Quote Huddersfield1895="Huddersfield1895"Widnes and Fev are refusing to go to France as well so 2 more 24-0 wins for Toulouse, who with teams refusing to go France will be long odd's on to win Championship and a Super League place next season'" They haven't refused to go, they were never scheduled to go as Part Time teams. The RFL Board have confirmed that part-time teams in the Betfred Championship will not be required to fulfil away fixtures against Toulouse Olympique for as long as the current UK Government quarantine regulations (which require players and other staff to isolate for at least 5 days on their return from France) remain in place. That means Toulouse’s home fixtures against Featherstone Rovers and Widnes Vikings, scheduled for May 1 and 8 respectively, will be postponed – but their first home match of the season, against London Broncos on April 18, will go ahead because the Broncos are a full-time squad. https://www.rugby-league.com/article/57 ... -olympique

Quote Huddersfield1895="Huddersfield1895"Widnes and Fev are refusing to go to France as well so 2 more 24-0 wins for Toulouse, who with teams refusing to go France will be long odd's on to win Championship and a Super League place next season'" They haven't refused to go, they were never scheduled to go as Part Time teams. The RFL Board have confirmed that part-time teams in the Betfred Championship will not be required to fulfil away fixtures against Toulouse Olympique for as long as the current UK Government quarantine regulations (which require players and other staff to isolate for at least 5 days on their return from France) remain in place. That means Toulouse’s home fixtures against Featherstone Rovers and Widnes Vikings, scheduled for May 1 and 8 respectively, will be postponed – but their first home match of the season, against London Broncos on April 18, will go ahead because the Broncos are a full-time squad. https://www.rugby-league.com/article/57 ... -olympique

I don't know about that, you may be right, but there is a re-structure of SL coming up plus can a club really be promoted on a series of phoney wins, or if it's tight a phoney points difference? If the re-structure was to be 10 clubs in SL with Toulouse promoted that leaves the number of English clubs for SKY as eight.

SKY required more than that under the old deal, maybe they won't mind only 8 English clubs 2022 if they are paying far less for Superleauge?

So maybe those who really believe, and aren't just Wumming either here or on TRL

, that those who run our game see the future of the game as "Anglo French" will get their way and they will see "Expansion"

But the only "expansion" I can ever see, as was the case with Toronto, is a massive expansion of air miles and the massive expansion of the costs of such travel.

Then what after that? Do we feed in Avignon 2023, and Villeneuve 2024? Who then steps down and reverts to semi professional for them?...Useless Wakey and Fartown?

Once we have four """French""" clubs in Superleague can we resurrect the whole purpose of Catalans in the first place and revive France.v.Great Britain test matches home and away every season?

Do we change the qualification to play for France (so "France" can compete), to simply that a player can be selected for France as long as they play for a French club??

Do SKY renew 2025 when half the game will be "Anglo French" but with hardly a Frenchman in sight let alone any French RL TV deals?

Thoughts??

It's 850 miles from Wigan to Perpignan, so that clearly works in his mind plus similar distances from Leeds to Avignon, and St.Helens to Toulouse.

Clearly he feels the future is air miles, and enormous travel costs, with those English clubs displaced by French clubs being required to retain their academies despite going part time so Northern English lads can get RL careers in the south of France.

Snowie mate, you have to grasp the future....

It's "Europe or bust"........

I'm personally "optomistic" about this......

Quote Donnyman="Donnyman"It's 850 miles from Wigan to Perpignan, so that clearly works in his mind plus similar distances from Leeds to Avignon, and St.Helens to Toulouse. Clearly he feels the future is air miles, and enormous travel costs, with those English clubs displaced by French clubs being required to retain their academies despite going part time so Northern English lads can get RL careers in the south of France. Snowie mate, you have to grasp the future.... It's "Europe or bust"........ I'm personally "optomistic" about this......'" I ain't in the RFL.In 2008 when this Licensing malarkey was underway,the RFL in- house solicitor was Rod Findlay. Suggest you take all 'upset ' to him.I ain't bothered.I care not one jot for Wigan,St Helens,Avignon or Toulouse.I do not have any control over any club.Travel costs.Promotion or the one solitary,American owned television channel that shows Super League games. Quote Donnyman="Donnyman" I don't know about that, you may be right, but there is a re-structure of SL coming up plus can a club really be promoted on a series of phoney wins, or if it's tight a phoney points difference? If the re-structure was to be 10 clubs in SL with Toulouse promoted that leaves the number of English clubs for SKY as eight. SKY required more than that under the old deal, maybe they won't mind only 8 English clubs 2022 if they are paying far less for Superleauge? '" Pray tell us where,and when,and how,Sky decided on the rugby league structure(s). How are there any phoney wins when the rules were agreed prior to the start of the season? On the subject of promotion - it seems a video and a written report suffices for a M62 club https://leighrl.co.uk/wp/v2/blog/2020/1 ... ague-2021/ Did Sky demand that? Perhaps the English Super League M62 club owners did...

