Toulouse will be back for a second tilt at the English league next season but this time they will have to work their way up from the third tier.

The current French champions, who have designs on joining Catalans Dragons in Super League, played in the Championship from 2009-11 before returning to the French domestic competition, but will be in League One next season.

They will form part of a 15-team league, which will mean a re-organisation and the introduction of a bye for one club in each round.

Toulouse chairman Bernard Sarrazain said: “We would like to thank the RFL and its clubs for accepting us into this competition.

“It will mean big changes for us, with huge financial and sporting challenges, however we thoroughly believe that, after winning the French Elite Championship two years in a row, it is a vital step for the development of our club.”

Coach Sylvain Houles, who played in Super League for Sheffield-Huddersfield, London Broncos and Wakefield, said: “I am thrilled with the decision and I cannot wait to start first-team pre-season training and of course the competition.

“There are many changes which we will have to cope with, but I have full confidence in my staff and my players.”