And they got 6 wins in 23 regular rounds in 2017. Better win ratio than some currently have.

For me it had to be Toulouse, then London then York - Choosing Leigh just makes a mockery of the sport and people on the outside must be laughing at the state of the game. Leigh have signed some reasonable players but they'll still finish bottom and likely go down again

I know Toulouse would be a risk with the ongoing Covid issues but they were the only chance in helping the game grow not just Super League but French RL too - they should of been given the nod and then no relegation with another side coming in next year till we get to 14 teams

I remember Leigh v Leeds at Wembley 1970s Challenge cup final, Alex Murphy and Syd Hynes tangling, Syd was the first player sent off in a Challenge cup final at Wembley, Alex won the Lance Todd trophy as Leigh won the final, 80,000 plus fans that day. I was a teenager, and Leigh always gave Hull a hard game, when we encountered them.

Their town and fans are entrenched in rugby league folklore, they will bring more supporters than Toulouse or London, as I said whoever they decided on, was fine by me, just don’t get the negativity because one of the traditional teams have been chosen.

Playing in winter and players being part time and spending most of the week darn t'pit is also entrenched in rugby league folklore, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

Typical of those running the sport that we chuck out Toronto and any chance of the sport taking off in Ottawa or New York and instead bring in another team from a town in northern England.

Hopefully Leigh are relagated next season and we see either London or Toulouse in Super League in 2022.

Thinking it through, they may have given it to Leigh as Covid could still affect the first half of the season and Toulouse would have brought extra complications with travel, just like Cats did recently.

Toulouse might be a have a good chance of promotion, so would be better placed for Super League in 2022 when travel is easier.

If Leigh have funds, they may now be looking to pay a nice transfer fee for a marque International Second Row forward within easy commuting distance of their ground!?!

Toronto bid ..."“As part of our comprehensive investigation into this whole subject , Super League appointed an independent committee of sports industry experts, with representation from The RFL, to examine commercial opportunities for rugby league in Canada.
“Its findings were unanimous - that operating a team in a fiercely competitive North American sports market was non-strategic and added no material incremental revenue to Super League in the short or medium term.

Not what I'd call "chucking out".

Lol I’ll take Haddock & Chips, and a pint of Tetley,

You can keep your escargot and flat eight quid lager, while you sit facing empty stadiums, lording how much of an expansionist you are.

So they accept a team within ten miles of three other Super League clubs and within twenty miles of four Premier League football clubs.

You could pretty much say the same about 4 of the other applicants.
Toulouse is 900 miles away, a crazy and pointless distance to travel, a bit like Catalans and Toronto.

What are you hoping for? A team from Lancashire, a team from Yorkshire, and the rest spread across the globe?

Just not sure on this one to be honest. I thought York were probably the best option for me. The stumbling block for Toulouse I think was probably the current Covid situation and any possible disruption that could cause to the new season. London again another club who I’d have had in before Leigh to be honest.
Just think York, Toulouse or London had more to offer the game as a whole than Leigh.

Very deflated. I'm not clear why they didn't just go for an 11 team SL this season, as that would have meant 1 team could be on 'standby' each week to help with Covid disruption, more SKY money could have been spread amongst the 11.

The Championship clubs could have then been told making the playoffs this season was a mandatory requirement and that making, and then winning the Grand Final added a lot of points to their score.

Leigh may have a good ground but theyve added nothing to SL on their previous 2 appearances, I seem to recall low crowds at the KCOM for all games against them, the general public aren't interested in a small suburb of Wigan.

It seems London are planning to move to Wimbledon's new ground, which while it looks a very nice 9k stadium that is another long move across the city and they've struggled with that before. They make fans in one bit of London then move a big travel distance away. Ealing is a small ground that does a low cost job but I think they'd be better moving to Wimbledon and then seeing how that is going for a few years before they return to SL.

That was conditional on them getting a SL place, don't think they will move now.

The Sun yesterday..

London is one of six sides in the running to replace Toronto Wolfpack in the top flight.

"Now SunSport has learned they will up sticks from their current Ealing base and move to the Dons' new home for 10 years if they get the nod at noon tomorrow."

As the panel was made up of educated people, I don't think they thought our location was something that we could do much about.

Always thought RFL should of invested in a Cumbrian franchise personally, would be good for the game having a Cumbrian team in super league IMO

My wife being a Cumbrian born lass would support that. Only sport she watches is SL with no interest in NRL or International matches.

A complete fanbase of one then. A Cumbrian team without roots in one particular town is another idealistic pipe dream that will not work. The thought that Cumbrians would support a team purely because it bore the county title is laughable.

Actually in the days of mooted forced mergers, and the streamlining of the rugby league, the idea of merging Workington, Barrow, & Whitehaven was discussed with great fervour, if I remember correctly there was a great reluctance between these clubs to entertain these ideas, with feelings running as high as a merger between the Hull clubs.

A shame that these rugby league towns in Cumbria who still produce players of quality, are not involved in Super league.

Yeah, such a shame, I mean, the teams offered s.... hang on, pit villages or defunct derelict towns. Toulouse or Whitehaven... let me think

Gareth Carvell is our new 'Head of Rugby'.

I'm looking forward to Bradford joining Leigh in SL, for obvious reasons.

Carlisle were also involved in that proposed merger to form a team called Cumbria with it's home ground at Workington.

Incidentally Workington Town had some great players when I first started watching the game in the 40's. Gus Risman, Billy Ivison and Tony Paskins readily spring to mind and the team had success in the early 50's. While in the 50's the great Hull team of that era had 3 players that became legends at the club and played for Cumberland in county games against Lancashire and Yorkshire.

Hi Freddie, coincidentally Hulls historian Bill Dalton, has just done an article on one of Hulls great Cumbrian players Robert “Bob” Taylor, it’s on the clubs website now, Bob was born in Barrow, and it’s a nice read.

Hi rider great article on Bob Taylor. Brought back memories of when I was a boy and my grandad would tell me stories about Bob, how he would gallop along with players hanging off him. Long time ago mind ( I'm 62)

Barrow was in Lancashire then so played for Lancashire in County matches. He was one of my dad's favourite players being a GB and England second row forward. My dad compared him to Harry Markham who was a favourite of mine in the 40's and early 50's.