Toronto in the 8's

In some ways, the sooner it happens the sooner it will end, IMO.

A few weeks of excitement, and even a mention of proper rugby by the BBC.  Oo look, Canadians joining in with the sport for peasants.  Let's have a look.

Then, come March, it will be a fixture where, for both sides, if more than a hundred away supporters turn up it will be a bonus.  That's one revenue stream fewer.  Then the corporates will start to have a rethink as to whether they want to be paying, year in and year out, return flights and accommodation for the best part of thirty people eleven weeks a year, and that's just for the opposition, and before cup and play-offs are considered.  And then they have to pay for the Canadian team until there are enough people going through the turnstiles and enough merch being bought to make them self-funding.

Then the RFL will plead to no avail as the money dries up and the sponsors disappear, and the sport will be without the Canadian fixture, and poorer because Red Hall will have spent shedloads trying to keep the deal afloat in Bradford-style handouts to the team and dozens of flights back and forth to Toronto for talks.

If there's a transatlantic team in Superleague in 10 years time, I'll go to Twickenham and buy a ticket to watch kick and clap.  But it won't take 10 years.  How long did PSG last?

Don't like being pessimistic, and, indeed, rather like the idea of a team from Ontario playing TGG at top flight, but I can't see it as being sustainable as long as I've got a hole in my arse.

I expect that this has been discussed before, a few thousand times.