Hi, newbie here, looking for some advice.

Me and my mate are exiled Rhinos fans, living up in Newcastle. Don't get to too many games, but we've decided to go to the Catalans game next May.

it's our first visit there, planning on flying from Newcastle - Girona on the Friday morning, back on the Monday afternoon.

do most fans head straight up to Perpignan and spend the whole weekend there, or is it better to head to one of the Spanish resorts, use that as a base, and just get the train up and back on the day of the game? Any recommendations for accommodation?

also, I take it tickets are easy enough to pick up over there?

cheers in advance.

Tickets are easy enough. The entire town of Perpignan shuts down on Sundays so if you are going to stay in Perpignan then plan a trip on the Sunday to Barcelona for example for the day. Easy to get to on train. Plenty of fans stay in Perpignan. Ive stayed there a few times and also Barcelona.

Many fans stay in Lloret De Mar and get Catalan Sports Tours coach to the game.

Plenty of choices.

Looking to go to Catalans away for the first time next year.

Can anyone that has been give me some advice in terms of where is best to stay?

Watkins & Hall chosen for England and miss the game.

Possibly one of the worst ideas ever having a mid season international in Aus. all super leage games should have bee cancelled. like the due in football

crazy

Advantage football has is that it's a sport that can be played Saturday-Wednesday-Saturday-Wednesday consistently. With RL it's very hard to play more than once a week at that level. We're already having a second double weekend with a game Friday and Monday in several weeks time.....that's in addition to the traditional Easter weekend we just had, can't really do more without pushing players too far. Having weeks off for Internationals will just clutter up the club season calendar and impact the quality of play and health of the players, neither of which we can afford right now.

Rugby Union play club games throughout the six nations and other international friendly matches. If we want the international game to grow we need to play more matches. I personally think going across the World to play 1 game is daft, we should be playing at least 2 if not 3 games. Super League clubs can manage without a couple of players for a few weeks.

RU can do that though because the 6 Nations generates so much money that feeds back to the clubs which they benefit from.

Leeds significantly disadvantaged as they are playing the French team on the weekend of this pointless international, obviously Catalans will not be artificially weakened for this game with no England call ups.

Ridiculous.

I've heard fans complain that youngsters don't get the opportunities
Heard groans of anguish when players leave to play a code with a higher international profile
And periodic grumbles about how Hall/Watkins should be dropped
Complaints when we're beaten (again) by Australia
Moans about the predictability of the league
Despair at the same few teams winning everything.

It's. One. F******. Game. Where we'll be missing a centre and a winger.

It does now but it didn't used to.

Well said Sir, Well said

I don't have any issue at all with players being taken for this one game. All teams pretty much will be hit. If it benefits the England cause, which it hopefully will then great. Infact, should really be two games out there if we are going to do it, do it right.

Moon back to centre for this game and Handley onto the wing, not going to weaken us all that much is it?

The 5/6 nations has always been a huge money generator for all the home nations. It has underpinned the club game for decades.

Leeds have two players in the squad Castleford have 3, Wigan and Saints also have 2 - so why are Leeds any worse of than teams playing the likes of Wakefield, Widnes, Salford, Leigh that weekend?

The club game in rugby union was an amateur sport until 1995.

"Allegedly".

Well that money I received in the late 80s/early 90s must have been a figment of my imagination then

The clubs still needed to be run, facilities maintained, kit purchased travel expenses paid

That is where the internationals came in.

Or at least that's what you told the HMRC

Not good tonight at all, won't have a chance against Catalan next week if we play like that. Without Watkins, Hall, Ferres, Ablett, Keinhorst. If Golding & Sutcliffe don't return then it's going to be worse.

Walker
Handley Moon Ward Briscoe
McGuire Burrow
Garbutt Parcell Singleton
Delaney JJB
Cuthbertson

Ormondroyd Baldwinson Galloway Mullally/Oledzki/Walters

Wow that looks weak

To be honest I see us struggling through all of may. I don't really believe there would be many coaches that could get that Leeds team available to get wins in the SL. So I won't be blaming BMcD directly. But I will be looking for a response in June hopefully with some bodies back.

I can see a month of McDermott slating on the forum coming up.

The problem lies in no plan B. If we don't have our gun players out on the park then we go to s**t because all we got is our 'off the cuff' style and no structure at all.

Anyway, as long as there is no white flag waving ala mid last year and Cas this then i guess we just have to stomach it.

If Golding and Sutcliffe don't return I'd go with

Walker
Briscoe
Ward
Moon
Handley (although he came off injured last night and has looked injured every time he's played)
Mcguire
Lilley
Galloway
Parcell
Garbutt
Delaney
JJB
Singleton

Subs
Burrow
Cuthbertson
Mullally
Ormandroyd /Baldwinson
If Golding and Sutcliffe are fit Golding in for Handley and put Walker on the wing and Sutcliffe in centre move ward to loose with Singleton taking either mullally or Ormandroyd / Baldwinson bench spot