Suppose never thought of it like that. Maybe just 16 teams then

I like to think of myself as an expansionist. At club level I fell that London Skolars have a better chance of expanding the game in the South East than Harlequins do. The Skolars have the ability to grow naturally and build a supporter base over time rather than the genetically modified version that is Harlequins.
RL has missed out over the last few years with the poundings we have taken by Australia in international terms. Other major sports have not performed on the international stage, (Ashes in 2005 and RU World cup in 2003 and Olympics in 200icon_cool.gif but apart from those years a tri nations series win would have been massive for RL in 2004,6,7. Just imagine a GB or England team of the year in the BBC awards or Peacock as BBC sports personality if we would have beat the Aussies and Kiwis in one of those years. England need to win a 2 or 3 tri nations to enable the game to be more widely recognised. My only fear with this one is where will the open top bus parade be held. It wont be London so will it be Huddersfield, or Wigan.

The RFL are heading in the right direction with Celtic, Catalan, Tolouse and the Edinburgh thing is the right area to Target. Glasgow, to some extent is a closed shop when it comes to sport just like London is. This is harsh but a team in Edinburgh will force more money out of SKY than a team in West Cumbria. This is a trade off between people through the turnstyles and broadcast money from SKy.

I reckon..

1. Millenium Magic in Cardiff to showcase the sport.

2. The previous SL roadshow games in South Wales to raise awareness.

3. Introducing a franchise system, and extending the league, to provide for a Welsh entrant and to sustain such a club through its early vunerabilities.

To be fair though:

1 - came about largely because Cardiff City Council and the Millenium Stadium wanted something to replace the lost Challenge Cup and numerous football events that took place there when Wembley was closed.

2. There has also been roadshow games in other places, such as Leicester and Edinburgh.

3. The license system (it's not franchises) provides for anyone to make an entry, not just Welsh.

Whilst I'm sure 1 & 2 helped the Welsh out, I very much doubt that that was in any way the driver for that decision. Using that argument, it could be suggested that the Challenge Cup final was taken to Cardiff for the same reason which I doubt.

As for 3, there are many reasons why we have a franchise system. Again, I'd be very surprised if bringing the Welsh in was a determinative factor. It should also be noted that the system protects all clubs in precisely the same way it protects the Welsh. Had we had this system when Halfiax imploded, they, as a heartland club, would have been afforded the same protection.

As a result I don't think the RFL have bent over backwards to help the Welsh out. No doubt they've assisted, but not to the detriment of a heartland club. It's not as if those clubs who lost out had particularly enticing applications with the possible execption of widnes.

A fair reply and I am sure we could debate at length. On the "enticing application" front, although conjecture, I am not convinced that the Celtic bid had little more to it other than "being in Wales" and was no stronger than bids from Widnes or Leigh. This is where I believe their inclusion has been to the detriment of a heartland club in existance since the 1870's and a skewed assessment criteria applied.