WHARFEDALE would like to see National Two increased from 14 to 16 clubs.

Along with the other teams in their league plus those from National Three North and South, they have been asked their views on league expansion by the RFU.

Wharfedale's chairman of rugby, Michael Harrison, said changes to the Powergen Cup and gaps in the fixture list during the second half of the season were the reasons why Dale wanted the increase.

"The cup is dying on its feet now that none of the Premiership clubs take part in it. The carrot of drawing a Saracens or a Leicester has now gone," he said.

"We already have holes in the second half of the season when the faithful can lose the habit of coming down to the Avenue. Two blank Saturdays are no good to us when we can get 500 paying spectators watching us on a March afternoon."

It has been suggested that scrapping the cup might free up more funding from the RFU to fund an expansion of the leagues.

But with or without a cup competition, Harrison said an expansion to 16 teams was likely to benefit Wharfedale financially.

The move to seek the views of members of the National Club Association (NCA) comes following a proposal last month by National One league clubs to increase their division to 16 teams. They want to see relegation from their division suspended this season.

It has been reported that an RFU sub-committee gave the proposal the green light but since then the RFU Council has delayed approval.

It has set up a task group to consider all the issues relating to league and cup competitions at the top level, including funding and fixtures.

First Division Rugby - National One's governing body - will again push the proposal at the next RFU Council meeting on November 25.

The changed format of the Powergen Cup this season sees only Premiership clubs, plus four Welsh regional sides, competing. All other NCA clubs were entered into the Powergen National Trophy.