Did you enjoy your meal Frank.

Yeh was smashing. Prawns to start then Bangers and Mash (free range naturally) with a jus can't translate that Ian been away too long.

Bottle of Red then coffee and carrot cake and then my companion asked me to marry her.I am OK now though.

Doors locked.

Whens the stag do Frank.

Well there was a 20 minute delay between the bill arriving and me getting my credit card out.

Must have been that. I think women are attracted to generous good looking men who look very gauche' dress stylishly' have a waspish tongue a confident air and a certain magnetism.

Well thats that it is difficult being on a fixed income.

To generous you are Frank.

Meaningless friendlies do me a favour, 10,000 Brits travelled to Aus on the last 'proper' tour. Speak to league legends how much those friendlies meant. The most succesful world cup was pre SL in 95, 33,000 on watching England vs Fiji at Central Park. Your heroes cant even get 24,000 to the DW play Australia.

Dont doubt your stats on RU participation or the social aspect, but what I don know the pinnacle of RU is the international game ours is an after thought.

And yes if Chris Ashton could have received more money off Wigan and gone on to play in structured meaningful internationals he may well have stayed around in league a little longer. In fact had he had a coach who prepared young British talent than overseas journeymen he might have still stayed a little longer. Ask him you may be surprised with his answer.

Only 1 major RL event in the last 3 years has sold out, and you say the Premier leagues of Union and Football look on in envy, I believe you millions wouldnt!!

and as for royalty marrying in to Union, I bet young Zara wouldnt mind a ride on Jon Wilkin

Sorry W71, but I have to pick you up on a phrase you used "work in the best interests of the game". The problem is not one of the 14 clubs who take a huge percentage of the money in our game will ever put 'the interests of the game' in front of the interests of their respective pockets

Canberra Raiders vs England A won't pull much of a crowd. Much of the problem lies in Oz. We wanted a 16 team world cup. They wanted 12, at most, and don't really want that. They've not much interest in playing anyone bar NZ and England in full internationals. If they thought for a moment a GB tour would make money, they'd be on it, but they don't and they aren't.

We've pushed for the home nations to play independently so that we can build an international game. THe RFL get slated for propping up Crusaders, and for supporting Les Cats, SW Scorpions and Tolouse, but if we could bring France and Wales up to the level of NZ and England, we'll be on a winner. Ireland and Scotland have further to go, but I guarantee you the RFL would like nothing more than a broad and competitive international comp.

Did you know its a priority for the RFL to have 40 nations with RL recognised as an official sport? Hence the development in Jamaica, Canada, USA, Serbia, Czech, Saudi, Lebanon, and so on.






You're mixing stuff here... soccer has the Football Association, the Football League, and the Premier League, all pulling in different ways, and all under the juristriction of UEFA, and then FIFA. The RFU has a similar, separate English Premier Rugby to deal with, and has complex relationships with its clubs, international sevens, and international 15's squad, again with the IRB and the other home nations dictating terms.

Both would love an effective salary cap to offer some kind of control over their clubs' finances... look how soccer struggles with its 'it and proper persons' tests, but it still cant stop the Glazers, Abramovic, Hicks and Gilette, Learner, and the Sheiks coming in and pushing everyone towards bankruptcy to compete.

Union has a salary cap, much bigger than ours... on the one hand, it's not big enough to stop players heading over to France, but on the other it's so big that clubs are constantly putting themselves in financial strife. I'm wondering how long it is before Bristol go bankrupt again, at the moment. They look on our three-year-planning in SL with envy, too.
















Quite right. Exactly my point. The clubs that happen to be on an upward roll now, are keen to make sure they always stay there. But it's never worked like that. Remember when we were Champions and Wigan were in Div 2? When Hull got relegated? When Bradford went out of business? When Salford were the glamour club ?!!?

The strength of the game doesn't depend on one or other club being successful... hence in another thread I've said not to mix Wakey's misfortunes with the game itself being in strife.

But the clubs doing well, only act in their own interests. If the RFL had all the power, I'd bet that we'd have two full time divisions and a proper pyramid structure of a wholly summer sport. But the clubs run themselves, and the SL clubs control the distribution of the SL revenues, including sponsorship and tv rights. It's the clubs, too, who fritter it away and come cap-in-hand to the profitable RFL if it goes wrong.

I'd disagree with your 2 full time divisions Joe , it seems to me they are doing all they can to put as much ' air ' between the top two tiers of the sport as they can , they seem to lack any understanding of the sport at Championship level , I know I am repeating myself again , but it seems to be a recurring theme when I see what they do

I am truly dreading this announcement in march with the restructuring of the sport at our level , the Championships are competitive , if they change it either by making one big league or introducing licensing between them they will spoil it

If SL is 14 clubs, why cant both Championship leagues also be 14 clubs each?

Get a team from Scotland and Ireland in Champ 1.

Given crowds in Champ 1 I do not think either a Scottish club or an Irish one is viable.

quite agree about the irish & scots but he has a point,why not 14 clubs in each Championship league ?

until the RFL funding was reduced so as not to upset the other \chasmpionship 1 owners and fans

great idea,let's do it !

Have we forgotten Mansfiled Marksmen already?

Were they funded by the RFL in a competition with a salary cap and a non promotion clause ?

With a higher dual registration allowance and a reasonable overseas quota for 5/6 years things might have been different

Have we forgotten that until then Sheffield was outside the RL area? Mansfield were badly run, Sheffield had Gary Hetherington. Nuff said.

Now you are upsetting me Joe