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Perhaps  not an acid test, but tomorrow's Super League home debut against Hull FC will certainly be a thorough examination of Celtic Crusaders' credentials. And the match won't be easy either. It would be melodramatic to suggest the Crusaders have everything riding on their first Super League match at the Brewery Field.

But one thing is clear — the events of tomorrow evening are about more than just a rugby game.

Crusaders officials have insisted a top-flight rugby league side can flourish in the union heartland of South Wales.

And the Rugby Football League backed them by awarding John Dixon's side a three-year Super League franchise last summer.

"This is what we've been clamouring for as rugby league people, to bring elite levels of our sport to Wales," said head coach Dixon.
There is no doubt the Crusaders have risen dramatically through the rugby league ranks since their 2005 foundation.

They won the National Co-operative division two title in 2007 and narrowly lost the division one play-off last season.

But the jury is still out on their long-term viability.

A number of much-discussed questions will begin to be answered tomorrow evening.

Among them:
Can Wales support thriving rugby league and rugby union sides?
Can the Bridgend area support a top-flight sports team?
And can the Crusaders be competitive?

As far as the latter goes, early indications are not encouraging.
The Crusaders have lost their first two Super League matches at Leeds Rhinos and Salford City Reds.

But the season is only just dawning and, with the security of a three-year top-flight franchise behind them, the Crusaders can afford to be patient.

"Long term we've got to build this club. Winning is important, but long term it can't be the be-all and end-all of what we're doing. We've got to build a club here in Wales," said Dixon.

Local union clubs Bridgend and nearby Maesteg have already expressed their concerns about the impact the Crusaders' new-found Super League status might have on them, even suggesting they may have to merge to survive.

But, ironically, the very reason the Crusaders exist is because of a lack of competition in the area, because there is no first-class sporting alternative.

Chairman Leighton Samuel ploughed his resources into the Crusaders after the demise of now-defunct union region the Celtic Warriors.
However, Crusaders' threat to union isn't just in that they provide competition for the affections of the local rugby-supporting public.
It is more fundamental than that.

Bridgend has long been a breeding ground for Welsh union internationals.

Current Wales and Ospreys stars Gavin Henson and Lee Byrne both came through the local schools system, as did assistant coach Rob Howley before them.

But now there is a thriving 13-man alternative played in Bridgend schools.

The Crusaders also run a string of youth teams as they bid to develop the next generation of Welsh first-team stars who otherwise might have played union.

In order for that threat to be realised, of course, the Crusaders will have to be around long term.

And the duration of their existence will depend almost entirely on how many people they get through the turnstiles.

One of the main reasons for the death of the Celtic Warriors was poor attendances, and many believe the Crusaders will also struggle to attract enough support to make the club sustainable.

"Hull at the Brewery Field will be a tremendous occasion,'' said Dixon.

"We want people to come down and watch the Crusaders play. We're hoping the community of Wales will give rugby league a real crack.
"We want people to follow this side, and if we can get them in the door once, I'm confident we can get them in a second and a third time."

The fact that their first home match comes midway through the Six Nations has not helped the Crusaders' cause, somewhat overshadowing the home launch.

But the club are still hopeful a near-8,500 capacity crowd will watch the match against Hull FC as a quarter of that number have already bought tickets.

Whether that prediction is accurate only time will tell.
But one thing is certain, it will not only be rugby league fans that monitor tomorrow's occasion with interest.