news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 394564.stm Jamie Peacock would like super league to be reduced to 10 teams. Im not convinced this is a good idea, although can see some benefits it would bring, such as an increase in revenue and salary cap for clubs to help stop the flow of RL players defecting to union for more cash If super league was to go to 10 teams, my 10 would be as follows with a tough call but the Bulls just missing out in favour of Huddersfield Leeds Wigan Saints Warrington South Wales Toulouse Huddersfield Crusaders Hull Catalans

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 394564.stm Jamie Peacock would like super league to be reduced to 10 teams. Im not convinced this is a good idea, although can see some benefits it would bring, such as an increase in revenue and salary cap for clubs to help stop the flow of RL players defecting to union for more cash If super league was to go to 10 teams, my 10 would be as follows with a tough call but the Bulls just missing out in favour of Huddersfield Leeds Wigan Saints Warrington South Wales Toulouse Huddersfield Crusaders Hull Catalans

Is it because he wouldn't have to take off his shoes and socks to count them?

The game going on right now is the strongest case for not bringing in any more elite level expansion clubs for a good long while

You think one poor performance, by one team, is a strong case to stop expanding the game

I enjoyed it



Maybe it's me. Maybe i've been starved of rugby league for the last 4 months. Great defensive effort by both teams. I have been holding the sofa down all day today - stuffing my face with junk food. Time to hit the beers. I may have knocked a few weeks off my life but i've had a lovely day.

Who's next? Ah, Cas and Wakey. Good stuff. Where's that pack of John Smiths .........................?

The 14 teams that we have now is too many. The game in Europe simply can't provide enough elite level players and you can see that in the number of poor quality games that we see between certain sides and the number of overseas players at certain clubs.

Ten is probably too few but the league should never have been expanded from 12 teams three years ago

Once all the so-called "youth policy" and home-gown strategies come to fruition we will have enough players. Widnes have already produced at least 20 top class players apparently - that's why they're coming up to SL. I've already logged their names into my "Access to Super League" factfile for reproduction in 4 years time when all those players will be much sought after first grade players.

stupid idea, didnt think peacock had head injury. must have coming up with this idea.

The difficulty is that if we don't include other European clubs then we cannot expect to have a competetive Northern Hemisphere. It is only by opening up elite rugby league we can realise a network that yawnion currently has. This however is a long term strategy of which we will only see the results in five to ten years. A more competetive northern hemisphere will enable us to compete with Australia and New Zealand, which we currently, and sadly, cannot do.

But they aren't here now, so why are we devaluing the competition by having poor teams and badly run clubs in what is supposed to be our "flagship" product?

There are a lot of players in this league who are not elite standard. If we are having to bring over Australians who can't get a game in the NRL (and every club has been guilty of it), then it demonstrates that the talent pool in this country is not large enough for the number of clubs that we have.

One of our biggest problems when it comes to international rugby is that they players are not conditioned to 'week in, week out' intensity. Eddie and Stevo can bang on about "how it gets closer every year" but the league is not competitive enough. It is not good for the sport when teams can still win a game whilst playing in second or third gear.

Because you'd only have four clubs left.

I'd rather have ten teams than fourteen, the dross that play in Super league at the moment should be clear to everyone

Four divisions of twelve would be my ideal situation, with P+R between all the divisions

I'd say more than that personally. I think you could take six-seven clubs as "elite" clubs. On that basis, a 10-12 team system seems the best compromise between holding up standards and having a commercially viable competition.

At the moment, we have 14 teams and an eight team play-off system purely because it "kept enough people happy". That's not the way to run a sport.

Totally agree with that bit.

what you on? crack?

Excellent idea IMO.

I can’t see why we expand to new regions when our foundations aren’t secure? You wouldn’t build a house on dodgy foundations so why try to build a sport? I’m all for expansion but not

Instead of trying to copy RU or looking at their international scene with envy we need to differentiate from them and market what strengths we have compared to their weaknesses. For me the stand out area is SL vs the Guinness Premiership. SL is a far more competitive league with bigger crowds and a better on the field product even with some of the weak sides we have in SL.

A 10 team SL, which would give us a chance to cut some of the weaker teams is the quickest way to have a really competitive, professional looking league.

Wigan
Saints
Leeds
Wire
Hudds
Hull FC

That’s more than half of the league already at the level we need. All could potentially win SL this season although I think Hull could struggle. Most importantly however all of them have an excellent pedigree when it comes to producing home grown players. From an aesthetic pov only Leeds let the side down with their stadium.

I’d then bring in Widnes due to the money they have behind them. I’d bring in Hull KR due to their fierce rivalry with Hull FC and Catalan.

The last spot needs to be taken on the merits of teams like Salford, Cas or Bradford and their ability to get increased crowds and a new stadiums. I know Bradford have worked hard on their crowds and Cas and Salford have made movement on their new grounds.

Lets make SL as strong as possible and then use this excellent league and product to move forward.

Forget it, Peacock is just a p***k

Very insular viewpoint, a symptom of the place that League finds itself in England. Lets look after ourselves and make believe that nobody else matters. If we are to make this a true sport of Kings then we need to help others build their capabilities and therefore improve our competition base. Then we can truly start to enjoy a significant interest from the rest of the sporting world. I'm afraid that keeping it to a small number of elite clubs will inevitably lead to isolation and is to the detriment of the game.

Can I just point out that from a Saints perspective, the quality of play we dished up for the first 65 minutes tonight was no better than the quality of play Quins dished up for their last 65 minutes.

And if we dumped Quins, Cats, wakey & Crusaders (or Salford, or Cas) out of the competition, then which of their players would we be taking on at the other clubs to hugely boost the standard, hmm ? The best players at all those clubs are arguably the Aussie/Kiwi ones, so the net result of cutting the competition, reducing the fanbase, shrinking the geographical footprint and reducing money coming into the game would be.....?

Peacock's a good prop forward. I think we should leave it there.

14 is just right for me.

Hopefully in the next 10 years or so all these teams will be strong:

1. Wigan
2. St Helens
3. Leeds
4. Warrington
5. Salford
6. Cumbria
7. Crusaders
8. Harlequins
9. Huddersfield
10. Bradford
11. Hull FC
12. Hull KR
13. Catalan
14. Tolouse

Twelve is about right i'd say, with a top 5 play offs in three divisions. Keep franchising and guidelines between all three divisions. Reduce the number of domestic games.

SL

Bradford
Castleford
Catalans
Huddersfield
Hull FC
Hull KR
Leeds
Salford
St.Helens
Warrington
Widnes
Wigan

Championship

Barrow
Batley
Crusaders
Dewsbury
Featherstone
Halifax
Harlequins
Leigh
Sheffield
Toulouse
Wakefield
York


Championship 1

Doncaster
Gateshead
Hunslet
Keighley
London Skolars
Oldham
Rochdale
South Wales
Swinton
Whitehaven
Workington
AN Other Expansion team

By the way, i've not put any teams into any division to cause any offence! Just off the top of my head, I think the championship looks very strong.

And how would Mr. Peacock arrange it so that there were still the same number of games as we have now? Or is he prepared to take a walloping great pay cut?

Two welsh and two french? Non-league football is more popular in those countries than rugby league. Why dilute the sports popularity??