Ralph Rimmer delivers verdict of potential return of franchising to rugby league

RFL CEO Ralph Rimmer has stated he doesn’t believe the franchise model would work in rugby league in the Northern Hemisphere.

Questions have been posed around the competitiveness of Super League, with three of the last four teams promoted from the Championship, excluding Toronto Wolfpack, having dropped straight back down after one season and current newcomers Toulouse losing their opening five games.

The NRL currently uses a franchise format, with the same 16 teams having competed for the Premiership since 2007 ahead of the addition of the new Dolphins franchise next year.

However, Rimmer believes Super League suits the current system better.

Speaking on the weekly BBC Radio 5 Live Rugby League podcast, he said: “I went through promotion and relegation, I went through licensing. I don’t think (licensing) is the way forward.

“I think this country values promotion and relegation. It creates drama and creates eyeballs on the sport as we know from the numbers it returns.”

In regards to competitiveness, Rimmer insists that the introduction of a new strategic partner will help the RFL and Super League to level the playing field and improve the sport as a whole.

That strategic partner is set to be IMG, the globally-recognised sports industry firm who have played a huge role in the promotion of UFC, world tennis and World’s Strongest Man.

He added: “We want the best clubs playing in the tightest competition producing the most competitive games. Uncertainty of outcome is ideally what we seek and that does mean that there will be some pressure on standards, absolutely it does.

“From my perspective, we will take advice on all this. The leap between Super League and the division below is all important and at the moment it’s a big