RFL confirm Anglo-French plans.

Jack has mentioned the London franchise.....I have been a believer of expanding the game to London since day one but I continue to scratch my melon of why it just doesn't support well in a city of millions.
I've heard reasons of why in the past but it just doesn't make sense why league hasn't picked up...I believe the junior level is quite promising but even these lads aren't attending the senior games for some reason.

Souths... I wonder if you have similar instances of this in Oz? In other words, are there certain states, or cities with sizable populations where League just has't caught the imagination?

I don't know whether is some kind of class-divide issue here, in terms of why League isn't so popular at senior level in the south of England. Perhaps they think League is a cliched working class pastime, and just doesn't fit with the contemporary culture down there?

I would be interested to know if Union is the more popular of the two codes in Oz, or is it popular in certain states? And if so, why?

thats not breaking news its been planned for months

http://www.rugbyleagueontv.co.uk/ its been on this site for months

Union is not a threat to rugby league, other then international games the supporters of union would be on a first name basis.
AFL (Australian Rules) is the biggest threat to rugby league. Melbourne Victoria is the home of AFL but in the last 20-odd years they have spread their wings and expanded into rugby league home states of Queensland & NSW and are supported very well, Sydney Swans & the Brisbane Lions have something like 25,000 memberships and generate 40,000+ crowds.....but in saying that Australia is big enough to cope with 4 codes of different winter sports.

* Rugby League
* AFL

* Football

* Rugby Union distant last

The NRL (National Rugby League) has also expanded over the years and was always going to be successful moving to Brisbane, Nth Queensland & Newcastle & New-Zealand but the surprise success of the Melbourne Storm is a shock of how the people of Melbourne have got behind their team in the middle of AFL territory.

I compare London to Melbourne....if Melbourne can do it, so can London...but for the life of me it is not showing any positive signs as yet but I hope it does in the long run and for the future of this great game in England...

Thanks for that, Souths.

And yet for all that League domination in Oz, one would be forgiven in thinking it was Union, given the way the media (here in the UK at least), give primary focus to that over League (at International level at least)

It's a strange paradox, but I personally don't believe League will ever catch on in London - and I guess the RFL have better minds than me trying to work out why this is.

But I do hope this anglo-France initiative works out for the good of the game as a whole. I'm sure it will.

I personally don't believe League will ever catch on in London - and I guess the RFL have better minds than me trying to work out why this is.

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It never will in my lifetime. I worked in the forces for many years. I played both codes - but the complete distain/contempt for the league code amongst the yawnion fraternity was always apparent.

London/south west is the heartland of yawnion. Sale/Newcastle have made good attempts to join the party - but in all honesty you can draw a line between Northampton to Gloucester and all points south, so see it's the yawnion heartlands. Just listen to the commentary of that baffoon Barnes on Sky - any former league player he loves to emphasize the errors, he's almost triumphant about it. It's a common attitude i'm afraid.

I said 20/30 years ago that i never truly believed league would be a hit in London, and it's only ever been a passing interest for the majority of the population down there. Real shame for the diehards who i'm sure have followed/devoted a lot of time to the London club, in whichever name it is at the time (and renaming every other year hasn't helped at all). It's a shame as i passionately believe league is the more entertaining of the codes.

Work on expanding where there's demand and stop wasting time, effort and finances where there's no appetite.

other sports have claimed their roots outside the heartlands of Rugby League,London has always been an up hill struggle with the Broncs and Skolars,North Wales despite being virtually in the heartlands and Sheffield both fail to draw crowds,South Wales are some how surviving on crowds of less than 300 for most games,to my mind it tells me the public outside the heartlands don't want Rugby League,with new teams cropping up in Northampton and Hemel in 2013 and rumour's of one in Bristol its just going to be the same old story,poor crowds etc..is expansion really worth it,I think not,I would love to be proved wrong but I don't think I will be.

Agreed with you all - this is great to see.

said it on other threads expansion is working in the amateur game Rugby League is still being played from Scotland to Cornwall,its still expansion but at a sensible level,just leave it at that I live in Bristol for my sins but I can still see a game of League.