If being drawn out first got you "home" advantage in a Cup semi then the game would simply be played on your home ground. That has absolutely nothing to do with it.

If we draw Leeds I expect it to be in Huddersfield despite that being geographically closer to Leeds because it's also less than an hour from Warrington and will suit both teams fine. It's the obvious choice irrespective of who comes out the hat first.

I agree with those above who say the semi involving Catalans should be played in either Barcelona or within close proximity to their opponents. A completely neutral venue like London or Paris would simply ensure an embarrassingly low crowd. Barcelona or Leigh (if it's us or Saints) or Huddersfield if it's Leeds would all attract a five figure crowd. London or Paris would not.

Sending thousands of RL fans across the channel in peak holiday season with the potential for french port workers striking, the ash cloud, BA striking, school holiday prices is something that is just what the RFL would thrive on

Not sure I want Catalan now !!

Just like RL fans thrive on negativity and parochialism.

What a ridiculously ignorant argument to make. Nobody wanted them to enter SL? Didn't the SL clubs have a vote on it? Go on ask me who I'd prefer in the league, Widnes or Catalan. I'd tell you Catalan every single time. Why on earth would we need yet another SL club within a 30-mile-ish radius of another 4 SL clubs and that's not including Leigh, Oldham, Swinton.... Plus Crusaders now they've moved to North Wales. To be honest I'd rather have a Cumbrian side over Widnes in th next round of franchise licenses.

I hardly think the RFL are considering a semi final in France/Barcelona as a "punishment". An attitude like yours is the reason our game will die eventually if we don't expand and try new things. We should be applauding the RFL for thinking outside the box and trying to bring new fans to the sport. If we keep this insular Lancashire/Yorkshire attitude our sport will die. Yes it would be an inconveiniance(sp) for us to travel abroad for a semi and it would undoubtedly reduce the amount of Wire fans making the trip but Catalan fans love their rugby down there and why should they have to travel for every single cup game? Their last semi-final appearance was in the NW, why should they not have their turn nearer to home this time round?

End of story

Wherever it is, london, paris, yorkshire, i'm going

we all obv aint got your sort of money if its in england then ill be going but i am not traveling abroad and most wire fans wont either

Not much worse than the 7k for a quarter-final yesterday. And that was with a home side and opponents only an hour down the motorway.

I still would go with The Stoop for Catalan even after hearing all these arguments, maybe a chance for London to see a decent crowd for 2 SL teams

Same

Only because you live in London.

Playing the game there would attract at absolute most around 4000 Wire fans, and I think that's me being ambitious. Saints and Leeds would probablytake similar, if not even less in Saints case as they've experienced so many CC semis and finals recently. It could potentially be much less anyway as it's three hours away and like it or not many fans of the above three clubs will take the view of, "It's only Catalans so we'll be going back to London three weeks later and I'll save my money for that".

Catalans would take around 1000 at most, and again it could be much less.

Harlequins own attendances suggest to me there would be unlikely to be huge interest from nuetrals so we would probably be looking at an attendance of less than 5000. Barcelona, Leigh or Huddersfield would get double that so it's no brainer.

The only advantage The Stoop has is that it's a recognised Super League ground and the one most central to both teams but the disadvantages outweigh that solitary advantage.

If you want to play it "central" and the City of Paris has agreed to underwrite the fixture (I don't know if they have or not) then the RFL may consider that as it prevents them losing money while exploring an expansion opportunity but London offers no real attraction.

I agree. Last year's semi between us & Wigan @ Widnes was packed out & made a great specticle for TV