Club loyalty coming to the fore here, but Wakefield have had just one continuous tenure in SL, avoided relegation (celebrating mediocrity, yes, but it is an achievement given limited resources that the club has had), and improved year on year since JK's appointment. Stadium and financial issues (not exclusive to our club) aside, I don't understand why so many people suggest Wakefield should be booted out of SL when it is the likes of Salford and Castleford that have been up and down between the leagues over the years.

As for Wigan, three consecutive play off semi-finals and a CC semi suggest that they're bringing something to the competition and may be able to go one better soon. I hope you were joking with that one.

One of my main concerns with bringing in more French sides to SL is attendances. We've got Harlequins, Crusaders, Huddersfield and Catalans who bring miniscule away followings which can't be doing much good for the coffers at "heartland" clubs. While expansion is obviously important for the growth of the sport, attendances are going to suffer (eg. Wakefield's estimated revenue in 2009 wasn't achieved, definitely not helped by the recession. Nor the quarter of home games that mustered even smaller crowds due to no away following). Games with a small away following generally have less atmosphere and don't advertise the greatest game in the best light. Difficult.

What a funny statement



Come on, reduced away support is no reason for anti-expansionism. Clubs should be able to rely on their own fans to generate revenue. Lack of away support is a nonsensical and pathetic argument.

SL should be full of mediocre heartland clubs and nobody else ....

the real shame about Les Cats is how they achieved more in 3 or 4 years than quite a few heartland clubs in over 100.

both toulose and paris have to be included next time. the RFL have to find the finances for it, be it via offering Sky another game to televise or whatever.

the opportunity to so quickly revive RL in france again is not to be missed

we would all benefit from this.

people still talk about the champagne RL played by the french in the 60s against australia

really? I'd say HKR and Les Cats having worked there way up over a number of years have been more succesful than the likes of Quins and Crusaders (so far) and before them Paris & Gateshead.

Les Cats are a heartland club you kno[ibh[/iead.

then why do all you flat cap dunces decry toulose

You would think that Toulouse will be the next French side in Superleague. The fast tracking of a Paris franchise team would be a serious double standard given the amount of hoops toulouse have had to jump through. I also can't see them having the time to build a team in time to fulfil the 2015 criteria via the Championship.

On the other hand Paris team should not be rejected out of hand. To have a sports team that is itself a successful expansion side behind the bid can only be good.

So instead of admitting you were wrong for making a dumbass statement you come back with a sweeping generalised statement like that and a stupid smiley. I don't decry Toulouse and if you actually bother to read certain other people's posts (whom i assume you also perceieve to be flatcappers) most actually don't decry them either. It's your perceptions that are rabid and unfounded. I'm going to call you a kn[iobhea[/id again too because you deserve it.

Kno[ibhe[/iad.

Go on , explain , they finished next to bottom despite having 5 quota players , as far as their attendances go they were reasonable , nothing more , despite several clubs taking a decent number of fans over to France , Leigh took around 400 out of a gate of 2,300

They managed to get 1,900 locals to go and watch Leigh? Fantastic effort