Great little piece on Boots N All spotlighting rugby league in Bristol. Focuses on Bristol Sonics and their on and off field progress (cracking try from James Gross shown in the footage), mentions the up and coming rugby league academy at Filton, and there's a feature on the bid to bring Rugby League World Cup 2013 games to Bristol. Well worth a watch. www.skysports.com/video/inline/0 ... 49,00.html Bristol for Super League?

Great little piece on Boots N All spotlighting rugby league in Bristol. Focuses on Bristol Sonics and their on and off field progress (cracking try from James Gross shown in the footage), mentions the up and coming rugby league academy at Filton, and there's a feature on the bid to bring Rugby League World Cup 2013 games to Bristol. Well worth a watch. www.skysports.com/video/inline/0 ... 49,00.html Bristol for Super League?

The academy setup looked mega. What happens if any of those players turn out to be good? Is there a logical path for them?

The academy's being supported by Rhinos community coaching staff (and the Rhinos have actually invested a lot of effort into South West Rugby League as a whole with Gary Hetherington attending a lot of events and endorsing various partnerships between the area and the Rhinos). It's seen as a pathway for players in this area to get into pro RL - in three years it is intended to be in line with SL standard academies and quality players from the area would be signed up by pro clubs. Filton College has an outstanding set up for most sports so we're naturally delighted that RL has been picked up.

Even at university level things are improving tenfold our way. Exeter went unbeaten in their regular season, Gloucester Uni is outstanding and both have had their budgets increased drastically by the respective Athletic Unions. The plan is to have such a strong set up that prospective young players actually come to these universities wanting to play rugby league and being able to play it to a high standard, but can also get qualifications to give them more security for after their playing careers. We've also got some young coaches cutting their teeth down here and being given a route into the RFL coaching set up. RL is starting to build up some pace down here!

great little piece If we can expand the game down to the SW it will be wonders for the player talent in years to come. Here the video on website www.skysports.com/video/inline/0 ... 49,00.html I do think we should take a Super League game there first and see if the crowds come out. If the crowds do then we can think about a world cup match. The RFL should follow NRL's lead and take club games to expanding areas. one game a season is enough, let the locals see a game live.

great little piece If we can expand the game down to the SW it will be wonders for the player talent in years to come. Here the video on website www.skysports.com/video/inline/0 ... 49,00.html I do think we should take a Super League game there first and see if the crowds come out. If the crowds do then we can think about a world cup match. The RFL should follow NRL's lead and take club games to expanding areas. one game a season is enough, let the locals see a game live.

Great to hear things going well in Bristol. When I worked there last year I was talking to locals in the pub and they love watching rugby league and find it more entertaining than union.

Well, one thing we've learned is that we can't rush the development like we tried to in Wales.
Let the amature game develop before letting them come up with a club which can apply for the championship and let them prove their worth there before we chuck them in at the deep end.
Lets make sure that the superleague clubs are aware of the increasing player pool down.

Brian Carney was very defensive about taking international games around the country as they did last time. I agree for the most part - we have some very nice new Rugby League stadiums in the north that deserve internationals. However, I would have thought we could spare 1 fixture (only 1, mind) in a whole tournement to try somewhere new? I'm not saying that should be Bristol/Glos, but whilst we should concentrate on the heartlands, we shouldn't forget about expansion completely.

It's not as though we'd be giving a fixture to say St James Park and praying the people of Newcastle go and watch it, we'd be giving the fixture to a place that clearly wants to see International RL and have put forward a very good bid.

A quick look through the organisations that are backing their bid shows how much the city wants it. Good look to them.

It feels like we have been guilty in the past of saying "We all love RL, surely everybody else will." and just sticking fixtures whereever. If people are tendering for games, have a look at the application at least. Its seems promsing for RL anyways.