Or until the pro club can go 3 seasons without going bust.

The grass roots work is great, as it is in London. I just worry whether the figurehead pro clubs in those areas (and the RFL themselves) have the nouse and financial ability to capitalise.

I desperately hope both clubs can find the right guise and structure to succeed.

Agreed. Well done to all the people battling against the tide in Wales.

Oh good, won't be long now until we see that average attendance up above 3,000 just like Lon...oh yeh.

I'm very encouraged by the young lads and although the Scorpions arent doing too great at the moment they're giving young Welsh lads a chance in greater numbers than Crusaders and the more numbers playing the game the more likely you're going to find quality players within that pool.

I'm more worried about Crusaders than anything from grass roots up as I think the owners are trying to cut corners, with rumours that they are trying to cut down on the wage bill we have this season. If they cut the wage bill of a club that are bottom of SL then what is the best you can hope for. Not a lot to be honest.

Below that the Welsh Conference seems to be coming along nicely, Valley Cougars have taken a few scalps already in the national conferenc including Bramley and Warrington Wizards and the feeder system, including age range Crusader teams right through, is better than anything we have had in Wales in the past. My logic is given the players produced with little or no development pathway in the past, it will only be a matter of time until we start producing a larger volume of quality players for the future. Let's just hope the RFL keep an eye on Crusaders and ensure there is a top level club for them to ultimately play for should they have the ability.

So really despite your sensational headline not much life altering stuff is going on regarding RL in Wales then?

I wondered when the third chuckle brother would appear.

Reckon you could trim your wage bill and not do worse on-field. You have some star players, but you also have some imports that should be replaceable by developing a player or two from your academy. I wouldn't make it a priority, but if you can't afford it, you can't afford it.
Clearly there a big things going on in Wales, they've leapfrogged France in a couple years of being in the top flight, despite the better results of the Catalans, that shows the great depth of a Rugby Nation. If they can tap into that, converting it to SL standard players, they'll be flying.

Not only the developments in Wales but also the huge growth of teams and players in London, the success of the French players in the Catalans team, the growth , despite occasional hiccups, of the summer conference ( three countries no less ), the possible/probable expansion of championship one from the top tier of the summer conference, the beating of the Aussies at youth level are huge,massive improvements from the past and show, despite what many naysayers on these boards claim, that RL is on the verge of unprecendented success.

If you also look at the number of teams now playing internationals and forming their own leagues, I would say that RL has never been more popular or widespread in its history.

I am old enough to remember when BARLA was formed there was only amateur rugby league in the North and that had shrunk to a pitifully small number of teams. No wonder we fell behind the Aussies and have yet to recover. Despite many remaining problems, I think the future could be very bright indeed and not only in Wales.

Crusaders-best supported sports club in North Wales.

YOU MUST BE JOKING! Put the Welsh domestic champions against the French Elite champions and lets see what happens. In fact, put the Welsh champions against the bottom of the Elite league and lets see what happens....

Lets be honest there only competition is a conference football team.

Why don't people just realise that RL is not very popular in Wales and get over it?

Oh look another comment from Bazza designed to provoke reaction. Do you not get any other attention that you need to seek it out on here Baz?

You're right. But the problem is that, sadly, so is he.

Yep you are right, just as well bin the lot rather than encourage it yeah? I couldn't even be d to watch the game on TV before the Crusaders and for a few years when the challenge cup was in Cardiff thought that it was 'quaint' to see all the people with their different shirts. How stupid I was not to realise there was a great game there on my doorstep. Caught the bug when my son played for his school in a tag game as a curtain raiser to a Crusaders Featherstone game and haven't looked back (even though tomorrow night I'll get back home at 1.30 am following a 250 mile round trip for the home game)

Phipps is purely a wind up merchant who has nothing to contribute other than cheap shots at everything, he knocks the place where people live, the teams people support but refuses to name either for himself as that would allow people to comment back.

Meaningful discussion yes please, crap from Phipps no thanks.