www.to13.com/le-to-en-route-vers-langleterre/

www.to13.com/le-to-en-route-vers-langleterre/

Good luck to them. I'll give it 6 months before they declare their return to the French league. Hope not, because it is a better away trip than Perpignan.

Well League 1 is going to be interesting! A local derby between Toulouse and Canada!

will they last this time?

let's hope so

Great news.
As meast says, hope it works out this time!

Good news for the sport. I understand there would have been cries of unfairness if they were put in the Championship, but seems unreasonable for the RFL to put together a squad only worth £400,000 in wages, that is willing to travel to the UK every other weekend.

Will we ever see a French Superleague.

Will the RFL be funding the travel costs of the League 1 clubs when the money could be spent elsewhere?

Why are the RFL trying to raise the standards of French rugby when the English national side requires further improvement?

Catalans have been in Super League for many years and the French national side have still not reached the required standard to provide 'high intensity' opposition.

We should be attempting to spread the rugby league footprint further in the UK rather than operating in France and giving an opportunity for the suits to enjoy a junket.

I agree. We should be putting teams from the South, London and Wales into League 1.

Are you being ironic?

No. There will never be enough interest from French TV to pay for it sadly. Just like we'll never see a NZ nrl.

Because of the crippling effects of the salary cap upon Toulouse's aspirations, it is essential that the club is able to find well paid part time employment for as many players as possible in the Toulouse club and the French Federation.

I think that Toulouse has to do what is necessary to win the League One competition in 2016, and then take its place among the top Championship clubs in 2017.

They'll go well as a reserve grade for the Dragons.

Really hope they make a go of it this time around.

There are more French players in SL than I've ever seen before, and the quality in the younger players coming through at catalan seems to be improving year on year. We might not have seen that filter through to the national side yet, but it has to have an impact in time. The vast majority of these players wouldn't be in SL without a French presence.

Glad they are coming in at Champ 1 level. What's the salary cap in league 1? I seem to remember clubs had the opportunity to spend an additional £100k if they could prove they could afford it - which I assume Toulouse could. Can they be competitive against the lower championship clubs when the split occurs? I know the championship salary cap is £1M but i assume those at the bottom of the championship are no where near spending that?

I believe that it is £400,000.

Doubt any of the heartland clubs are worried about Toulouse's inclusion, though ofcourse that depends on what sort of shenanighans go on in terms of loan/dual reg and "exceptions to the rules"!

In fact if I owned Oldham, York or any of those clubs, the travelling costs would be my biggest concern, though I guess they're a concern for Skolars, Hemel, Cov' and Souths too!

I wish you did own York. Anyone but the egotistical idiot currently in charge. Well anyone but him and Marwan.
If only travelling costs were York's biggest concern. Travelling to the likes of Coventry is probably cheaper than York playing at home at the moment.

Oh come on!

You know as well as I do the finances in RL are rock solid!

We were told do by " the esteemed leaders" that the SKY deal was the greatest thing ever and that everyone would benefit.

Why anyone should doubt this is beyond me!

Once again, what on earth are you on about?

This guy gets it!

*High five*

Really short sighted by the people at the RFL.

Toulouse are double the size than all clubs in lg1 and as big as some top champ clubs.

Yet by putting them in lg1 they will again see Toulouse be crippled by losing players to a decrease in the salary cap and travelling expenses.

Only way it would work is to do what Catalans were able to do and give them a SL place with a full time professional squad and a chance to find top sponsors and a TV deal to fund the club.

Good on Toulouse for giving a go again

I don't know, what is Toulouse' current wage bill? Can't see them spending £400,000 as is, so why would they be having a salary cut!

I find it weird that in 2006 the took a massive gamble to include Catalan into SL without any way of knowing how it would turn out. With no prior club from the south of France ever playing in English club rugby and the only other French club being a disaster.

Yet fast forward ten years they are only willing to let Toulouse into the third tier even with Catalan being nothing but a complete success story. And Toulouse arguably have everything you would think to even surpass Catalans successes

I'm sure the RFL doesn't think it ideal. In an ideal world, they'd go straight into the Championship. But imagine the cries of "queue-jumping" from English RL fans! Not least on here! I suppose the RFL is following the path of least resistance, and trying to keep everyone (more or less) sweet.