Rowley: League in good shape in Wales

Wales Rugby League boss Mark Rowley has welcomed the rescue of Crusaders and predicts a second Welsh Super League club by 2015.

The Crusaders' move from Bridgend to Wrexham was finally completed on Tuesday, while Rowley - a former Wales rugby union international - confirmed new Championship One outfit South Wales RL will act as a feeder club.

Rowley, who is a director of the new Neath-based club, said: "Who is to say there won't be two Super League clubs in Wales in six years? That's the ambition of the club. We hope to be in the Championship in two years and in six we hope to be able to compete for a Super League licence."

And Rowley said there would be player movement between the two Welsh outfits, adding: "We are hoping to develop links where players can travel back and forth.

"If the Welsh youngsters are not being used, hopefully we can get them back. So we will be a feeder club over the next couple of years."

South Wales, who will host two of the Crusaders' 13 Super League home matches, are currently interviewing for a head coach and hope to make an announcement by the end of the week.

Meanwhile, the Rugby Football League welcomed the move to secure the future of the old Celtic Crusaders club.

"Wrexham and north Wales are ripe for development and we are already formulating strategies that will see Crusaders RL establish strong community links and foster rugby league growth from the grassroots up," said RFL chief executive Nigel Wood.

"There are 71 schools in Wrexham, a university with 8,000 students just across the road from the Racecourse Ground and a region which has no other professional sports club. I am sure that Crusaders RL will make the most of such a receptive potential audience.

"The link between Crusaders RL and South Wales RLFC will also ensure that the progress made in Wales over the last four years continues and I am looking forward to both clubs giving rugby league an increasingly Welsh flavour in the years to come."