Rugby's Future Challenges: London Domination of Semi-Pro Rugby

This is certainly a good challenge rather than a bad one.  London and its suburbs have really upped their game with the off the field inducements they are able to offer, such as jobs in The City, the wages they are able to afford and access to loan players from the 4 RFU funded Premiership academies.  6 teams, of 16, in the third division are from London or a suburb.  The only problem with this is that they aren’t generating the fan interest that they should because of the close proximity to even better quality of rugby.  The challenge for the provinces is how they respond to these advances; the challenge for rugby generally is what the consequences are if they fail?

The problem is not so much the domination of London & the South East v the other 3 RFU regions, it is the domination of London within the South East region, and West London at that.  Areas such as Hampshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Sussex and Essex are badly underrepresented in the national leagues as progress through National 2 South and National 3 SE is made difficult by the impressive London sides.  Blackheath are the only East London of the top 12 London sides, with 9 from West London and 2 from North London. 

What, if any, are the consequences of this?  Are these clubs blocking comparatively popular provincial clubs?  Well no is the brutal answer.  The attendances at the lower levels of rugby are much of a muchness, Leicestershire having much lower attendances than competitors and Cornwall have much higher attendances, generally clubs from division 3 downwards attract 800 fans max and the only exceptions are comatose giant Coventry and captive audiences in the Channel Islands.  Are they driving down the standard of rugby in the rest of the country?  Again no, not really.  They are raising the bar rather grabbing all the available talent.  A problem this is arguably creating is the lack of inspiration in other areas, for instance a youngster in Esher for instance gets to watch some truly historic sides in his back garden; this might inspire him to reach those levels whereas a lad in Southampton doesn’t get to see any good rugby locally. 

Is there anything the RFU can or should do?  It could pour resources into selected clubs (much like their “Hot Spots” plan in the North) to try and grow a local “super club” even if that “super club” was only on the scale of Bedford; but would the initial resentment ever be overcome and would a club be prudent with someone else’s money?  And is it really the RFU’s place to be openly and continually favouring one club over all others?  Any justice arguments that club became involved with would immediately become suspect and any club that felt it lost out would have simmering resentment possibly for decades.