Wellsy4HullFC

Leeds scored a try too. Blackmore I believe.

I guess it works both ways. Although this would be the 2nd time you've not conceded a try in 80 minutes at a GF though...

On the flip side, they have conceded less points at Old Trafford overall than any other GF appearing team, so credit the defence!

Are Catalans the first team to fail to score a try in a SLGF?

Crowd looks great! Worries averted.

Not a player, but worth sharing. https://twitter.com/hullfcofficial/status/1711788692292223387?t=G8jdIxWGM1tvAjhT6TZ5nA&s=19

If a multimillionaire decided to invest in say Rochdale or Oldham, developed an academy pathway for their area, invested in the playing squad, marketed their brand to the locals etc, performed well on the field in a good facility then they'd be in. It's not closed. It just needs investment.

Yeah I don't mind the Hull one. Simplistic is better these days. Lettering seems slightly too small though if I'm going to be picky! Shame our logo doesn't have much to do with the club identity and more the city. Don't think the Airlie Bird would look good on a logo!

The current Saints one is a mess. Way too busy. Their previous one was great, I've no idea why they felt the need to change it. Simple is better.

There are positives to both, so I agree. I think Toulouse have a better chance of making a fist of it next year.

Are we really going back to the 2008 format? I don't think one person liked it! Why does it feel like they're attempting the worst possible format as a way to say "told you so" about international RL being poor?

I agree. Kick Rovers out too for no train stations in East Hull.

To be fair, 5 out of the 6 teams in the playoffs were big city teams. There was a good chance it would be at least one from a big city.

Really wish he'd have played for England one last time in the world cup.

Worst I've seen in years, but we're not allowed to talk about the ref probably for that reason! (I missed the previous locked thread but can only imagine it was locked due to comments about this!)

The answer is obviously to resort back to part time and use the TV income money to fund 2 NRL teams - Yorkshire and Lancashire. If that doesn't work, reduce from 2 to 1. And if that doesn't work... I dunno, 36 team league!

If that happens, that's 5 finals in a row for Saints all against different opponents!

Can't see plans for next year changing so soon. You can't restructure in an off season. Surely the interim solution is play 3x making a 24 game season, which is actually more games than last year? "Going to Cornwall twice" isn't exactly the stumbling block it's being made out to be (only half the clubs would need to do that), considering they won't be traveling to London nor West Wales as in recent years.

It would be funding without return for a long time though, including no TV rights. They could do a Toronto I suppose and have the agreement that any future French based TV rights go directly to French clubs if they agree no British TV rights income. But I doubt you'd get many takers in the French game.

I always remember Avignon as the place that always gets huge crowds for internationals. I've no idea why anyone has never tried to work this area more! If we could just find the money to fund the extra French clubs! That's potentially Catalans, Toulouse, Carcassonne and Avignon. So frustrating!

This links in slightly with my previous point. Is the point promotion? If promotion, to which league? SL or Championship? I don't think the latter could afford more foreign teams so would have to be the former. Then promotion to SL would be done through IMG grading. You'd need to decide how many points winning the French competition would be worth alongside the rest of the criteria. This would then bring into question whether a European Cup (or "cross-division") competition would be worth creating to include in deciding a club's playing points for this grading, thus creating an actual need for the games to be played. It would be a good way to give French clubs a meaningful avenue to SL without the need for them to go through the English systems directly. It would ultimately mean they'd need IMG approval to be promoted though, which would likely come down to French TV deals being attracted (which don't appear to be coming as yet). It would be difficult to deny a French team for too long however if they're regularly beating English clubs in a cup competition though. If we outright pull the gates up on further French clubs entering the top level of club rugby on this continent though, we've affectively killed off any further potential growth in France, which in turn prevents the desired Anglo-French international games being competitive anytime soon. So it's important to iron out a strategy rather than just hope.

Depends on what the structure would look like. The big issue appears to be travel, so the structure would need to minimise the need. French clubs traveling every other week is expensive. English clubs aren't happy traveling once, let alone more than once. Would the reason be for promotion? Or for competition? If the latter, then perhaps a small competition between the top teams during the season (1895 Cup for example). If the latter, end of season playoffs. And is that promotion to the Championship or SL? Regionalisation needs to happen (especially in UK), but at what level she how you'd achieve that is difficult. If it was at League 1, where would the extra clubs come from? Would you only fund the top clubs based on league positions? There's not enough to spread. Would you allow for the divisions to fluctuate in size depending on who gets promoted/relegated each year? A lot of questions, but definitely a solution somewhere.

So McGuire to Cas and Peters to Leeds? Surely not. You'd think if Peters is leaving, McGuire might as well stay as their head coach?

I think there is more an issue with the system allowing for fixtures over a distance rather than an issue with Carcassonne joining, and I tend to agree. I think it's immensely important that we have a system that allows clubs on small budgets to be sustainable, progress and grow; as well as ambitious clubs to invest and achieve accelerated progression regardless of whether they're from Barcelona or West Yorkshire. We don't currently have that. We have a mixture of different level teams traveling huge distances, failing to establish themselves and losing interest as a result. It's an utter failure of a system that isn't benefiting anyone and adding Carcassonne into that mix won't help. Beneath SL, IMO there needs to be a larger emphasis on regionality, with opportunity for national/intercontinental competition. Eastern, Western, Southern and French divisions that come together at the end will hopefully stop everyone complaining about travel. We focus so much on player development that we ignore the establishments need to actually generate them!

The Women's SL is a premier comp. The Championship (being the second tier) is by definition a secondary comp! But you won't find any "big boys" in the women's SL I guess.