There is no doubt rugby league benefits from having a London club in its showpiece league, but it would benefit even more from the credibility gained by having promotion and relegation decided by the league table.
In what looks like being their last season at the Twickenham Stoop, the ground they share with rugby union big boys Harlequins, London Broncos are rock-bottom of Super League with eight points from 21 games.
But they remain in an enviable position. Rugby league’s franchise system, introduced in 2009, means that, even if they finish bottom, Broncos will retain their top-flight status next season.
Relegation need not be the end of the world. Broncos do not need to look any further than the Stoop to see how the Harlequins rugby union team has been reinvigorated since they went down in 2005.
Relegated to National Division One after finishing at the bottom of the then-Zurich Premiership, Quins dominated the division in the 2005-06 season, winning 25 of their 26 league matches.
On their subsequent return to the top flight, they finished seventh, then sixth the following year, all the while building the squad that would be crowned champions in 2012.
But what of the Broncos? What poses a greater threat is the recent RFL announcement that the top division will reduce from 14 to 12 teams in 2015, which has left chief executive Gus Mackay appealing for a “fair process” in how you get to the final 12.
For now, Broncos stand bottom of Super League – a position that they can say, with some pride, they or their previous incarnation, Harlequins RL, have never finished in.
However, things are so bad that captain Tony Clubb this week said he wants to leave the capital because he is “sick of losing” – even with a Challenge Cup semi-final with Wigan to look forward to on July 27.
And while the Broncos hierarchy are openly talking about wanting non-rugby factors to contribute to retaining their Super League status, why should the players believe there is real ambition for on-field success?
Name change: Harlequins RL reverted back to the Broncos name in 2011
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