Hee hee :
Nah I was just indulging in a bit of inverse snobbery...the reason for the franchise dig was the way PRL are always trying to cement the status quo by fending off relegation whilst building a regional presence in various areas, the way the national knockout trophy was replaced with that silly, silly anglo Welsh thingy only re-inforces the gap between the chosen few and what seems to have been deemed the grass roots.
At times it feels less like the top tier and more and more like an at best a Super14 type competition or at worst an American style inter-franchise trournament (granted that's an extreme way of putting it but you get my drift).
I can certainly see why the RFU would want that, their 16 team model covers most regions and the extra investment in these clubs would allow them to establish full-on professional academies at these clubs. The talent would be nurtured as it's cherry picked from the lower leagues, this has got to be better for top clubs and therefore the national side.......in theory this will allow more money to filter down to the lower leagues via the RFU but I daresay that's not clubs want. I can see the merits of this way of doing things, look the at the Super14 but to me inorganic competition leads to stagnation I think...Just 'cause one team was in the ascendancy at the right time in history and another wasn't does that mean that one gets on the ship whilst the other is left waiting at the dock.
Sale in, Orrell out. Worcester in, Coventry out.
You get what I mean, anyway... sorry, didn't mean to start an argument.