Jean, why not develop the French league rather than having multiple teams in Super League?

Why do you show a lack of respect to teams like Featherstone, Halifax & Leigh?

Teams like pathetic Featherstone are a waste of time and should stop producing the talents such as;

Hardaker, Kirmond, Briscoe, Briscoe, Briscoe, Burrow, Ferguson, Whiting.

BTW - I don't believe there is any team in the Championship capable of running a Super League outfit. Just yet.

It keeps clubs ' Safe ' ?

It kills all below it, and some in it, a slow lingering death, but still a death

LICENSING... IS IT SAFE?

Eat heartily your breakfast, for tonight we dine in HELL

Because there aren't now enough French players nor enough French money to support a professional league in France. Even as a semi-pro league, the game is in deep trouble. The only way to produce more players and attract more French money is to have another professional club, a Super League club, based in Toulouse. Over time some of the juniors developed by Toulouse will join Toulouse SL team, and some will join the semi-pro Elite 1 competition. So it is a win-win situation for French rugby league.

As for English rugby league, the growth of France's player base will strengthen the French national team, and enable more competitive international contests, which the British public are more interested in than club contests. It will bring more fans to the grounds to watch the internationals, make TV companies more interested in paying more for TV rights, and thus increase the wealth of the game in Britain and France.



Because while these teams are useful in entertaining small local communities, and in producing a few talented players, they have no broad appeal to the British, or French, or international public. They cannot attract 10,000 fans regularly to their home games and thus cannot make a profit. They have no appeal to the general public in Britain or the rest of the world, so they will not attract major corporate sponsorship. In other words, they will not make it in Super League as viable businesses. Also they do nothing to the broader appeal of the Super League competition.

By contrast London, which is currently a failure, has the [ipossibility[/i of achieving success in terms of the criteria above. But to do so it needs new leadership and new management. Toulouse has much more chance of succeeding as a business, and in achieving appeal to sponsors, than most clubs currently in Super League. It is located in a dynamic growing city with lots of money, lots of rugby fans (some of whom were surely in the crowd at Toulouse last Saturday), and the rugby league club's application to SL has the support of the Mayor and the very popular rugby union club, [iStade Toulousain[/i.




I don't think that these clubs are a waste of time, as I have indicated above. They are just a waste of time being admitted to Super League, for the reasons that I have enunciated above.

Having been at the game in Toulouse this weekend, I have to question the crowd figures being given (12,000 and 14,800). I would guess that there were no more than 7,000 there and it seems to me that this is a giant promo exercise aimed at giving everyone the conception that Toulouse is this massive hotbed waiting to get into Super League. There was a huge banner at one end of the ground proclaiming them ready for Super League 2015. Add to this the fact that umpteen thousand freebies/flags etc were given to kids for this game, I would argue that the attendance was quite average to be fair. In the centre of town there is a shop selling rugby union gear, yet never saw any rugby league gear anywhere for sale.

If not being promoted to a league you are completely unsuitable for gives you a slow lingering death. You are already dead, and as such should probably be a bit quieter.

11 pages without someone saying they can guess more accurately than the club can count tickets. Is this an RLFans record?

Heck by the looks of it half the super league teams arnt capable of running a super league outfit.

Toulouse couldnt hack it in the championship, They were whipping boys and won nothing, brought nothing to the competition other than expansion, They pulled out, Rather than try to address the their issues, just pulled out and thought, lets just wait for the RFL to give us the Nod. Where will Toulouse find the players for SL, The vast Majority of quality is already going to Australia and will continue to do so, Will Toulouse not just dilute the player pool even more as they would certainly end up with Over the hill antipodians and no doubt a larger quoter for the first few years. They should be no different to anybody else, Just await the new restructure and see what happens, when they end up in SL2 and still get beaten week in week out the novelty will soon wear off. Maybe not for Jean Capdouze but for the majoirty of Toulouse fans it will happen.

Wasn't helped by having the smallest budget, and most clueless coach in the competition.

Nor by a smaller salary than other French teams, or having to fly part-time French players over to small northern towns. Toulouse in the championships didn’t work. But Toulouse in SL is a different proposition.

