The change was made to the minimum conditions for a Championship club to be awarded the 'automatic' place, not to any conditions for SL overall.

The rules currently state

I echo what's been said, Crusaders, if they're saved, should not be in Super League come 2012. In fact, it's the best thing for them. A promising franchise was being built in NL1 in Bridgend before they thrown into SL the first time around. They were thrown in at the deep end when they were still blowing up their armbands. For the sake of rugby league in Wales, they need to continue to exsit, but to do so as a Championship club, building towards being a self-sustaining SL franchise come 2015 or 2018.

Good call TCOC.

Its a bit of a shambles but.. its a necessity. I feel sorry for one of wakey/Cas/Salford but some people cant see the forest for the trees. There's no right answer here and everyones opinions valid really.
Like I said earlier or on another thread I wouldnt be too suprised to see a 15 team league appear with the WCC moving to magic weekend

I'm abit 50/50 with this. I want a side from Wales but they also have to be their on merit rather as opposed becaues the League fills sorry for them

Hardly, reports seemed to suggest that the board at Crusaders were hoping to enter administration to help ease them out of these troubles.

It isn't too far fetched to imagine that discussions between the board members and RFL officials have taken place and that these discussions were positive enough for this course of action to be selected.

Now hands up all those that actually think there is any real risk of this new company not taking on the franchise.

There doesn't seem to be any provision in the Operational Rules for points deductions, which is odd because I thought that there was.

The rules say that any club in administration can continue as a member of the RFL at the discretion of the RFL board and can be given a period of time to resolve financial difficulties before any ejection takes place. I think this is what happened with Blackpool?

Perhaps SL is different, but Widnes started on minus points in 08 and I think Keighley did last season?

It may be tucked away in a different section to all the other stuff regarding 'insolvency events'. Sometimes I think the Op Rules are deliberately obscure and hard to search.

you mean from the RFL,now who'd have thought that

So Alan Rowley at Leigh was right all along

I wonder how many apologies we will see on here ?

While I understand the desire for SL to have a presence in Wales, I can't see how Crusaders can be given a franchise for 2012. They've gone pear shaped twice in 2 years, and to give them another license will hurt the credibility of the process. There'll be stories involving the phrase, "...despite going into administration last year".

I presume Richard Lewis & co's resignations are being drafted as we talk? I mean this was there golden child, the proof of expansion, something worth the game bending rules for.

If any other 'directors' went gung ho for something like this and failed they'd be handed a pistol, glass of whisky and left to it!

Looks like the RFL already have a template that they can use when metering out their judgement for the Crusaders 2012 licence decision..




Basically means no licence and come back again in three years.

You're sure the two situations are comparable? The club involved in the statement you quote was liquidated the day after the 2007 NL1 Grand Final and all employees, including all players, found themselves without jobs. And Widnes fans found themselves without a club or team to support. Only after that did it enter administration.

Have those things happened at Crusaders?

Indeed - and I ask this question because I have no idea of the answer - is it the club that's gone into administration in Wrexham or the holding company which owns the club? There's an actual and real difference (eg the difference between Widnes 2007 [all players sacked] and London Broncos 2005 [all players and staff with unbroken employment on contracts which remained in force])

In the case of Widnes... the company was not liquidated I understand. An administrator was brought in, but all members of staff were not sacked, unless the administrator deemed necessary once under his control. I know a lady from the office who continued to work there during the whole process.