Future UK develpoment

[rob39]

Ireland looking to get a team into league 1 within 3 years, Wales currently have 2 teams in league 1 West Wales Raiders & North Wales Crusaders. Scotland only have 2 teams this year, Edinburgh Eagles and the Stathmore Silverbacks joining England's North East RL. They will both be entered into the NE cup, take par in the Dacia 9's tournament and play a series of friendly/merit games against North East opposition
Also to further help strengthen ties between the region and Scotland we will also be welcoming a Scotland u16's side into the u16's cup

Mean while Richard Egan, the chairman of Rugby League Ireland has planned future development of the game in Ireland
"We'll strengthen our domestic competition and then the following year, take the leading lads out of that to play against some teams in England. Then, in year three, we'd hopefully enter League 1.

"I've approached the RFL and said it needs to happen; you saw the amount of Irish interest and heritage in 2013 when we sold out our World Cup game with England.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

I applaud their ambition but am skeptical as to the level of interest here. Rugby League gets no coverage at all. Given Leinster got barely 10,000 through the gate for a recent Pro14 game against Zebre a week after they qualified for the European semi final, I imagine crowds for rugby league outside Super League would be miniscule.

I wish them well though. It'd be great to have rugby 12 months of the year here and another outlet for talented players who don't make provincial academies.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Galway Tribesmen are the current champions and are trying to pick up a lot of local AIL talent(of which there is little with Galwegians in 2A and Corinthians and Sligo relegated and promoted to 2B being Connacht's only AIL clubs) I think. The Irish champions are supposedly given the option to enter a playoff to get into league one but never take it because there isn't the funding but the Tribesmen are seriously ambitious and feel that they can rival union in the province, I assume they have some sort of backing if its all true (This is all hearsay). They have a long way to go currently picking up union players primarily of J1 level in the off season and I'd be skeptical that they could attract any support over rugby, football, hurling and soccer but they were only established six years ago and are already national champs so good luck to them.

 

[rob39]

Scotland is much the same, RL is a very minor sport even lying behind curling. Though teams in the past have picked up RU players in the close season which they actually like playing RL. There are RU players to be converted but without funding it wont go far any time fast. The promise of a RL 6 nations is good but who the hell is going to play for Scotland unless its out of season and clubs will let players go. Scotland badly needs more teams and a league so to build up a player pool and support.