There has been nothing in the MSM but there has been rioting in Toulouse and other cities in France.
FNSEA the farmers Union have been demonstrating against changes to the CAP. This being France it ended in rioting, with tear gas used against the farmers.
Add that to a massive rise in Covid cases. Social distancing rules apparently being totally ignored Not a good place to travel to.

I am sure the RFL will change their mind and have a re think!!!!!

I see Catalans managed today.

Rioting would have pretty easy to avoid. I can't imagine this was a factor.

Catalan flew in this morning. They fly home tonight. Obviously they did not serve ten days of quarantine. I question why ?
Were London to travel to Toulouse in a similar manner to how Catalan did, then our players and staff would have to quarantine on return. How can that be right?
I do wonder how much of the virus the Catalan Dragon squad bought in with them. And do not say, but they were tested. Those Lateral Flow test are not reliable.

What's important is Catalan were drawn first, so the home team! didn't know the totally wicked stadium?? was in Catalan! The RFL again, strange how two teams grounds are being used so much Mmmm

Clown.

Typical RFL one rule for their favorite team another rule for the team they do not like. Why did Wakefield not have to travel to Perpignan, Wakefield was the away team? It seems the RFL/SL like to have as many games as possible at the same venue. Why are they not doing the same for the Championship.

Steve McNamara said one of the BBC's conditions for covering the tournament this year was that it would involve double headers at one venue - to cut down on potential exposure of production crew etc. Catalans knew this when they elected to enter the competition this year.

Honestly, some of the rumours on here - it's the closest we get to being just like a real, northern RL club.

Did The BBC also stipulate Saints & Leeds Rhinos should have all cup games? To keep Macmnus & Leeds CEO Heatherington happy? they tend to be two of the loudest in Super League, neither have invested as much as David Hughes!

Always understood a Forum to be a place to debate?

They didn't have to select Cats, plenty of other games if they wanted double headers. Can't help but think rugby league is just a scene out of One flew over the Cuckoo's nest.

Define investment?
My understanding is that you invest in something, be that with time and effort, or money or both with the stated aim of making something better and therefore getting a return on that "investment", be that fiscal or through just a warm fuzzy glow that you've bettered something.

Now. No harm to Mr Hughes, but if hes dropped between £20,000,000 and £30,000,000 into the Club, then I sincerely hope [uHE'S [/u feeling warm and fuzzy, because the vast majority of us of us who supported the team when his "investment" began, no longer attend games regularly and have now been turned off buying anything from the club shop or any other form of support. This change in habit for some 3,000 fans is 100% down to Mr Hughes "investment".

I bought my first London Broncos shirt from a port-a-cabin in Brentford and my last one from a gazebo in Ealing 20 years later. The Team I started supporting were a mid to top half Superleague side with an approachable demeanour at both player and staff levels and we felt like we were part of something. Now the team are a middle table 2nd tier outfit and we the supporters are surplus to requirements, but hey, so long as Mr Hughes is feeling warm and fuzzy, then it's been worth the "investment".....



Back to toulouse. Anyone who is surprised that the RFL seem to have double standards is either new to the game or Northernbloke!

Investment to me, is donating your personal money to something you believe in! not for any financial return.

We all do that in some small way, be it season tickets or match days tickets, I wish I voukf have invested as much as Mr David Hughes, for me it was many players sponsorship over the years, and match day balls, not for any personal return, Yes I have every shirt still and match day signed rugby balls, it has given me joy. I'm sure Mr Hughes has enjoyed his years of support, where would we be now without him? Very few shout out about their support, I'm sure many of my friends would see it as foolish in rugby league, but I never did and I hope Mr Hughes will never. Thankfully I told few people, so I never had any personal criticism with my small support, sadly not the case with an owner, he's not made money out of it. One club owner didn't have the same money, he bortoed i from an Asian investor, who made a nice profit out of it!

https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-slam-b ... s-decision

https://www.totalrl.com/toulouse-slam-b ... s-decision

He keeps mentioning what Tolouse have to do, if thats the case, dont play in the English Comp!!!

I agree entirely. But they do seem a bit miffed.
.

Let's face it, it was the stupidity of the original decision that has caused this. Yes, Hughes should have created merry hell at the time & then pushed the covid situation subsequently but hey ho.

In any event, the French love to throw their toys out of the pram. They are good at it.

If they are that bothered, and they keep harping on about having to do it...why did they not accept the offer to reverse the game ??

if it is so secure over in Toulouse why is their chairman saying that they might have to play some of their home games in the Uk this season?
Probably because Bradford Bulls chairman Nigel Wood and his board ( aka RFL) dont feel secure watching their team in France due to covid so have told Toulouse that they must play the game in Bradford

League Express gave a one sided half page Toulouse view today, had me in tears for them!

So Toulouse have a plane ready at their expense to fly to London to play their game and then fly them home. France is riddled with Covid, they are way behind GB with vaccinations so why not use common sense and fly their team here on the already chartered plane. It is a safer place for the game to go ahead and money wont be lost on the chartered plane. Simple common sense logic but then Logic and common sense should never be used to describe the RFL

How many times does it need to be pointed out? The Broncos have said absolutely nothing about it being unsafe to travel to and play in Toulouse. Our refusal was entirely based on it being unfair that we should have to do so.

I believe that Mr Hughes has a point, in that just because he pays the players rather than he only pay part of their wages, that he is treated differently. If he wanted to draw attention to this bias then well done him.
What he has also done is cost the team 2 points.
This is not to say that we would have been anything other than demolished (on evidence to date), but if France continues to be plagued through the summer and Toulouse are forced to play home games here, then this decision by the RFL may well return to haunt them.

Better to have given 2 reasons for not travelling. The first on Principle, the second on Medical grounds. Forcing your staff into a potentially harmful situation would leave the employer open to all sorts of legal shennanigans.

No one is saying that! but it is completely relevant, it says more about how The RFL are so out of touch! and people are aniut The RFL taking back control of Super League!

nadera78 wrote:
How many times does it need to be pointed out? The Broncos have said absolutely nothing about it being unsafe to travel to and play in Toulouse. Our refusal was entirely based on it being unfair that we should have to do so.

But surely this shouldn't need to be pointed out by David or anyone else that should be an automatic conclusion by the RFL and then David adding the bias shown that as he pays a wage we are treated unfairly. We cannot get loan players or people to play for us part time as it is not possible, part time players cannot just upend from a cheaper part of the country to the most expensive part and also leave their job. I believe the RFL have their brains in their backside if they think part time is any sort of level playing field between the north and south. I was being kind giving the doubt that the RFL have brains. France is riven with Covid and anyone with an ounce of common sense would not willingly send anyone there. They are not sending SL teams so why are the RFL happy to send only one championship team. The whole thing stinks and I'm glad David has done this. I would not want it on my shoulders if any team member, coaching, supporting staff or their family and friends pick it up and suffer from it. Anyway until we find our form with a full team this could be a good result for us.