Quote Donnyman="Donnyman"It's 850 miles from Wigan to Perpignan, so that clearly works in his mind plus similar distances from Leeds to Avignon, and St.Helens to Toulouse. Clearly he feels the future is air miles, and enormous travel costs, with those English clubs displaced by French clubs being required to retain their academies despite going part time so Northern English lads can get RL careers in the south of France. Snowie mate, you have to grasp the future.... It's "Europe or bust"........ I'm personally "optomistic" about this......'" I ain't in the RFL.In 2008 when this Licensing malarkey was underway,the RFL in- house solicitor was Rod Findlay. Suggest you take all 'upset ' to him.I ain't bothered.I care not one jot for Wigan,St Helens,Avignon or Toulouse.I do not have any control over any club.Travel costs.Promotion or the one solitary,American owned television channel that shows Super League games. Quote Donnyman="Donnyman" I don't know about that, you may be right, but there is a re-structure of SL coming up plus can a club really be promoted on a series of phoney wins, or if it's tight a phoney points difference? If the re-structure was to be 10 clubs in SL with Toulouse promoted that leaves the number of English clubs for SKY as eight. SKY required more than that under the old deal, maybe they won't mind only 8 English clubs 2022 if they are paying far less for Superleauge? '" Pray tell us where,and when,and how,Sky decided on the rugby league structure(s). How are there any phoney wins when the rules were agreed prior to the start of the season? On the subject of promotion - it seems a video and a written report suffices for a M62 club https://leighrl.co.uk/wp/v2/blog/2020/1 ... ague-2021/ Did Sky demand that? Perhaps the English Super League M62 club owners did...

Widnes and Fev aren’t refusing to travel. They aren’t allowed to under current COVID restrictions because they are part time. These two games have been postponed to be rescheduled when restrictions allow later in the year.

However if they run out of time to reschedule such fixtures as they rely on COVID travel restrictions being lifted - and there is pressure on time due to it being a World Cup year - they will be wiped which is why the league is being decided upon win percentage. There are likely to be a lot of postponed home games for Toulouse as most clubs in the championship are part time. Which is why it’s highly unlikely Toulouse will finish top and be anywhere near super league next year.

I did say this in another thread when all the super duper league “experts” were pontificating on who is likely to be promoted.

Are there no play offs at the end of this championship season, MBB?

There are and they are the same format as the super league. Meaning if you aren’t in the top two you’ve got to go unbeaten. Also, to qualify a club has to fulfil 70% of their fixtures ie.16 of 22. Toulouse are already potentially down to 20. There are another 8 home games they could lose for the same reason if COVID restrictions aren’t lifted to an extent that would allow part time clubs to travel between now and the end of the season. Plus for every home game they can’t take part in - it makes the need to win away games even greater to keep the win percentage up. It’s unfair but they’re knackered as far as a promotion push goes this year.

Interesting stuff. I take your point of the difficulties in respect of fulfilling fixtures. It's anyone's guess on how things will pan out in all the leagues, as were still in a period of great uncertainty with the pandemic. I can see it could benefit the away team by not playing in Toulouse, given that the French team are one of the better ones in their league.

Or to put it another way if they were to do it it would be a massive achievement. As potentially they have more must wins away from home than anyone else without knowing it yet because it’s all in the lap of the gods. If that makes sense?

I’d rather know I had those home games to go at than not know.

They could potentially play at a neutral ground in the UK. They are full time and that’s an option.

Well thanks very much for saying it again

Whoa steady, they are far more an Anglo-Aussie team.........Try the French Elite league, you will find real French teams there....