Heard today that promotion and relegation will probably return at the end of the current franchises. Anybody else read this?

I hear it every day and I have heard it 200 times on every single match day ever since franchising was introduced.

Hope it's true, not heard owt though.

think the artlice you are referring to was from woody saying they (RFL) have always said they will review the franchise in year 5

You didn't hear that at all, you heard a comment that it looked like they were laying the groundwork for wriggling out of it. I should know, I made it!



See above comment.

Should be every 2nd season or you will go straight back down in your 1st SL season.........hard to get a decent SL squad in your 1st season.



Widnes are a prime example of it this season - have some good players but are finding it hard even with a rich backer, no current Champ club as a rich boy behind them at the mo so it would be very hard to survive.

As much as i want P&R back i just think its pointless until the gulf between the two divisions has been closed sufficiently to allow you to step up with the majority of the squad you've currently got, and then you can add some quality to help you to be competitive,at least with the bottom half of sl.

Personally I can't see them continuing with this farce much longer but bringing back P&R in it's old format would be a disaster. At the moment all the money has gone SL way and unless a very large amount is made available to any Championship club reaching the 'Holy Grail' together with time to 'adjust' I fear no Championship club would survive in SL for long.

Widnes have someone who has stopped them from disappearing from the RL map. They have the mans company as their stadium sponsor. They have now got a plan that will make sure that it won't happen again unless something catastrophic happens. This game has been run like a gentlemans club from the top to the bottom and it is taking the demise of founder members for it to sink in. A few on here have been caling for this game to be run more business like for ages. Maybe Bradfort will now make people sit up and smell the cwaffee.

Why is the (so called) gap so big now ?

Part of it is maybe, that when there was PROMOTION & RELEGATION, the likes of Leigh, Whitehaven, Widnes, Salford, Hull KR, Cas, Wakefield had full time squads, or some of the players were.

Some Promoted clubs 1st season in SL stats:

(1999) Wakefield Wildcats...20 points 11th/14 clubs

(2002) Widnes Vikings....29 points 7th/12 clubs

(2003) Huddersfield Giants....23 points 10th/12 clubs

(2004) SalfordCity Reds ...16 points 9th/12 clubs

(2006) Castleford Tigers ...19 points 11th/12 clubs (but relegated to protect Catalan Dragons !!)

(2007) Hull KR ....20 points 11th/12 clubs



NOT EVERY SIDE DID A LEIGH CENTURIONS SUPER LEAGUE 2005 CAMPAIGN !!!

And if there was P&R this year, how much interest would that generate for London 6pts , Widnes 8pts and Cas 10pts.



It would be exciting at both ends of the table.

OK! Just thought I'd ask and see whether I would get the usual response. You did,t let me down!!!!!!