Quite probably , the RFL's lack of being able to see what is in front of them has no limits



I have no wish to judge Toulouse on thier past present or future , they are a French club and should stay a French club until the organisation known as SLE wants them in thier competition



They should not be foistered on the clubs in our second tier and the money it will cost having them in our second tier could be better spent



I also have no wish to get involved with any more pointless arguments with people like yourself

how do you know this is the case? how do you know the RFL havent spoken to sponsors and the £100-£200k it will cost to trasport a team to france (or vice-versa) only came in to the game to do specifically that?



when the RFL is giving each club in the NLs £100k from their central fund (of which the vast vast majority will come from SL or the international game) they dont really have the right to complain when the RFL wants something back from it do they? especially when that something will cost the NL clubs nothing!



maybe the RFL is only putting Toulouse into the NLs to prepare them for SL, even if we discount any possible benefit to the NLs, for a £100k a team and their travel costs paying, i doubt we would see the NL clubs complaining

Very well put bowes



No sensible answer to your post

Actually I'd add further to keeping the leagues separate I'd look at getting a European Comp with maybe 5 from NL1 and 3 from French Elite, which would get far more publicity than just 1 token French team in NL1 and would be far less in travelling expenses

1- yes



2- TO, given the league to promote it, can raise decent money and sign the right players (like Catalans did in their last year in the LER). They are a bit like Wigan in SL, they used to be a top two side, but have slipped. Expect them to bring a top side into NL1 and be in the playoffs or thereabouts in their first year.

Something like the highly successful treize tournoi?

of having Toulouse in NL1 , which will cost the RFL close to a million pounds over the 3 years



If they are not successful I dont even think they will make the 3 years



There is one simple aim for this and that is to prepare them for SL , and if it becomes clear they are not going to make a GF it will all fall apart

Yeah roughly. Probably the best way to do it is have the winners of 5 groups like the NRC ones enter the quarterfinals with Toulouse and the top 2 French League teams, and have two legged quarters, then semis, 1 in each country and a final that alternates. Of course ideally it would work better with Toulouse playing in France as the coming together of two same tier leagues (with top 3 getting in) but there you go. Of course the alternative would be to just put the top 5 from NL1 in and have groups then semis and final, with the NRC for the other 15 NL teams plus the RLCN winner. Of course it could go to a 4:4 split if the Elite improves to be an equal standard with NL1

they get £100k they didnt earn, for a product they struggle to sell, thats more than enough recompense for allowing a french team in the league,



im sure the NL1 clubs would happily give that money back if they didnt want to abide by the RFLs decisions

are being recompensed for having the French club in NL 1



So you agree that there is no benifit other than the RFL s bribe



Glad you cleared that one up



About time you saw things as they are rather than the RFL 's bull claims

no im saying they are being paid to compete in the RFL competitions, if they dont want to abide the decisions of the RFL then they can find their own competition to play in



the benefit to the clubs in NL1 is the addition of a french side should raise its profile. as part of a long term strategy to bring the league up to a level it becomes a sustainable high profile pro league in its own right. We will see whether or not there is an immediate benefit to the clubs currently in NL1 but regardless, it isnt the clubs place to decide which decisions they will abide by and which they wont,



its about time you got your head out of your ass and understood that RL doesnt start and stop with a minority of heap clubs in the north of england, the vast majority of which have been given more than ample opportunity to compete and havent because of their own incompetance, not everything which is done is done specifically for these clubs, and neither should they be, the game is bigger than these northern backwaters,

So you do work for the RFL after all