Top of the Table

[Cardypaul]

Not sure what the obsession is with French teams personally I want the British game to prosper so we can hopefully one day beat the Aussies, sorry if that makes me a bad person but that’s the way it is.

[Gooleboy]

All Toulouse have to do is win the Grand Final then you can all be happy. Despite all their financial clout they have never looked like achieving that goal, but maybe this season they will. So everyone can be happy that they have done it, and we can all see what this magical thing that they will bring  to SL that nobody has yet been able to explain what it is.

[GUBRATS]

4 minutes ago, Gooleboy said:

All Toulouse have to do is win the Grand Final then you can all be happy. Despite all their financial clout they have never looked like achieving that goal, but maybe this season they will. So everyone can be happy that they have done it, and we can all see what this magical thing that they will bring  to SL that nobody has yet been able to explain what it is.

That's the one ' Gooley ' , if they win it , they'll deserve it , I'm sure Fev will have a say in the matter 

[UTK]

4 hours ago, Cardypaul said:

Not sure what the obsession is with French teams personally I want the British game to prosper so we can hopefully one day beat the Aussies, sorry if that makes me a bad person but that’s the way it is.

I don't think those outcomes are mutually exclusive, indeed having a NH neighbour become more competitive and produce more top-level players to increase the quality of elite-level competitions can only have a positive impact on Englands pursuit of beating Australia or winning the WC. 

Thriving French teams are not just good for rugby league in France nor are they a loss for British RL, instead they are a positive for rugby league everywhere. Are they a golden ticket to "unlocking" or "saving" the British game? No. But I struggle to find any negatives for French teams competing well in these leagues throughout the season.

[Eddie]

6 hours ago, Gooleboy said:

All Toulouse have to do is win the Grand Final then you can all be happy. Despite all their financial clout they have never looked like achieving that goal, but maybe this season they will. So everyone can be happy that they have done it, and we can all see what this magical thing that they will bring  to SL that nobody has yet been able to explain what it is.

Apparently they’ll immediately get five figure crowds, despite struggling to muster 1000 home fans in the championship. That said I do want to see them get promoted. 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

7 hours ago, Cardypaul said:

Not sure what the obsession is with French teams personally I want the British game to prosper so we can hopefully one day beat the Aussies, sorry if that makes me a bad person but that’s the way it is.

No obsession, just pointing out that both the Super League and Championship have French teams sitting at the top of the table for what is I believe the first time. However the sooner Toulouse are in Super League and a third French club enters the Championship the better for French and International Rugby League.

[voteronniegibbs]

If / when a second French team gets into SL,  there should be no relegation that season. Expanding the game is good and producing more top class players is good.  However losing an English side would just mean the best players being picked off and it would be a lost opportunity to get more clubs playing at the highest level.

[Eddie]

24 minutes ago, voteronniegibbs said:

If / when a second French team gets into SL,  there should be no relegation that season. Expanding the game is good and producing more top class players is good.  However losing an English side would just mean the best players being picked off and it would be a lost opportunity to get more clubs playing at the highest level.

I don’t agree with no relegation just because a team is French (or at all), but I would like to see more teams in SL, 14 certainly, and ideally 16. 

[voteronniegibbs]

1 minute ago, Eddie said:

I don’t agree with no relegation just because a team is French (or at all), but I would like to see more teams in SL, 14 certainly, and ideally 16. 

I agree, SL should be 14 teams. If Toulouse come up this year or next it would get us up to 13. I can't see any merit in reducing the English clubs down to 10 

[Whippet13]

38 minutes ago, voteronniegibbs said:

I agree, SL should be 14 teams. If Toulouse come up this year or next it would get us up to 13. I can't see any merit in reducing the English clubs down to 10 

Well, as a "guest club" they could for the third consecutive year do a Leigh/Toronto on Toulouse, give them reduced/zero central funding and share the money out themselves. That's a merit.....in certain clubs eyes.

[Scubby]

9 hours ago, Cardypaul said:

Not sure what the obsession is with French teams personally I want the British game to prosper so we can hopefully one day beat the Aussies, sorry if that makes me a bad person but that’s the way it is.

Just by offering British players the chance to play (and spectators to watch) games in Europe not instantly made the British game more prosperous and ambitious? Let's face it, away from that is pretty much the M62 at the top level. 

[Saint Toppy]

9 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

That is a bigoted statement. Uncalled for. 

