Exactly, thats why, for the RFL, this would still be a huge decision for Toulouse entering SL and be more leaning towards a safer option , so people are really over reacting. But i do understand, the supporters of clubs prying there eyes on entering, dont want Toulouse at the table, even for consideration. (where does, "for the good of the game" come into it )

I say, the RFL has made a big blunder here today for the long term future of the 2nd French SL Franchise, French Rugby League and the International future of our sport ! . shame

They backed down today, saying it was an error, well i think it was in their game plan all along, but it was leaked out accidentally by one of their own staff.

The RFL should be looking at the overall business plan, NOT on a grandfinal apprearance after 2 years in the League and should have pubicised this from the start, as all the above is at risk to TGG .
cheers
Dave

Quote ="spooneryork"icon_smile.gif The RFL are only making it a level playing field. Toulouse don't play in the NRC. So straight away they are at a massive disadvantage. It's only fair they have a level playing field.'" FYI, whilst on the subject of level playing fields. Aren't Toulouse exempt from relegation for three seasons? Having finished in a relegation spot last season, they are still playing in Championship One this season - thus enjoying a second chance to compete for a shot at a Grand Final appearance. Sort of compensates for not being allowed into the NRC, what! Bit more of a level playing field when you look past the end of your nose isn't it? www.therfl.co.uk/championship/pa ... areaid=235 HTH Don't even get me started on Fev & Batley .

Quote ="spooneryork"icon_smile.gif The RFL are only making it a level playing field. Toulouse don't play in the NRC. So straight away they are at a massive disadvantage. It's only fair they have a level playing field.'" FYI, whilst on the subject of level playing fields. Aren't Toulouse exempt from relegation for three seasons? Having finished in a relegation spot last season, they are still playing in Championship One this season - thus enjoying a second chance to compete for a shot at a Grand Final appearance. Sort of compensates for not being allowed into the NRC, what! Bit more of a level playing field when you look past the end of your nose isn't it? www.therfl.co.uk/championship/pa ... areaid=235 HTH Don't even get me started on Fev & Batley .

Well aware of that, thanks. Fortunately my business trip to France was cancelled by the air traffic controllers strike anyway. The weather wasn't anywhere near that bad in Toulouse and it didn't seem to affect the football club's crowd too much. Suspect the last minute re-arrangement had just as much of an effect on the attendance.

Best ever Reverse Ferret by the RFL. Not sure why they bothered though.

Maybe I'm giving the RFL a bit too much credit here, but does anyone think that maybe the Toulouse comments have been a bit misunderstood?

We all know the RFL have said there is one guaranteed place for a Championship club - to apply for this guaranteed place, the club has to have appeared in a GF or won the Northern Rail cup.

Today it has come out that Toulouse are also going to apply for a SL place. The Last Tackle article and people on here have automatically assumed they are on about applying for this guaranteed place.

Just because there is only one guaranteed place does not mean that the RFL will not accept SL licence applications from clubs who do not meet the playing performance criteria. Maybe what Toulouse mean is that regardless of whether they meet the playing performance criteria, they will apply anyway. Obviously if Toulouse meet the criteria it makes it easier for the RFL to accept their application and reject any others, meaning that only one SL club has to come out of SL. Until the RFL comment further however, maybe today's news just means what we knew already - that Toulouse will put in an application. As things stand the RFL have not said anything other than one place is guaranteed to those clubs who meet the playing performance criteria.

If by the end of this year, there are still only 3 Championship clubs that meet the playing performance criteria (Widnes, Barrow and Halifax), there was never just going to be 3 clubs outside SL who were going to apply. Obviously the likes of Whitehaven, Toulouse and Featherstone were always going to apply and IMO there is no more reason to assume Toulouse will be in SL now than there was before this news come out.

Of course I could be wrong and maybe the RFL have lied or changed the rules, but hopefully the RFL will clear things up.

If you don't meet the playing criteria you can't even hand in an application.

Not wanting to agree with a chemic fan but this is how i read the statements originally and how i always expected it to work and how i have said it would work

that one place was guaranteed to the clubs who qualified through the performance criteria but other clubs could apply as they did in 2009.

any other way and had other clubs won the qualifying criteria who didnt want to apply would end up being guaranteed an SL place they didnt want.

