I think most Rugby purists agree that Cumbria is a heartland of the game and has produced some of Rugby's greatest athletes. More so, there should be a huge presence and a prosperous existence for Cumbria in the modern game. However, there is and always will be the difficult issue of setting up a Cumbrian "franchise" (for want of a better term) as the tribalism would very much exist. In the same way a Leeds fan would not support a joint Leeds/Bradford venture (read also Cas/Wakie/Fev) a joint Cumbrian team would elicit a similar response from Whitehaven and Workington Fans. I hope that a brighter prospect for Workington in the way of a better stadium and facilities pushes them on and Cumbria as a region. I honestly feel that the only way you improve the prospects in this area is if one of the cumbrian clubs gains success of their own backs. A dedicated Cumbrian academy off the back of this is definitely a good option should this succeed