That's why it's going to take 10 years or a generation. The kids in school have to grow up with it.

London Skolars are more important to the future of London RL in my opinion: better location, better name, if they can improve on the field performance, in 10 years they'll be London's RL standard bearer.

Quins are important, but they really need some stability from which to grow their crowds. The youth development is outstanding, and that reason alone is what should keep them in SL.

On that reason alone is also why Cas & Wakey shouldn't be booted out too.

I suppose looking at it from a different perspective, if Trinity or Cas were booted out, the youngsters that would've been recruited by these two club would find there way to Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield or even Hull where as if Quins went the youngsters would have nowhere to go but Union.

I agree, and that was my point. However, the Cas/Wakefield district produces a wealth of talent on its own, as does Hull, and Leeds, and Bradford - Yorkshire produces significantly more players than London, and those players need the proportional number of teams to get to the highest level.

Where they would dominate the backs...

Take a closer look at some of the representative sides picked at schools and youth levels these days and there is a strong representation of kids from non-traditional areas who are there on merit.

If there was no SL side in London, would the RFL have put the same level of resources into youth development in the area and getting these kids interested in the game?

I don't think the whole "QUINS" THING HAS WORKED. tHEY HAVE LOST THEIR IDENTITY AS A lONDON CLUB AND THE HOPED FOR ATTRACTION FOR RU qUINS FANS to cross over and support RL hasn't happened.

Short of the RFL boosting their grant by a million quid a year so they can run a concerted PR campaign or getting in some marketing gooru I can't see much changing for them. How they survive on the crowds they get amazes me.

Sounds like Lewis is sweating now he has said a side will be relegated and everyone is looking down Sth at the worse performing club in the comp!

Quins are performing badly at the moment because we've got most of our best players out and we have a thin squad.

Is it though? RL is a small-time, regional game lacking any national resonance whatsoever and isn't covered by the national media or shown on conventional broadcast TV. RL is all those things and a small presence in London does not transform RL into some kind of nation spanning colossus.

Is the presence in London vital to the Sky contract, does anyone really know or are you just presenting theories? As far as Quins are concerned I think they should be given as much help as they need to becomes sustainable, along with other clubs but I'm not convinved that they are as important as some here make out, other than they are members of the RL family and we want everyone in that family to prosper.

Curling gets a fair amount of national tv coverage and that is very much a regional sport. Ski Sunday gets aired nationwide and that does not even cover a regional sport in the UK it's all foreign, but that doesn't seem to be a problem.

I reckon there is a more even spread of Brits who going skiing, than there is spread of people who watch/play RL.

The importance to the Sky contract may be over egged, but their importance to the game overall is not.

The London club, in whatever guise, is an outlet where the young players in London who play League can target as a realistic opportunity of developing a career. Without that top flight club in their region there is the potential they will be lost to the game or choose to take up Union.

With RL needing a larger base of home produced players, to bolster the domestic League and also the International sides, can the sport afford to abandon such a potentially large player pool that’s available in the South East.

They should be given help to aid with the promotion of the club. If it’s up front and transparent then I’m sure many fans of the traditional clubs would accept that.

I reckon there's a more even spread for people who take part in match fishing, but that doesn't get a highlights programme on BBC.