THE London Broncos were thrown a Super League lifeline last week when the other clubs agreed to let them carry on despite changing companies behind the scenes because of financial problems.

They have worked very hard to develop the game down in London and they are still clinging on despite some problems and that is a good thing.

They need a major team down there at the higher level, especially now the development of rugby league has started to take off.

Teams have started to emerge such as the London Skolars and Hemel Stags and they will eventually facilitate the Super League side in years to come.

When that kicks in, the Broncos will be able to be self-sufficient in terms of players without having to rely so much on ones from overseas because at the moment it seems to be predominantly Aussies.

Part of the problem the Broncos have had has been due to being in London. It's not an easy place to get things going. Just the whole expense of living there has got to be a major factor, and they are having to make long trips every other week.

We will probably go down to the Skolars in June the day before. I don't mind going down to London. It's a weekend away but then it's also a game on the road, so we have got to be up for it.

They are quite a tricky team at home so we need to make sure we are as well prepared as possible. I have gone to places like Carlisle and London on the day, played and then come back the same day, but we want to give our players the best chance.

They have always said they want to develop the game nationally rather than just being a northern game as it has traditionally been known.

To start developing the game down in the south, they do need a high profile team like the Broncos.

The summer conference, which has seen teams like Coventry Bears and the Hemel Stags emerge, has been a very good concept and a lot of the teams are now getting the chance to play rugby league at some level.

There's a lot of players in rugby union who have started to branch out into the summer league and it means that people who would rather try league than union are getting the opportunities to have a go.

They are trying to generate more interest in the game in the Welsh valleys as well. People down there love their rugby so it could be a real stronghold in the future.

I did a little bit of work with the Wales rugby league team at the European Championships last year and there's a lot of interest.

Some players are already preferring to play league as against union. The Welsh are a very passionate nation so if they can get the players into it, it could be a good place for a new team.

There's still a lot of people who think that league is a northern game, but I think that if you can financially support a new team and be successful with it then they should get a fair chance.

The more revenue comes into the game, the more players will get involved and the better we will be at international level because of having a larger pool to draw from.

Updated: 09:43 Wednesday, March 09, 2005