Due to Blackpools plight the SW Scropions have withdrew from the NRC this coming season in order to make the numbers work for the RFL... Someone not 100% what team will be due to Crusaders situation? www.scorpionsrl.com/article.php?id=3142 An additional community RL side will enter the challenge cup.

Due to Blackpools plight the SW Scropions have withdrew from the NRC this coming season in order to make the numbers work for the RFL... Someone not 100% what team will be due to Crusaders situation? www.scorpionsrl.com/article.php?id=3142 An additional community RL side will enter the challenge cup.

Let's hope it helps them to concentrate on their league + cup development.

I'm sure there's plenty of teams that would be "gracious enough" to withdraw from this comeptition to give them an advantage in the league

Would of thought after last season they'd of fancied their chances of a decent NRC this year, never mind lost revenue (unless RFL makes this up). With Champ one only at 10 sides next season, playoffs & cup latter rounds excluded, the NRC makes up 20% of the season... A pretty big chunk I'd say!

Most clubs at that level lose money on NRC games unless they get to the final

Are Toulouse in the Northern Rail Cup this season?

They are certainly planning to be.

I don't think it's a strong argument about Scorpions having to drop out to make way for Blackpool. Obviously an uneven number of teams means one team gets a bye weekend, which isn't ideal. The format has changed from year to year anyway with different numbers of groups etc. Last year there were two pools of 10, with no Toulouse and no S. Wales. Each club played 4 games in the pool and the top four went through. It's not like each team played every other team in the pool or anything, so uneven sized pools should be fine.

Travel costs (& time) are obviously a bigger issue for S. Wales than the other clubs.

Is it safe to assume that Scorpions are completely unaffected by the all the Crusaders problems? They are separate companies, with different owners?

They are unaffected of course.
As pointed out, they dont have any running costs in the off season like most clubs.
Ive got a feeling they could be one of the only clubs at that level to actually make some money

And Doncaster!

Well I have heard the Scorpions are coming together with the Crusaders to become Welsh Crusaders with fixtures to be shared between Wrexham and south Wales. Very good source within the game

?????

Well the welsh crusaders company has definitely been set up so there maybe some truth in the rumour

which means what exactly Uptoncat ?



TO13 certainly are in the NRC cos' the players are back in training in early december this year one month earlier than usual

just a general question to the forum ,naiive maybe ? - are NRC games included in the season ticket prices, or do the punters pay extra for these games ?

They usually have the two home group games included in season tickets but the rest is paying like normal cup game.

The Crusaders and Scorpions are clubs with two different owners, play at two different ends of the country and other than a few dual contracted players have separate playing squads.

How do people envisage they are going to come one and keep everybody happy? Another unfounded rumour I think.

Recent history suggests that this is of no concern to the RFL.

This is such a backward step. It would have given the Scorpions a real chance to test their mettle against some top Championship teams.

agreed,but it may be the best of all the options !

Why not allow another BARLA team to enter the NRC and gain experience and revenue from the venture.

Surley its detrimental to the scorpions revenue streams for them to pull out of this competition.

Not if they are on ' pay for play ' terms , most clubs lose money on the NRC matches , nobodies really that interested in it except season ticket holders till the knock out stages , then nobody wants to pay to attend , then you make the final , and that costs you money as the prize money usually goes to the players

I dont know why we bother really ?

Yeah. Rugby competitions, why have them?

Wowzers. This is worse than when United pulled out of the FA Cup in 2000.

They should have never been allowed back in...

To make money of course