9 team prem?

[Arcturus]

If the league loses another team, I think that will be the end of the league. There would be the immediate loss of revenue from another game not happening, but tv broadcasters, sponsors, partners will question what they are paying for. I think other owners would question their involvement as well, at which point we're in a death spiral.

Ultimately rugby has done a poor job at competing for people's attention, there are still too many people who would prefer the game reverted to the amateur era but with all the 5* trips and perks that came with professionalisms money.

The RFU needs to be completely reformed with the board kicked out. It boggles my mind how most clubs all think Sweeney is doing a good job. Collective stupidity at killing off grass roots.

More dramatic, but I think the league season ought to shift to the summer, that way there is less direct competition with football.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

And certainly for France - the reason that they're the problem is that got their acts together in 2017 when awarded the RWC23, and did things right, and collaboratively to grow the game from the top down.

They did.

But there's also a huge difference in that rugby is much more engrained in the culture over there - civic pride etc. That's a massive difference and just not where we are.

I don't know what the answer is, but our league seems to be dying. And as this weekend showed the 6N buggers things up and there are invariably too many one sided games without any jeopardy.

 

[Wasps92]

I still think there should be an Anglo-Welsh league.

Crucially the French don't have rugby league to contend with. Most of the north of England was lost because the RFU was (possibly still is) ruled by Lord Haw Haws.

 

[Weldit]

The game is changing and the money in rugby simply isn't there. Willfully or by force, it's going to change. It's not all down to mismanagement, but it certainly hasn't helped.