How will Toulouse playing in the National Leagues help the French or British games?

Toulouse will take part in National League One from the beginning of next year meaning there will be two French teams playing in the professional British Rugby League pyramid. Although no word has been spoken from the RFL, the official Toulouse Oympiquie website has in fact came out and said that the club will accept the RFL's invitation to play in a revamped 11 team competition with the first game to be played in March 2009 (supposedly after the Northern Rail Cup group stages are over).

This will see National League fans given the chance to experience what Super League has been doing for almost the past three years. What I think the RFL are missing is the fact this may not have the same impact as that of the Catalan experiment. Away fans are few and far between in the National Leagues with very few making the effort for fixtures on the other side of the pennines. How will they react when given the chance to go to the fourth largest city in France?

However, things may be different on the other side of the pitch. How will the attraction of playing in the second tier of British domestic Rugby League appeal to the Toulouse public? Will we see smaller versions of enthusiastic Catalan supporters, or will there be one man and his dog and the seventy year old die hard fan turn up for every home game?

But contrary to if Toulouse would have been in Super League, I can't see this side making as big of an impact to what the Catalan club has become. In fact Catalan have nothing to worry about gaining a new neighbour into the British system. They're in completely different leagues and should for the next three years be helping each other out as best they can.