and Salford) with question marks over them. I'm sure the RFL will make a decision based on the facts submitted and if the likes of Fax, Leigh and Widnes have better prospects I'm sure they will be in.

Do you have a link for that announcement? I missed that one.

Widnes won the NRC thus they can apply, and can you also provide a link saying that the championship clubs wouldnt let them in please.

this is true, under the criteria stated, only Barrow and Fax could apply for SL2012.

Also, Toulouse havent even failed to meet the criteria yet.

St Helens home ground for 2011 is rumoured to be in Leigh

Toulouse & The Chemics to join SL.....Salford and one West Yorkshire team to go down..
so stop getting your knickers in a twist !!

Saint Leigh Centurions hmmmmmmmm

Epic Fail.


Widnes, Barrow and Halifax can apply. You have to either win the NRC or appear in the grand final.

Toulouse opted not to enter the northern rail cup in 2009. This year (2010) there was a proposal for them to play in a French only group against scratch regional selections and for the winners of that group to proceed directly to the quarter finals. The original criteria was "appeared in a northern rail cup final", this was later amended to "won a northern rail cup final".

I'm surprised that people are surprised about this. Nigel Wood's statement at the time he outlined those rules was demonstrably untrue. One of his two promises on Toulouse abiding by the same rules as other clubs has already been quietly dropped, so why is anyone surprised about the other one being dropped? The only surprise to me is that they've even bothered to announce it.

Dally, Saddened - I would 100% agree that it makes long-term sense for Toulouse to be allowed to apply for SL. But I simply cannot see what the RFL thinks it gains by such mendacious behavior. One cannot place any trust in RFL statements or have any faith that they represent a true state of affairs. I just don't see how that can be good for the sport.

it will be 2 clubs down from SL or a 16 team SL.

Midi-Olympique reports a crowd of 600 for the Toulouse/Dewsbury game yesterday, although the club are reporting a crowd of 850. Maybe they've been let off the average attendance criteria too?
[Yes - I know there were extenuating circumstances due to the late postponement to Sunday and the terrible weather]

They've already said its staying at 14, you must have missed that one.

Only a couple of weeks ago SL voted to keep the 'membership at 14' with one club making way for a Championship club. That would almost inevitably put a current SL club out of business with the financial differences between the leagues (led by the RFL). So lets see what the next rule change brings

I think there can now be no doubt, even in the minds of the RFL apologists on these boards, about the lying duplicity of the RFL. What little integrity and credibility they had left is now in shreds.

To tell the Championship clubs one thing and the officials at Toulouse another in order to get agreement on their entry, and then simply change the rules they agreed with the Championship, stinks. This truly is deceitful and totally disrespectful to all Championship clubs.

I fear for this league's future while being governed by the RFL.