Is the score Toulouse beat 4th placed rivals Keighley. It looks a certainty we will be seeing them back in the championship next year.

That was an incredible win against a 4th placed team. And to score 15 tries in the process. It could have been 90-6 had the Toulouse goal kicker been more accurate.

He only managed to kick 12 from 15?
Disgraceful.

Some journalists grumbling on twitter about an elastic salary cap over in Toulouse.

We want things every which way, don't we.
If clubs are fast tracked into a higher division, everyone cries foul and if they start at the bottom and have ambition and resource and beat everyone (well just about everyone), we still complain.

Maybe there needs to be a slight re think before the Canadian team comes into the 3rd tier ?

Of course, if we still had franchising, we could have increased the number of clubs in the top flight but, folk would still be moaning.

IF there is a grand plan (or any kind of long term plan

), it would make sense to allow Toulouse to enter at SL level with an exemption from relegation, for say 3 years to give them an element of stability.

This would of course upset clubs like Leigh or Bradford (if they don't gain promotion and equally, it would upset fans of any relegated club (as Castleford found, when they finished above Catalan but, still got relegated).
However, there clearly needs to be proper thought given and IF it is the right thing to do, to have 2 French clubs in the top flight, then lets be up front an honest about what we are trying to achieve and then get on with it AND make sure that it works.
Rugby League spends is always looking for a quick fix and whilst some may say the sport is innovative, the sport usually just comes across as amateur and badly managed.
We should allow Toulouse into SL, providing that their presence improves the games profile, increases the competitiveness of France and increases the revenue coming into the game (increased TV deal etc).
Of course this wont happen and we will be back in a similar situation in another couple of years with the new Canadian team.

For God's sake, lets have a proper strategy for improving the sport, instead of just bumbling along and disaffecting fans as we go along.

Well said and true

Ah the great Toulouse who imploded the last time they were in the championship with 500 fans yep let's fast track them again ,they are playing in a league were bar 3 teams are of the standard of Leigh miners and wigan St pats so let's not go overboard and allow these teams to build slowly and steadily eh ?

Well said......

Too right, its about time the French Rugby League get there finger out and develop there own Superleague instead of piggy backing onto ours. They could have there own corridor of clubs via the A62/A61 and develop clubs like Bordeaux, Toulouse, Carcassonne, Limoux, Narbonne, Montpellier.

Toulouse have already beaten Leigh Centurions and got to within 6 points of Wakefield before going down 40-22 at Wakefield.
Therefore Toulouse are already at the standard of the Middle 8s!

You sir, and your few fans, are a motley little group of insular, flat capped UKIP donkeys

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe its called the European Superleague. That being so they're perfectly entitled to be a member, subject of course to being of a high enough standard.

And the inclusion of a French club was part of the TV deal but, we could get rid of that as well and then the sport would be well and truly screwed.

Is it the [iEuropean[/i Championship One as well ??

Well it seems to be open to anyone if we're actually allowing a Canadian team to enter.

And why not!



Which has the bigger potential for our sport - Toronto/Toulouse................or Leigh?

icon_smile.gificon_smile.gif You can't have a fast track system AND p&r.

How about a North American/Canadian League and a French League (haven't they already got one). Let's sort the sport out in our own country first eh Nigel.

We've had over 100 years to "sort it out" and we made a right "bollo..." of it, hence the move to summer rugby and "franchising".
What the sport really does need to do is, work out where it wants to be in 5, 10 and 20 years time and then achieve those aims but, sadly, it just doesn't have any kind of laid down strategy.
Instead it lurches from "quick fix to "quick fix" and the game is just about stagnant.

The Aussie are jointly to blame as, they couldn't give a damn what happens over here as long as they have their precious State of Origin series and just as we need a strong French team, they need the game to be strong over here.

Our game has to make a plan and stick with it and although you say that there can be a "fast track" system AND P/R, the two dont really go together and if the game is serious about helping France and Canada develop as professional Rugby League playing nations, there has to be some serious thought given to it or, both will fail AND we may harm the British game in the process.

Personally, I dont have an issue with replacing a British club with a Canadian and/or French club in SL but, ONLY if it will be for the longer term good of the sport.

The old Franchising system should have been the right "vehicle" for doing this, allowing for the addition of new clubs etc but, instead, the top flight was shrunk (due to "insufficient numbers of quality professional players"icon_wink.gif and to give the remaining clubs a bit more cash and this was plainly wrong for a sport that wants to expand the reach of it's top division.

We could wait for "organic" growth, from the grass roots up but, we are already miles behind Union and we do need a method if increasing the number of playing nations.

Still going strong empty head ,answer me the question you always avoid is this the same Toulouse that imploded with less than 500 fans the last time?so what's changed now ,let's see if they get out the division there in and see how they go next year if they avoid the drop they will have done well oh have they any French players playing for them yet ?

As do London , Sheffield ,Huddersfield and Salford

But ?

By all means ' franchise ' , set the criteria and stick to it

But we know that doesn't happen

Exactly, I have a big issue with expanding super league outside of the UK when our priority should be other areas of England with Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The RFL just seem to go down the route of expanding globally which will do sod all to the remaining English clubs financially, do we really want a future super league with a portion of our season with no away fans.
My priority would promote and develop Superleague to the North East England, Midlands, Wales, Ireland, Scotland .................Not France, Canada, Antarctica etc.

How ?

By avoiding areas where other sports are competitive, the London guise had to compete with the football giants of Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea and the union equivalents of London Irish, Saracens, Harlequins. We created a a South Wales Team against the hot bed of Welsh Rugby Union, Salford really struggle for support against the likes of Man Utd and Man City.

Currently there are no "elite" sporting teams in the North East and the Midlands a 5 year plan should have been put in place to get clubs to Championship Level, the North Wales development should have been RFL financed properly to assist the future backers.

The only positive out of the 20+ years with London is that we did eventually get some super league quality players from the capital area. Maybe the RFL want 20+ years in France, Canada etc whilst our own domestic product eventually becomes a feeder league to the NRL, maybe the RFL are happy of the possible outcome that 90% of the England international side will be anonymous in super league because they are playing 10,000 miles away.

So much ignorance in one post that I barely know where to start...

For the record they get bigger crowds than almost all Championship clubs despite currently playing in a temporary home outside of Toulouse. Their squad (which knocked the Championship leaders out of the Cup incidentally) is majority French and the team that beat Keighley had an average age of 23 too. They're only going to get better



Oh sorry of course it's all an RFL conspiracy, send them back, develop Cumbria instead etc, etc,

So really , you like the rest of us , hasn't a clue