Quote: JonB95 "I want Wigan Ath. to be relegated, if anything to see how much of their fanbase stays with them once they are back in the lower leagues. (arguably where they belong)
Same with Sale. Be interesting to see what the media would say about a national Premiership without a single northern team. (unless of course Newcastle come back, which is looking increasingly likely. Though they have a fanbase about the size of Salford's!)'"
I've no beef with Latics, but they are a bit like a credit-crunch Coventry City, i.e. you can't get rid of them. Unflushable. I suspect their support would dwindle but they still have a hardcore. Oddly enough I was having a conversation about them with my uncle, who is an Altrincham fan, and he remembers when they used to duke it out in the non-league scene...and it's very, very recent.
As for Sale- stuff 'em. If they go down, I'd be shocked if they come up anytime soon. But- as RU becomes more overtly southern (Exeter established, Bristol and Cornish Pirates surely going to end up there at some point), I suspect the RFU will expand rather than lose its big names and its geoegraphical spread.