Well folks, here we are again with the Super League competition well into the second half of its season operating under another new structure.
Well, really, it’s nothing new, just the Super League reverting back to its failed system of promotion and relegation. The winner of the Championship goes up, the last placed team in Super League goes down. Pretty simple.
For those who have not been up to date with the calamity that is the RFL’s administration of the sport, a quick history lesson.
Super League had a licensing system in place for several years. It was based upon a number of key indicators, mainly off-field criteria. Pressure from some of the smaller, ambitious clubs caused this model to be scrapped and promotion/relegation was returned.
Following this, a system called the Super 8s was introduced. I won’t even attempt to explain how this complicated mess of a system operated. Essentially, it was a playoff series for some Super League teams trying to avoid relegation and other teams trying to make the grand final.
So now, one up and one down has now returned. In the RFL’s wisdom, there is a real possibility that the Leeds Rhinos face relegation after a lean year on the field and join the Bradford Bulls in obscurity.
Yes, you read right: the Leeds Rhinos! Arguably the biggest and most strategically important club in the Super League, playing out of the second biggest city in northern England and a rugby league heartland. It is comparable to relegating the Brisbane Broncos from the NRL, or Collingwood from the AFL.
Melbourne tackle Leeds in last year’s World Club Challenge. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
The stupidity that is the current Super League promotion and relegation system almost took out the Catalan Dragons in 2017 and, with it, the flicker of hope that the French are returning as a rugby league force.
Bradford, a city almost the size of Leeds and a rugby league stronghold, have witnessed their former powerhouse club rotting away in the minor leagues.
The London Broncos have gone up and down more times than fans care to recall.
When it comes to negotiating the upcoming new television rights deal with Sky or another broadcaster, rugby league can hardly bolster its bargaining power when the threat of relegation perennially hangs over crucial clubs like the Leeds Rhinos, Catalan Dragons or the Toronto Wolfpack, if they are indeed promoted to the top flight next year.
The RFL have again not shown leadership or vision with their competition, hence the under-performance and underachievement of rugby league in the northern hemisphere.
The RFL have allowed the British public’s obsession with romanticising promotion and relegation, as well as the vested interests of the smaller professional clubs in the north of England, to override logic and common sense for what is best for rugby league.
Promotion and relegation works in English football. It does not work in rugby league.
If, let’s say, Chelsea had a horrid season and were demoted, there are another four or five clubs in London to provide television and streaming content to broadcasters for the London market. Likewise in every other corner of England.
Rugby league does not have the same luxury, where teams being demoted are expendable. There are not 20 strong clubs across England climbing over each other to get into the Super League.
The Super League needs the likes of the Leeds Rhinos, Bradford Bulls, Wigan and St Helens in the competition. They are brands that are well known in the UK and beyond.
It also needs the Catalan Dragons to be guaranteed a spot as well as Toulouse Olympique and the Toronto Wolfpack to enter the competition if it wants to increase the bargaining power for Super League to sell TV rights in the French and North American markets.
(Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP)
Down the track, hopefully Ottawa, Newcastle and New York can become rugby league outposts and further grow the broadcast revenue.
Sadly, I fear that either vested interests of some of the clubs in northern England or the lack of vision at the RFL will derail this outcome.
I cannot believe the RFL can’t see how flawed promotion and relegation is in its current form. It is bad for rugby league. Nothing good comes out of an axe constantly hanging over the strategically important big franchises and expansion clubs.
However, the calamity that is the RFL gets worse than their managing of Super League. In what can only be described as a gobsmacking decision, the RFL denied Toulouse and Toronto a place in this year’s Challenge Cup.
Why? Because these two clubs refused to pay a massive security deposit close to a million pounds in the unlikely case that either team would make it to the final and affect ticket sales for Wembley! Any losses from ticket sales were to be taken from this deposit.
The Challenge Cup and England internationals is the only rugby league content on free-to-air TV. Rugby league has a perception in the UK as a game played only in the north of England. For context, most British people don’t even understand that rugby union is a relatively minor sport in Australia compared to league, cricket and the AFL.
So here is an opportunity for the RFL to have broadcasted all over the United Kingdom Challenge Cup games that involve professional clubs from France and Canada playing the likes of Wigan and St Helens.
An opportunity to challenge the perceptions of our sport in the UK, plus the opportunity to promote the growth of rugby league in France and Canada.
Words cannot describe how short-sighted the administrators of rugby league in England are.
Sadly, the RFL may never learn and Super League may never truly reach its full potential under the current regime.
Max
Guest
The Lions first test match in NZ is on 26 October. The Lions should play a NRL club around 14 October. Pick a mid table team that won't be in the grand final. Parra at Bankwest, Manly or Raiders in Canberra.
