In todays league weekly there is section on the Crusaders bid to have a team in the championship which in itself is no suprise. The rfl state they have a fortnight to prove they have viable business plan and that it is sustainable.

The next bit concerns me the rfl say that by giving a fortnight its only fair that championship 1 clubs are aware of their promotion PROSPECTS!! well in advance of play off finals. A few weeks to me is not well in advance.

Yet again this casts a cloud in that they fail to guarantee what is deemed to be promotion this year it beggars belief. I accept as pointed out previously a former super league club would be in championship but am I wrong in interpreting nothing is definite whoever wins the final.

The RFL cannot be blamed for this.

The fault of this lies squarely at the clubs. They should have kicked up a right fuss about this before the season started.

I'm not quite sure what the fuss is about? Right at the start of the season, the RFL said one championship club was coming up, which meant one would go down. That is exactly what happened.

Do they mean, perhaps, that if Crusaders cannot prove their worth for the Championship, that two clubs might go up, as there would be an extra place up for grabs? The RFL might mean that more than one club has promotion prospects.

Completely wrong.

The RFL said that 2 teams would go up at the end of the season. Otherwise what would be the point of having playoffs and a grand final that doesn't include the league leaders?

If anything, the division in which Crusaders are placed, if at all, determines whether it is 2 or 3 teams that get promoted.

In theory , shouldn't they start from the bottom in Ch 1 ????

Shouldn't they take Widnes' place in the Championship? After all that's who's taken their Super League franchise. After all, it's not like we're talking about a brand new club here.

I would agree if it was the same Crusaders team that got relegated, as its not and as far as I can see (please correct me if I'm wrong) it is a new company ergo, a new team, then why shouldn't they start at the bottom? why take pity and stick them in the Chamionship just cos they're welsh?