But history has shown in to be true !  No matter how well they play during the regular rounds, Catalans crumble come the play-off's

[Harry Stottle]

11 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

I don’t know why Toulouse weren’t chosen 

Me neither I would have loved Toulouse to be the chosen club, perhaps the authorities did not want them to have the very lopsided playing field that Leigh have had to play with, the Toulouse team as it stands would not fair any better than Leigh,Toulouse is not of SL quality, the timing of the nomination was such that the shelves were bare of the player's required, and it may have passed you by but Toulouse have the very same shop to purchase player's as everyone else does.

Anyone who has the success of Toulouse at heart should be thankful that they were not the chosen team this term, unless of course you have the brainfart notion that some teams playing in the same comp should be exempt from relegation whilst others would be subject to jeopardy.

[Saint Toppy]

2 hours ago, voteronniegibbs said:

If / when a second French team gets into SL,  there should be no relegation that season. Expanding the game is good and producing more top class players is good.  However losing an English side would just mean the best players being picked off and it would be a lost opportunity to get more clubs playing at the highest level.

What utter guff !!!

So an English team gets promoted on merit and can get relegated but if a French team get promoted on merit they also get protection from relegation, just because they're French  

What's your next daft suggestion, automatically give Catalans a place in the SL Play-offs or an automatic place in the GF ? Hell why not go all the way and just give them the SL trophy 

[meast]

10 hours ago, Cardypaul said:

Not sure what the obsession is with French teams personally I want the British game to prosper so we can hopefully one day beat the Aussies, sorry if that makes me a bad person but that’s the way it is.

So you don't want the sport as a whole to grow and become popular and played at a high standard around the world?

[meast]

3 hours ago, Eddie said:

Apparently they’ll immediately get five figure crowds, despite struggling to muster 1000 home fans in the championship. That said I do want to see them get promoted. 

Isn't the same being thrown around about York, Newcastle, Bradford etc when the usual clamour to chuck out certain teams pops up every few weeks?

[Robin Evans]

51 minutes ago, meast said:

So you don't want the sport as a whole to grow and become popular and played at a high standard around the world?

Which team do you mainly follow meast?

[meast]

Just now, Robin Evans said:

Which team do you mainly follow meast?

Huddersfield, why?

[Robin Evans]

Just now, meast said:

Huddersfield, why?

Just interested

[voteronniegibbs]

2 hours ago, Saint Toppy said:

What utter guff !!!

So an English team gets promoted on merit and can get relegated but if a French team get promoted on merit they also get protection from relegation, just because they're French  

What's your next daft suggestion, automatically give Catalans a place in the SL Play-offs or an automatic place in the GF ? Hell why not go all the way and just give them the SL trophy 

That ain't what I said. I said no relegation that season.  If we are to bring on the French game there's no added benefit if we just get rid of an English one and not get SL up to 14. 

[Harry Stottle]

6 hours ago, meast said:

So you don't want the sport as a whole to grow and become popular and played at a high standard around the world?

Yes I do, but on the same terms and conditions with regards to P&R as all the other clubs are subject to, why is it that some say they should be protected Meast? 

I do realise you may have some sympathy with such a ruling being from a club who previously benefited from it, what is your interpretation of the suggestion.

[sentoffagain2]

1 hour ago, meast said:

Huddersfield, why?

   The same Huddersfield who merged with Sheffield to get into S.L.They would still be in the Championship without that how many years did they try without success?.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Manfred Mann said:

You are right on one thing. You are a bad person.

Try reading the responses to your comments, and perhaps you might be able to correct your mistakes, and in that way become a better person.

Ah, all the pro French supporters are correct, and if any one has a difference of opinion they are clearly wrong, and a 'bad person'

Can I just point out your last post on this thread.

 

13 hours ago, Manfred Mann said:

That is a bigoted statement. Uncalled for. 

 

[Manfred Mann]

16 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Ah, all the pro French supporters are correct, and if any one has a difference of opinion they are clearly wrong, and a 'bad person'

Can I just point out your last post on this thread.

 

 

But it was the poster I was responding to who first described himself as a bad person.

[Exiled Wiganer]

I think it is entirely legitimate for a supporter based over here to ask what are the reasons the French clubs are in the RFL pyramid. Even if they don’t receive RFL/SL money directly, they do require other UK resources to be spent on them. What is the rationale? I see teams fielded by Catalans with virtually no French players in, and would be interested to know whether 1) this is consistent with the vision and the purpose behind their being in our competition or 2) we simply don’t have a vision and they can field who they like and do what they like just cos. 

I am a huge fan of French rugby league, and have so much respect for the treizistes who have kept the flag flying against all the odds. I also believe that a strong French national side would be the missing piece in our international jigsaw and should be a goal that the whole game embraces. Seeing half a dozen ex Wiganers and even more NRLers playing everybody week for Catalans bemuses me - who benefits from that?