Im interested to know who all these players Fax or Fev would bring in to compete if not over-the hill aussies, because their current squads would be embarrassed.

What does the destination matter?! Is Leigh suddenly further from Manchester Airport than Wigan? Is Featherstone further than Hull?!

No but, its a fair bit less enticing for a part-time player to take time off from their actual job, or even leave their actual job. Making it more difficult for Toulouse to attract the best French players. A different proposition than Toulouse in SL.

Just saying like. Where you there? I was, my eyesights pretty good, and having seen how they tried to promote this particular game and their motives, I would tend to go with my thoughts thanks very much.

You are free to believe what you want, as I am free to go with the official figure and in the absence of any evidence ignore your guess, and treat with the respect a guess would deserve.

Should Toulouse want to make progress to Super League, They should go through the same process as everyone else. And earn it, May take a pro-active backer to put a few quid in to get them promoted in the new structure, But if they are serious thats what will be needed, If they earn their place. Nobody would complain.

From what I read of the new proposals, The top 12 teams for 2015. Would be those who finished in the top 12 next season, And to me. If the RFL quite bluntly say P & R in whatever fashion is coming back in, Whether the league splits or whatever, But you have to avoid the bottom 2 to stay in SL - Everyone will do their all to survive.

At Cas, We run on a shoestring budget, And focus on blooding youth into our side, I am very sure that we wouldn't be in the bottom 2 under Daryl Powell, But if we looked in danger with 10-12 weeks to go, Well then the club would have the choice, Bring in more quality, or go down.

Toulouse would therefore need to beat teams like Featherstone to promotion.

For me, France represents the future for Super League if we are looking for growth. Towns like Toulouse, Carcassonne and Avignon are ripe for 7,000-10,000 averaging sides and commercial opportunities would rise with their inclusion. These places are popular with tourists and are respected and well renowned.

Toulouse is a very competitive sporting market but it seems there is interest in a Rugby League side there.

I was in Leigh yesterday and my god it was on it's knees. Full of down and outs and really quite a depressing environment. I don't suppose Featherstone and the like are any different. Untapped French towns and cities are very attractive for all parties in my opinion and would lead to a varied and dynamic Super League (however it may look).

Yeah and figures are never made up are they, Even under instructions from the RFL. What evidence would you require ?. Oh yes published figures. Seriously you really are

but carry on, as you were.

Detroitcat, In my opinion, you are bang on, Everyone should have to do exactly the same irrelevant of whoever you are or whereever you are. They couldnt do it in the championship so why should they say, Oh, but thats a different scenario, we would do it in SL. So could many other championship clubs. As soon as they are back in SL then the gates would increase massivly, as would sponsorship and everything else.

Toulouse had a crap coach and had to have part time players traveling every other week. I dont understand this point, surely the coach is down to the club and attracting the right coach, and as for getting the team together, the player would know what they were signing up for and which competition they would be in. No Excuse.

Why would they need to beat teams like Fev to promotion and not teams like Avignon? And Why do Toulouse have to beat teams like Fev to promotion but teams like Fev don’t need to beat teams like Lezignan?

Fair enough, you are right, we should ignore any official figures and listen to ‘some guy on the internet’ as it is a well know fact that ‘some guy on the internet’ is by far the most trustworthy of sources.

Perhaps the CC, with its lower revenue streams, isn't a viable option for a French club but, SL is a different proposition.
The inclusion of Toulouse comes down to whether people want the game to expand and be strong in France or, whether we prefer to be insular, protected in our very own northern cocoon.
The French could of course be left to their own devices and in another 10,15,20 years we could all bang on about there being no decent opposition for England (or Great Britain) to play and what a poor international calendar there is etc, etc.
Of course there will be a direct impact on some clubs but, the way things are shaping up, it may be a straight swap, Toulouse for London.

Believe what you like Smokey, however, I do not need to make any figures up they do not affect Hull K R. The RFL however, and their French counterparts, are quite susceptible to the odd bit of propaganda and bull story. The choice is yours.