Barrow and Rochdale probably don't want position 2, to play the final against Toulouse.

If Barrow get 2nd, it will be back to back travel to Toulouse, 2 weeks in a row. Then a tired team has to go through the play off's, if they loose to Toulouse in the final.

And if Rochdale loose, or throw their last 2 league games and finish 3rd, they have a better, fresher start to the play offs by avoiding Toulouse.

If you were the coaches, what would you be doing?

This is only really a problem because the top team is totally dominant and based in another country.

If Toulouse go up as expected then I am sure everything will be fine next season.

It's not as though a team from Canada is entering the League and is building what looks to be an equally dominant side based even further away than Toulouse is it?

Oh... right!

Looking at the options and I think, realistically, finishing 3rd is definitely better. Having a week off whilst 2nd travels to France and likely has a bruising encounter is probably the better preparation for the play offs.

It is a nonsense,during these 'austere' times,that part-time clubs expect/hope that their players in employment,can obtain time off from their employers to travel over to France on 2 consecutive weekends.

It is also a huge strain on the finances of their supporters.

I believe York City knights recently had 2 consecutive trips to France to play Toulouse and there was a great difficulty in finding a flight across there - it may have been a Bank Holiday or the nearest airport weren't supplying flights.

Extremely difficult,but since when have the RFL considered players or supporters?

I imagine most players make their employers aware that they play semi-pro rugby, and occasionally may need to take an afternoon off work at short notice. A couple of Friday afternoons off to travel to France isn't really a biggy.




Supporters have the choice whether to travel or not or what to spend their money on.




Well, that's the York clubs fault, isn't it? They have fixtures to fulfil in Toulouse, prepare accordingly.




Moan, whinge, whine - RFL blah blah blahhhhhh

The title thread sounds like that scene from the Princess Bride.

Feckwittedry at its finest.

All of this.