And what would happen if for instance Barrow didnt apply and three clubs in SL were relegated?

Yes they should if we are having a true franchise system , but then how do you convince 10,000 regular , around 20,000 potential supporters of the bigger non SL clubs to bother supporting their teams , if it comes down to baby changing facilities and location ?

Those fans need a reason to support , all those clubs have sat at the top of the big table , they all have history , they all have ambition

You can say " We want the Championship to be a vibrant worth winning in it's own right competition " all you want , it still wont make it one , we had promotion via the on pitch performance for decades , it cannot be replaced by words

Franchising does not work in this country , when will they learn

i'm now trying to decide if the fact that the RFL "got it wrong" about their own criteria and have been forced to issue an apology is worse than if the original story had been true.........

Moan moan moan

Nope , not me , I said either just put them in , or have them play a season of friendlies over here in 2011 as preparation , but declare exactly what you are going to do , grow some balls , take the flak , answer the questions , state your case

But while you are doing that get your aris in gear with money time effort and some imagination to make the Championships the comp it needs to be , what did we get , 250 grand a year to easyjet and the Nothern rail 9 's

marvelous

You love it!

The fact that after one year you are making conclusions tells us what we need to know about your reasoning

From the RFL website press release 3 Sep 2008, quoting Chief Executive Nigel Wood:

"It has also been agreed that in the event that Toulouse wish to make an application to compete in engage Super League in 2012, the clubs must satisfy the same on-field performance criteria as other Co-operative National League clubs and appear in a Grand Final in either 2009 or 2010.

In 2009, in order to allow for existing contractual commitments, Toulouse will be allowed to field five overseas players in their first team squad. This will decrease to two players in 2010 which the RFL believes is the appropriate and fair level for the club to operate at."

Of course, the "existing contractual commitments" bit was a little at odds with reality.

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I've never seen such a bunch of moaning idiots as RL fans, honestly. No wonder we are so far behind RU in terms of profile, media coverage and geographical spread. Sometimes I wonder whether the 'fans' of the sport actually deserve it.

Not according to the RFL statement:

=#0000FFToulouse do need to appear in the 2010 Co-operative Championship Grand Final to earn the right to apply for a Super League licence from the 2012 season onwards.

Simples.

There is no relegation anymore. Where have you been?

well i can only hope they change it again,

seems a fairly silly restriction

sorry demoted

Yes, after 2012. Maybe.

tb taught me

Which the RFL then allowed Toulouse to circumnavigate for 2010 as they still have all those 5 players , sneaky eh

What intrigues me about all this - is how did this "mistake" come out in the first place. Did League Express contact the RFL and ask a random question about Toulouse and their eligibility for a franchise - if so, what triggered this? Any knowledgeable RL fan would already know that the RFL had previously said Toulouse had to make the GF to be eligible. Were they tipped off?

Or was it that the RFL got in touch with League Express - if so, why, wouldn't the proper channels be a press release? Perhaps they wanted to leak the story, see what the reaction was and then issue a denial saying it was all a big mistake. The only problem was that Toulouse didn't play along with their little game.

Or am I giving the RFL too much credit - either way they are a bunch of incompetent fools.

Richard Lewis (foreground, fifth left-with woman in red)

Nigel Wood (background, dark matter behind the right hand tree)



I knew it.

Told you it was a storm in a teacup. Just because the Toulouse Chairman or whoever he is was saying this that and the other didn't make it true. I know a lot of people don't trust the RFL, but I don't think they are stupid enough to completely contradict statements that they make regarding massive issues such as SL licencing. Richard Lewis said that having Toulouse in the Championship would be beneficial to the Championship because it allowed a better comparison between Toulouse and the Championship clubs.

As I said before and Smokey has said, it make sense to allow Toulouse to apply for SL, but for any Championship clubs that don't meet the playing performance criteria, they would only only get a place after any guaranteed places have been decided.

At the end of the day, the RFL have issued threats to several SL clubs so why restrict the applications to only a small number?