Can't see what it does for anyone. Time to knock it on the head.

Why? Toulouse have made it to the semis & Catalans to the final in recent years & Lezignan can be proud of thier win on Saturday

ignore the troll.

I genuinely can't see the benefits.

Funny, you didn't seem to make the same comments last year when Lezignan, Pia and Toulouse all made round four having beaten NL1 & NL2 opposition.

I've never started a thread on it before, but I've had my doubts on this issue for a while. Many RL Francophiles including Harry Edgar and Mike Rylance have expressed these concerns. I believe our own Cliff Spracklen may have too, although he may wish to correct me.

If we could get a Treize Tournoi type thing going, nobody would miss LER clubs in the Challenge Cup.

Never saw you at Keighley when Toulouse were turning over the Cougars last year, by the way.

Well no, you wouldn't have done. I wasn't there. I opted to go to Sheffield-Lezignan instead.

HTH

If you're making the French travel in the third round, no matter what, then it's value begins to diminish and if we did have a regular tournament between leading semi-pro British clubs and the top LER sides, perhaps it would represent duplication of effort.
From a personal point of view, these two games I went to this week were the highlight of my season so far and, frankly, I'd like to see more of the LER clubs against British opposition. It's the only way the LER is going to improve.

I'd say let the French teams stay, its something different to see.

You might as well say the ameteur teams shouldn't compete or the league teams as in reality and with no malice towards any lower league team they aint going to win the cup.

I agree, despite one being of dubious quality in dire conditions and the other a complete walkover, I still enjoyed seeing different styles of Rugby and different players, these things could still be acceived with a "treize Tournoi" comp, but in al honesty would you pit LER clubs against average Championship clubs or top C1 clubs, as, to me it seems that the LER clubs are no better than C1 clubs, being brutally honest.

In having a comp with such unfashionable teams in, a comp I might add that few clubs would want in all honesty.
you would imagine a "Treize Tounoi" comp would attract similar attendances as the C1 clubs V LER clubs challenge cup games, I dont see as it would be a viable comp

You indolent swine

I would agree that it's nice to see different teams, but the attendance figures for the matches over the last few years would seem to indicate that John and Marv are in a minority in enjoying these occasions.

But would you not suggest that poo-poos the idea of a treize tournoi being succesful nerk?

These games would attract similar crowds, that to me makes that unviable.

Elaborating on Dai's point, if Workington, for example drew a Amateur side (from outside of Cumbria) Would the crowd have been more or less?

I would say the crowd would have been roughly the same, IMO the amateur sides add to the comp as do the LER sides, it just happens that this year has been a poor year for them.

Attendance figures all over the Challenge Cup have been poor for a few years now. Maybe we should bin the whole competition.

Just a thought everybody. Whilst all seem to be having a go at the French teams for their failures in the comp, what about Lokomotiv Moscow? They don't exactly set the Cup alight, and regularly get thrashed. Is it time for a rethink in that direction? Why don't we go for a Scottish or Irish team in the comp, and extol expansion in that area. By the way, I am not anti Russian. I worked over there for five years, and couldn't find a game to go to! (Bu**er)

Yes, I personally think Loko should come in a round earlier and play one of the National Conference sides, last year I watched the 2nd placed Russian side (Vereya Bears) get tonked 64-12 by Leigh Miners.

Only problem with this is the 2nd round, and possibly the third are slighty before the russian season proper, so you could suggest its a World club challenge sort of excuse, in that they are a bit underdone




They do.

Nah

I wouldn't bother with the Russians (or Tatars) either. There's no evidence that their participation in the cup has done anything to advance standards in Russia.

The game there needs material support rather than a token place in the Cup. One without the other is mere window dressing.