Super League in the South West

[Teddyboy]

Think it be a good move if Super League put some games in Cornwall and Devon as they are big Rugby Union area's yet the teams like Penzance,Exeter and Plymouth have still not reached the GP top flight and i know the Union game would get great support if that happend as in Cornwall Rugby is much bigger then Soccer so maybe Super League could fill the void.

 

[Evil Homer]

The Midlands would probably be a preferred expansion area to the south west at the moment.

 

[Teddyboy]

The Midlands would probably be a preferred expansion area to the south west at the moment.

Yeah maybe but they could still play 1 game a year at all the major Rugby grounds (i.e. Penzance/Plymouth and Exeter).

 

[stormtragic]

another magic weekend and promote as in non league heartlands..see what interest there is

 

[bowes]

Sounds like part of a very good plan. I think in the long term (over next 15 years say) they need to get a National League team in every region of England plus ideally 1 each in Scotland and Ireland, it would be nice if some become SL clubs, but NL would be much better than what we have now.

As for non-represented English regions we have:
West Midlands
East Midlands
East
South West
South East

Coventry, Nottingham and Hemel would be the best bet for the first three but the last two would be harder.

Therefore I would suggest a round of on the road fixtures (as they had in 1998) with 1 game in each of those 5 regions (rotating round cities there) and 1 each in Ireland and a major French city (other than Perpignan or Toulouse). Though maybe you could rotate a North East game in there as well somehow in place of one of the others some years (probably East as the smallest region there, and the nearest to having a NL club but one which is from probably too small a town to support a SL club, though easily big enough for NL)

 

[KalgoorlieRed]

Think it be a good move if Super League put some games in Cornwall and Devon as they are big Rugby Union area's yet the teams like Penzance,Exeter and Plymouth have still not reached the GP top flight and i know the Union game would get great support if that happend as in Cornwall Rugby is much bigger then Soccer so maybe Super League could fill the void.

I agree. I used to live in Cornwall, and union is a working mans game like in Wales. Trouble is, there are no real large enough towns or cities in Cornwall. Plymouth is the nearest of any decent size (300,000+), but NL clubs could be encouraged.

 

[Teddyboy]

I agree. I used to live in Cornwall, and union is a working mans game like in Wales. Trouble is, there are no real large enough towns or cities in Cornwall. Plymouth is the nearest of any decent size (300,000+), but NL clubs could be encouraged.

Yeah i know that Penzance,Redruth and Mounts Bay are Rugby strongholds and about 50000 cornish travelled to Twickenham to watch the Cornwall play in the county final so if i was ESL i spread all the games around and get sponsored by Rick Stein(when he is not in Sydney).

 

[CHRIS SANDOW]

Should be good exposure.

 

[Northern]

Well, looks like Cornwall it is! League 1 from next season.

Cornwall to host new professional rugby league team after Ottawa plans shelved

Cornwall are to have a professional rugby league team from 2022, after plans for an Ottawa club are shelved.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Perth Red]

Interesting, is it the same owners as Ottawa was going to be? I wonder why they choose there? Not the most obvious place for a RL club.

In regards targeting I wish the RFL had the funding to have a proper go at growing the game in Wales. So much Union talent has come out of there that has done well at League you have to think more kids playing and better pathways would see a lot more Welsh talent in RL.

 

[Tigers1986]

League 1 should begin in-roads to a Scottish and or Irish team to join the structure.

 

[RL The greatest game]

League 1 should begin in-roads to a Scottish and or Irish team to join the structure.

An Irish team would more likely to succeed than one in Scotland

 

[Dark Corner]

An Irish team would more likely to succeed than one in Scotland

I think a team playing out of the Borders might be the next move as The Borders Union team was removed from the old Pro12 and the likes of Melrose, Hawick and Gala don't have anything to compete in on the higher and European level.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Interesting, is it the same owners as Ottawa was going to be? I wonder why they choose there? Not the most obvious place for a RL club.

In regards targeting I wish the RFL had the funding to have a proper go at growing the game in Wales. So much Union talent has come out of there that has done well at League you have to think more kids playing and better pathways would see a lot more Welsh talent in RL.

I would've looked at the Midlands. Besides London Wasps masquerading as a Coventry team most of union's clubs in the area are in the RFU's lower leagues.

 

[TDD91]

I would've looked at the Midlands. Besides London Wasps masquerading as a Coventry team most of union's clubs in the area are in the RFU's lower leagues.

Coventry Bears have recently rebranded as the Midlands Hurricanes, so are already doing their best in the area.

 

[AdelaideSharky]

Coventry Bears have recently rebranded as the Midlands Hurricanes, so are already doing their best in the area.

That's just one team servicing one of the biggest regions in the country. There needs to be more than one team in the Midlands in all honesty.