Trevor
Guest
Leeds are very much in with a shout of relegation. Not helped by St.Helens only sending a reserve team to London and getting wolloped. Why, because they jave a cup semi final next week... against Halifax!! Such is the shambles of RL in UK. The article is frankly spot on. The RFL and their fans are short sighted... possibly because they are sticking their headless chickens in the sand!
beepee
Roar Rookie
Disagree with the main trust of your article, Brad. The promotion / relegation system provides incentives for clubs to improve and grow - or else another will take its place! Why guarantee a place for a 'viable' or 'traditional' club if its not performing on the field? That breeds complacency. I see the ESL as morphing rather than declining. The Wolfpack initiative is bold and exciting, and has paved the way for the Ottawa and NY bids. Who else may follow down the track? If those new franchises enter the ESL, and the Catalans remain competitive, you'll have a league covering four northern hemisphere countries. Not bad going in just a few years.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Yes it is Hamish.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
Not from what I’ve been reading and hearing.Always a struggle in London, that’s a given. Grassroots and more so female participation is growing.Have to advise M Gates.
Hamish
Guest
Britain you mean as in m62 Pete? No it isn't mate
Peter Piper
Guest
Strange since all the Stats over the last few years show that Rugby League in Britain is growing faster than it has done in decades.
Peter Piper
Guest
The English system allows market forces determine who is in Superleague and who is not whilst providing a very real opportunity for a new club to hit the big time. Under the Australian system, a venture like Toronto might have to wait decades to get into the Australian top flight (just ask Perth). Where a club can attract sufficient sponsorship funding and develop real full time talent capable of making it in Superleague then the door is there and it is open.
matth
Roar Guru
But that’s exactly what the author is saying, why risk relegating your few viable or growing clubs
Michael Gates
Roar Rookie
League's dead over here mate, especially in London. Just enjoy watching Lachlan Coote carve it up, that's all there is over here
Spud
Guest
Greg Rugby League has done it's dash in the UK over 20 years ago. There simply isn't the interest over here anymore for it. I'm not sure where you get it deserves a bigger slice of the pie?
Greg
Guest
Quite a harsh article. The excitement at the bottom end of the table with the spectre of relegation hanging over teams and their fans provides as much TV gold as what is happening at the top. It also means a whole host of big teams have a competitive second tier competition and allows the likes of Toronto, Widnes, Leigh and even Toulouse a goal to aim for. It works in the UK. Pretty much every sport in the UK,other than football (Premier League) has expansion and financial concerns, such is its dominance. Rugby League, not just Super League, does well in keeping its fan base passionate, loyal and engaged. Of course it deserves a bigger piece of the pie and should on merit be the number one sport in a sports mad nation. However, taking away promotion and relegation would simply make it feel artificial and would not help. Leeds are too strong to go down and the likelihood is one of the other teams you talk about London will but the team to face the drop and will probably be replaced by Toronto - how exciting is that? If it is London, Leeds or another club who gets relegated they must dust themselves down and come back stronger to earn a place at the top table. It is called competitive sport.
Thommo
Guest
It's a statement to make Rugby League people feel good. That's all it is..
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
yours isn't designed as 'criticism' esp with your Nth England SL jibe, which always exposes you as just the same poster with multiple aliases. I think Toronto Wolfpack is a long term project hopefully, just like someone mentioned with the Blue Jays & even their basketball team but you're not interested in discussion only your own personal hate of RL & getting that across with anything to do with Intl RL etc.
Warren
Guest
Like when the Blue Jays won the world series - no. There is a couple of junior clubs that have started on the back of the Wolfpacks inclusion which is great to see and this will hopefully continue into the future.
Warren
Guest
Brad, I have run a number of companies over the years and the first factor I concentrated on was the culture of the organisation and the countries in which the operated. Without understanding the culture your chances of introducing any changes successfully were very limited. Although I do not disagree with what you are saying the fact remains people in the UK like this system and feel it works for their respective clubs and the game in general. I have actually spoken to people in the UK about this and one told me that he refused to go to a game for 5 years when the franchise system was previously in place. The fact his club had no chances of every making SL was immaterial. My view therefore is that yes have the system in place but make it so that the Championship Clubs become stronger. For example the Toronto side is a full time professional team and therefore I see the expansion to other areas that will accommodate this to be important. Ottawa is due in next year and then New York the year after. Each time this builds a stronger Championship regardless of who goes up or down.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Cool story bro. Do you never give up sprouting the same stuff under a different alias?
Fred
Guest
You mention Bradford and say how tragic it is they are lower down. Well that's the beauty of promotion! They were already out of Super League under the licensing system, and now they have a chance to get back in! And Leeds won't go down. It will be probably London or if not, Hull KR. Toronto will be the one coming up this time. Which is an excellent result for Super League.
Steve
Guest
Why would anybody care that rugby union is a minor sport in Australia. In the sporting landscape Australia is a minor country. I'm not sure why what happens in Australia would be of influence to people in the UK.
Marco
Guest
Brad, relegation is something that is inbred in the UK and gives all clubs something to aspire to. As a result the English 2nd tier (the championship) has probably never been as high quality as it has in recent seasons. Therefore I think your comments are harsh . Bradford Bulls have had financial issues which helped lead to their downfall. It should also be noted that in the last 12 months the Super League clubs now have their own administration (seperate from the RFL). Whilst the RFL officially govern the whole game and leagues, there is no doubt where the power lies - with Supee League. Robert Elstone the Everton FC chief executive was head hunted to lead the Super League clubs and one of the first things he did was to get rid of the Super Eights system. There is quite a lot of optimism that Elstone is the right man to help lead the game forward - we shall see.