No

Don't be so patronising

Its not established in that area for a very good reason = no-one is interested.

And the smart alec swipe about hundred years is a bit cheap - how long have teams in the north east been playing the game? I believe that South Shields had a team in the 2nd division from 1902 and Newcastle had a team in the same division from 1936. I also believe there have been teams come and go at regular intervals since then. You can hardly blame heartlands clubs for the game not taking off in certain areas.

Obviously fans from clubs like Gateshead will say they want extra Aussies - they've all seen the Celtic model and how desperate the RFL are to get teams in from different areas.

I know a lot of people don't like football, but I just don't see what the problem is with everyone playing to the same rules and just let the teams get on with it. Same applies for the salary cap, surely the cap just restricts growth and possibly hinders development - I mean how many youngsters possibly have turned away from the game because the wage prospects are far better in other sports such as football and union (not to mention regular bog standard jobs as well). The big argument against not having a salary cap is about the same teams winning every year - doesn't seem to harm the premier league footie does it? By all means have a % of income cap to stop teams spending more than they can afford but apart from that, let teams sign who they want, pay them as much as they want and let the strongest teams take centre stage. After all, all of the nurturing and and encouragement and money ploughed into certain clubs, has the game ever really took off in Wales, the north east, possibly even London? With a level playing field we'd soon find out. Thats not to say they wouldn't do well, but at least they would have earned it playing to the same rules as everyone else.

As Wigan have shown in football, a bit of investment can go a long way. The opposite is true in rugby though - Widnes have someone who is prepared to invest heavily in the club, but with a strict quota and salary cap, how can he set Widnes aside from the rest of the clubs in the division? The lowering of the salary cap in the Championship could turn the division into a bit of a lottery, like the NRL - which is fine apart from the fact that promotion and relegation still exisits. Next year Batley could finish top and Widnes bottom - is a lottery the best way of finding out which clubs will be allowed to apply for SL next time round? Leigh are another - its quite obvious that they want to make a big push next year, surely they won't be able to keep the players they have signed if they go down with the lower salary cap in the Championship 1 - if Leigh can afford them and players want to go there, why not let them? The concept of artificially restricting teams is totally bonkers.

I don't know. How many?

Absolutley top notch video!

I really hope so

Quote ="bowes"No'" really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i

Quote ="bowes"No'" really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" It think he meant that its been called off due to the credit crunch. hopefully they can sort something out for the season after.

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" It think he meant that its been called off due to the credit crunch. hopefully they can sort something out for the season after.

well if the plan has changed, im not sure that there will be a change in the make up of the leagues for what would be just one season,

the uneveness was just a stop gap before another team entered, and the team to even it up was supposed to be the scottish one

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" If there was do you not think something would have been said about it since that article in February?

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" If there was do you not think something would have been said about it since that article in February?

knowing RL, not really!

but my point wasnt that there would be a scottish/irish team in there, simply that that was the plan,

hence the uneven league for what was supposed to be one year, and these ideas put forward on here are based on the premise that there was no rhyme or reason behind the uneven leagues, there was, and probably still is a plan to put in a scottish/irish team within the next 2-3 years and that would even up the league

Iv'e never ever heard of a RL game being a 'good laugh' before.Seeing a quaity stand up comedian live in concert is a good laugh or watching a 3 stooges film,but a game of RL?How odd.

If it was going to happen, they'd have announced it months ago.

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" Bordeaux were supposed to join SL in 1997 and Hearts, Walsall and Dublin were being lined up for 1998, along with dozens of similar proposed teams never materialising (Crystal Palace were meant to have a pro side as were many other soccer sides in the 80s, along with the SL early years hysteria)

Quote ="SmokeyTA"really? www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague ... 31231.html [iDavid McNeil claimed the new-look Scotland Rugby League Limited was established last year to build on Scotland's successful World Cup qualification and to oversee the entry of a Scottish club in the RFL's semi-professional Championship One for the 2010 season. [/i [iMeanwhile, Scottish champions Edinburgh Eagles - favourites to land a place in the Championship - are aiming to line up alongside the league's semi-professional clubs when they take on Leeds Metropolitan University in the second round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup on Sunday[/i'" Bordeaux were supposed to join SL in 1997 and Hearts, Walsall and Dublin were being lined up for 1998, along with dozens of similar proposed teams never materialising (Crystal Palace were meant to have a pro side as were many other soccer sides in the 80s, along with the SL early years hysteria)

So we will end up with clubs missing weeks again for the forseeable future and the subsequent problems that brings

All because we have Toulouse in to prepare for SL

Marvelous

With tonights result at Fax if all three clubs fighting relegation win then Leigh will be relegated from 9 th position with Toulouse in 10 th

Deserved if thats how it works out but still not quite right IMO

Don't disagree but will only make sense

when the RFL admit that top team at the end of the league season are the champions of their respective league and that relegation is the reward for failure!

However the RFL dosn't think like that.

The ONLY TRUE CHAMPIONS in pro league in GB are Dewsbury!! All the rest have to play a knock out to prove the "Champions" and that is just a joke IMO.

Knockout is the Challenge Cup and Northern Rail Cup (which in itself is a hotch potch).

Will have to have a chuckle if Leigh go down. Can see them pinching a bonus point to stay up though.

Thanks mate, bet you're a Latics bottle chucker





We will only stay up by virtue of a bonus point if Batley lose at Fev by more than 12.

By god I'm nervous, but I certainly wouldn't have it any other way. With the highs of promotion, come the lows of relegation. As one of us, Batley and Gateshead will be distraught at 4:40pm, Dewsbury and the play-off winners will be ecstatic at moving up.

By the way, Dewsbury aren't the only true champions; Leigh reserves are as well

I think if Tolouse finish in a relegation position they should be given a reprieve. That way they could be fasttracked into Super League in 2012, and the game will be much much better as a result.

You should stick to the footy , Toulouse are except from relegation

We all knew Toulouse could finish in bottom 2 in their 1st ever season in this comp - so why make such a big deal if it happens. They get 3 years exemption as agreed by their entry - simples.
What actually annoys me is the Championship has 10 teams who can get relegated at start of season and 2 out of that 10 will. Its absolutely crazy to do this. Don't care about "keeps us interested" because 5 teams going down would do this for more clubs too but it wouldn't be right of course.
If we escape the relegation I would still think this. Also it devalues the Championship that 2 teams can come up from C1.

again, not the point i was making,

which was, when the format for these leagues was decided, it was done on the basis that another team would be admitted from scotland or ireland within a year,

whether this happens or not isnt relevant, because it would still be the reason why the rfl decided on this format of league,

now the scottish/irish team may not happen next year, it may not happen the year after, it may now be planned for 2011 or 2012 or 2013 or 2015, it doesnt matter,

what does matter is, that unless the rfl have given up on this idea, the format probably wont change because it would needlessly change the system, knowing it will need to be changed again in a couple of years

I can live with the 2 from 10 , what I dont like or accept is a team having a direct effect on other clubs futures when they dont have an effect on that clubs future

Stick them in and they play everybody but those results dont count , not perfect but at least more fairer than what we have had

Sport is meant to be a contest , not a lottery