If they have the backing then it should only take them only 2 seasons to come through the divisions the correct way and take their place on merit shouldn't it? its only one season of cruising through championship one, then get a SL standard squad together (if they have so called backing) make the top 4 in the Championship and prove themselves by beating the bottom four of SL and gaining entry the proper way.Not too much of a hardship for a Strong club surely?

If salary cap was equal then yes. But reality is Toulouse will not be able to build a team to get promoted due to the unequitable salary cap farce. This farcical p&r model was contrived to appease fans who feel you need promotion, without any real risk to the SL clubs the RFL is investing millions in every year.

It would certainly be a brave Person to bankroll a new club under the new structure.
Any Championship club that is lucky enough to gain promotion from the "relegation league" will, more than likely, be fighting for their SL survival the following season.

The new structure all but kills of the potential to expand the game, and although the RFL were incapable of making the franchise/license system work, it was the right model
for expanding the game.

Unless Toulouse are fast tracked into SL and protected from relegation, they would be crazy to "gamble" on SL

The lack of forward thinking from the governing body is truly awful and bordering on reckless.

Having another French club in SL would be an excellent idea and would certainly help the game in France and they would need time to succeed. However, their inclusion will of course mean that life becomes just a little bit more difficult for some of the "heartland" clubs.

Starbug posting here ,

The current Championship salary cap allows for a full time squad to be assembled , it is the full time aspect that is the important factor , not specifically the amount , I expect at least 1 team to get promoted this year by defeating a SL club along the way , removing the old argument " yes but the promoted club would lose to the relegated club , and then just swap players with it "

However I also wouldn't have any issue with the Championship salary cap being set at what any club can afford , and if a Toulouse were in a position to spend up to the SL cap , then fine , let them do it , although no doubt it would be a mostly Australian team IMO

Does everyone realise Catalan was introduced before franchising and before P&R was scrapped!

Toulouse can easily be introduced into SL due to a precedent already being set.

But it's not simple p+r any more so there is no precedent. How would a relegation exemption work? You have to finish in the top 3 of the Middle 8? Where would that leave the "million pound game"? Or would it become 3rd vs 4th? Is it fair a team can finish 3rd one year but get relegated just because Toulouse is involved in the middle 8? And what if Toulouse finish 4/5 in the middle 8 - would they still play the million pound game for a meaningless result? Too many variables to condition for with the middle 8 system imo.

If Toulouse want to be in SL, let them fight they're way up like everyone else. The door is open for it to be doable (in theory at least).

peoples head will explode if toulouse gets fast tracked and 3 year exemption from relegation. buts thats the only real option, and i believe another french side is a must and a plan needs to be put in place for them to come in in 2017. with a year (2016) in the championship to prepare.

I agree. Throw out all 12 SL clubs and replace them with 12 french clubs. The the UK clubs can all play in the lower division. Protect the French from relegation and we can have a perfect French league.

So if theres no real risk to the SL clubs JB, whats everyone whining about no protection or three years grace?

u removed !

Yes they were , with a 3 year relegation exception , resulting in Cas being relegated from next to bottom in 2006

Look, heres a thing, I don't believe there should be ONE French club in it, let alone two!!!!!!!

If theyn wanted a genuine Soopah-doopah League Europe, they should have made one!!!!

Instead of simply RELEGATING 7 clubs from the old first division and "gifting" status to one club not yet ready for it and another club that had NEVER existed!!!

If they wanted a Uefa Champions League type thing, they shjould have created it! They had Russian and Serbian aswell as the French clubs. But they botched it in the usual half-d manner and ruined England's domestic league whilst they were at it!

no more fast track to the top please ... entry through the lowest division only!

That is ridiculous. Toulouse with its current roster will rack up cricket scores against most of the Championship 1 clubs.

Toulouse need to start out in Championship with a salary cap exemption for two marquee players, but a restriction of 8 non-French imports maximum.
That will enable them to recruit a couple of real quality players from Australia, and make their way into Super League quickly.

I believe that the two marquee player cap allowance should be open to all Super League clubs, and also to Championship clubs.
That way entrepreneur-innovators like Ian Lenagan, Simon Moran and Marwan Koukash can stop the talent drain from SL to the NRL.

14 clubs were gifted franchises, that is the whole point of franchise systems, you don't earn them by what you do on the pitch.

If the RFL start this "immunity from relegation" lark once more, I think I might have to vomit.

If a club like Toulouse were to be placed in SL then they would have to be immune from relegation or it won't work. Just look at Catalans.

I didn't agree with the Catalan immunity either. Either have a closed shop, and parachute teams in to your hearts delight, or have promotion & relegation let what happens on the field dictate. A combination of the two doesn't help with the integrity of either.

However, given that Catalans didn't have the now perceived fortune of being demoted into a Middle 8. Are we really attempting to say that a newly parachuted SL side couldn't beat 4 Championship sides and remain in the top 4 of the middle 8?

I can imagine this 2nd French team in S.L will be crammed full of sacked N.R.L players using the strange "visa" law to their advantage to play in our league.

The "bigger picture" is expand the game of RL (which the obvious place for expansion is France) or die.

The same people that moan about us losing our star players to Union are the same ones that want to keep RL confined to the north of England.
Either expand or go back to playing part time sport, the choice is that simple.

How can we attract significant sponsorship if we confine the game to a small part of the UK.

Making the game truly National would also help but, IF we could have credible International fixtures, it would help more.

Strange that, because when they had the chance they struggled, I certainly saw no "cricket scores".

Its about time the French tried to start there own Superleague instead of trying to piggy backing onto ours. Expansion from the bottom doesn,t work, we are probably better looking at a World Club series now that we have had a taster last week and try global expansion at a higher level.

Sponsor won,t come on board until we get more global exposure, I can see the opportunity of a mini World Club Series Comp Top 3 (SL) v Top 3 (NRL) with best SL team playing best NRL for World Champions, sponsors and exposure at a quality global scale will be the way to go.

Then create a Euro League, dammit!!!!!!



I don't have a problem with that, but stop buggering up the domestic English League to make it appear as "European".

Take Dorcal and Red Star, add in CSKA, the top three from France, get Catalans to play more in Catalonia and the "big five" and voila. One genuinely Yurrupean League!

I'm a Londoner, I'm all for expansion, but destroying the roots

, That will eventually destroy the game!!!!! WHY can't you people see that.... It's just so bloody obvious!

We must agree to disagree... but if we are comparing ridiculous?!? mate you win hands down!