Wider Problems to be caused by No Fear of Relegation for Rugby League’s Elite...

It has been well documented over years gone by, how English athletes are consistently finishing second best to their corresponding Australian competitors, whether it be in Cricket, Athletics, or Rugby League. It is very likely that an Australian would even tell you that their international Rugby Union team is superior, despite England showing more steel in the past two World Cup encounters between the countries! Regardless of this, the national Rugby League team in Australia are unarguably the best team in the world, and many people put this down to the highly competitive domestic league set up (The NRL) which is contested by the same 14 club teams year on year – No team gets relegated, and no clubs are granted promotion from the lower leagues. Other people may suggest it is attributable to the fact that Aussie school kids are force fed sport and are taught to appreciate the benefits of athleticism from an early age.

The English RFL believe the gap exists between the two countries at international level due to the lack of home-grown talent, and now they are of the opinion that mimicking the Aussie Rugby League set up is what’s required to diminish the disparity, meaning after twenty-eight rounds of the 2008 Super League, who-ever finishes bottom will not spend all of the next season attempting to break back into the elite. Instead, the RFL propose that any club wishing to compete in Super League during 2009 must complete a written application by March 2008. The outcome of the application is to be determined on criteria such as facilities, finance, junior development and fan base. It is more than likely all existing Super League clubs will apply and, after rumours the league is about to expand to 14 teams, Widness, Salford, the Celtic Crusaders, and French outfit Toulouse, are expected to put forward applications.

The main rationale behind scrapping relegation is that it would allow clubs to develop young players in a more controlled manner, and without the fear of dropping into a lower league it is thought teams are less likely to opt for short-term solutions involving the recruitment of veteran overseas players. Another motivating factor for ditching relegation is to protect promoted clubs that may not be financially equipped for survival in the top flight – there is a significant difference between what Super League and League One players command for wages. A prime example of this happened recently when Widness, who spent two seasons in the Super League following promotion, were relegated after their third season which then resulted in the club falling into administration.

On the flipside, relegation instigates enormous tension and drama amongst both fans and players which brings additional excitement to the game. It will literally half the overall number of sports betting odds available for the Super League, because betting on who will be relegated is almost as popular as gambling on the eventual winner, particularly for fans of those clubs competing in the lower half of the table. Scrapping relegation allows unambitious clubs competing ever year in Super League could just coast along safe in the knowledge that T.V and Ticket money is there to be collected week in week out. It also denies those clubs in the lower leagues, whose ultimate goal would be to break into the top flight, the right to realise their dream. Finally, it just seams like the right way to do things! A team which cannot display the necessary qualities to be competitive within the league shouldn’t be there.

About the Author

British rugby league betting fans have always had the right to predict which teams will or will not avoid dropping into lower leagues. From this day forward fans of the thirteen man game will no longer be able to place bets on who will be relegated, and it is very likely this will result in a declining interest in rugby betting and online rugby betting.