Quote ="NZ Bull"I thought Catalan Dragons and Celtic Crusaders were able to and they were both new clubs weren't they.'"
Dragons would be subject to French visa rules.
I do not know about the Crusaders several years ago, I thought they were in admin not liquidated. In recent years there have been changes in the UK re visas. The Govt want legitimate Uk companies to go through formal procedures before they start bringing in people from outside the EU. This takes time, it is not instant.