The Bradford Bulls pursuit of the League One title and promotion to the Bet Fred Championship is on hold for a week as the league is suspended for the Challenge Cup final.

It is one of the sport’s greatest occasions and as one friend recently called it “the grand old lady of rugby league.”

It is probably true that the event needs a little spit and polish and has slipped down the list in terms of importance since the inception of the Super League Grand Final, but it is still an important event.

It is the only truly national occasion that we have in the capital city and will attract a large TV audiences.

That is why it is important and that is why the whole sport needs to embrace it. It is also the event that draws people into the sport in this country, including from the Land of the Long White Cloud.

One of my most memorable experiences was watching the 1985 Hull v Wigan final with James Leuluai, Fred Ah Koi, Gary Kemble and Dane O Hara.

Sadly for my Kiwi brethren, Hull were edged out in the final which many consider to be the most exciting ever, but I have to say I think we have had two cracking recent finals.

It is possible that some neutrals don’t make the same effort as they once did and without opening up game politics, this is what happens when you disenfranchise sections of the family of the sport. Take due warning Super League chairmen.

And so to this year’s Challenge Cup final. It really is too close to call and I have to say I quietly think the Dragons have the form and momentum to become the first overseas winners.

So who will I be barracking for? Warrington of course, and here’s why.

I believe Warrington Wolves do lots of things right.

They’ve built a fine and modern facility unlike many who have taken the Super League money and done nothing.

I do suspect that much of the neutral support will tilt towards the Catalans, very much the romantic’s choice. Here is why I am definitely not in that camp.

When I was a member of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF), a few years ago, we received a plea from RLIF International Development Manager Tas Baitieri, co-incidentally father of current Dragons prop Jason. The gist of the request was that if the RFL didn’t put a French club into the Super League, quickly, the sport of rugby league would be lost to France.

He cited the original vision of the inclusion of Paris St German and recommended a club based in the south of the country.

He also pointed to the NRL’s example of including the Auckland Warriors (now New Zealand Warriors).

Of course history has shown that the RFL positively responded to that cry for help and included the Catalans Dragons.

But let’s objectively examine what has happened since. All original commitments to be a wholly or significantly French team have been quietly discontinued as ageing Australian after ageing Australian (and a few from New Zealand) have decided to end their respective careers there.

Recently there has been a wave of English players having a year or two down there. Meanwhile the precious French national side has gone backwards to the point where they cannot provide meaningful local opposition to the England team.

In fact they cannot even reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup, being unceremoniously dumped out by the might of Lebanon.

In the meantime, Catalans have developed increasingly close “links” with Wigan. After taking Lewis Tierney and Michael McAllorum, they now have recruited Sam Tomkins for next years.

Interestingly Morgan Escare and Roman Navarrete have decided to improve their prospects based in Wigan.

Most outrageously, my friends in New Zealand have told me that the France v New Zealand Test match, which is always played after tours to England, will not be taking place this year, because Steve McNamara will not release the Dragons’ international players.

This is of course the former England international coach.

Of course the New Zealand Warriors continue to be ostensibly a Kiwi team.

More than this, the revenues the NRL receives from Sky TV in New Zealand exceeds 20 million NZD annually, and their grant from the NRL is around half of that.

So it is actually a lucrative profit centre for the NRL.

That is why I set out last week a plan that if foreign-based guest teams are going to play in the RFL’s league structure, they have to be self-funding.

I am disappointed to see RFL member clubs, stepping aside doing the right thing, disadvantaging themselves without anything material being offered in return. It’s actually worse than that.

Today’s Challenge Cup attendance is projected to be the lowest in living memory. And our domestic supporters have a £500 away fixture to budget for every year. It’s a case study in self harm.

My message to all our overseas guest teams is, you are more than welcome, but not at our expense.

What we have at the moment is a dreadful scenario for British Rugby League, but everyone seems too polite to say so.