That's a shame. I also know a very large number of people from union backgrounds who took up RL at our uni, and since then have been to internationals at Wembley and the Stoop, Magic Weekend at Cardiff, the GF, and play for local London/SE sides. So at worst, in cases like yours, more people play the game for a year or two. At best, we gain more long term fans and players, quite a few with a lot of expendable income and possibly more willingness to go to big RL events than your average RL supporter seems to be given the lack of enthusiasm for England matches some seem to have. Like I said, well done SRL, and the various universities flying the flag for TGG.

RL has spread well to almost all big Universities. The total numbers are still less - most have one or two teams at most, versus a ton of Union teams, not just the main ones, but Hall teams, department teams, etc. That's a reflection of the intake, the vast majority of whom will only ever have played Union. So, the SRL has done well over the years.

For me, an absolute key breakthrough for a new club or Uni side is when they can field a second team - the benefit is more than just double.It makes a massive difference to player retention. If you've only one team then if you want to win you end up picking the best 13, leaving people without a game. They then get fed up and leave. Once you have a second team, for whom results don't matter much, you can get loads more people a game and your total retention is miles better.

If you're starting a club, do everything humanly possible to get two sides out, no matter how weak the second one is. If you start with one, there's never an easy time to suddenly jump to two, because if you can't offer people a game, they don't hang around long enough to build enough for that second team. If your launch attracts 30 people, get them all out on the field somehow!

Agreed, made a huge difference to us starting a 2nd team in my first year.

Are we all watching England on Saturday?

SRL is an excellent way tonot only introduce the game to a new audience, but also to garner a real interest and passion.

People will often go back to their home town clubs and, as I say, union will allow guys to carry on playing until they're 50. What's an important step imo is that we get Rugby League being watched on the big screen in these RU clubs.

I'd rather have my eyes poked out with rusty forks.

a fair few will......The BBC average 4.5 million viewers a game for the 6 nations and and Twickenham is rarely not sold out with 82,000 fans paying an average price of 65 quid each.....
there's no accounting for taste eh