Will Toulouse Join the Super League in 2012?
Second French Team Targets Top Rugby League Competition
Sep 24, 2009
The European Super League works on a licensing basis. To apply for a license a rugby league club must fulfil certain qualifying criteria. For teams currently outside the Super League this means winning the Northern Rail cup or reaching the Grand Final of the Championship. To actuallly win a license applicants are judged against a wide range of issues. Based in a prosperous city of one million people, Toulouse are well placed but have plenty of work to do yet.
The Rugby Football License awards a grade to applicants based on things such as stadium, location, crowds, and financial matters. The RFL are not bound to simply accept the top scoring 14 teams but use it as a rough guide and set against their overall strategy. At the moment that strategy is an expansionist one, which certainly favours Toulouse.
Rugby League French History
The sport in France started in 1934 after the French Rugby Union was expelled from the five nations for violence and alleged professionalism. Jean Galia lead the French in their first international against England in April 1934 in front of 20,000 people in Stade Buffalo Velodrome, Paris. In five years over 200 clubs were created and Toulouse Olympique joined them in 1937.
Forced to abandon rugby league by the the ban imposed by the Vichy regime during the second world war. Toulouse re-emerged with the liberation, and have been a constant in the French Championship ever since, winning it four times. Astonishingly they have reached the final of the Lord Derby six times but have never triumphed.
The Catalans Dragons Effect
Toulouse applied to join the Super League at the same time as the Catalans Dragons and also in the last round of licenses, failing both times. Rather then harming their future chances this has only forced the club to improve the foundation of their application. Encouragingly for them they were accepted into the Championship, the league immediately under the Super League, from the French Elite One. The Championship is a much tougher contest and has allowed Toulouse to improve on the field.
They have also had high numbers of English fans visiting which augurs well for their attractiveness as a rugby league destination. They have been accused of inflating figures for attendances this season but seem to have realised that any manipulation will be viewed badly by the decision makers. Player recruitment has improved although in a tough season they came second last on 30 points. The four teams above them were all on 32 points illustrating the competitiveness of this level.
Rugby League Expansion Key to Decision
The prospects of Toulouse of receiving a Super League needs to be thought of in one specific context. The future health of the game in France effectively depends on a second French team in the top tier. The game needs a Gallic derby and a weekly home game to boost the attendances, interest, sponsorship and financial health of the sport. The Rugby Football League needs another source of players, and maybe more crucially real competition for the English national side. It's hard to look past Toulouse Olympique for a license in 2012.
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