No it isn't.

Then where do we stand?

Any successful concept needs a season built around it
With the magic weekend, 14 teams, challenge cup and play offs for a month where is the space

Do you include yourself in this exclusive club of whiners?...

Personally I would look to build it as the exiles looking to come over to the Super League for an easy ride and being disrespectful to the competition as opposed to 'mate v mate'. Do everything possible to try and make the England fans dislike them.

From an England POV then I would have the game played on a stand alone weekend and as a one off test match. Only the NRL based players are exempt from selection and if an England player opts to pull out then he must be assessed by the England doctor and if he deems him fit then he plays. You don't get players pulling out of SOO willy nilly. The RFL need to tell the clubs that England selection takes priority like in Cricket. It's one game. Yes injuries can happen, but they can happen in training as well.

They need to stick with this concept though because it is clearly a better game for England then playing the Knights, France, Wales, Scotland etc etc

One game vs the Exiles on a standalone weekend is all that should have happened. The 2nd game was pointless.

I think it needs to be continued with, there is no room in the current schedule for a proper series, either Exiles or County Origin, we need ONE mid-season international against quality opposition. We should also put pressure on the Aussie clubs to release Burgess, Widdop, Graham and Reed. One game watching a full strength England against a full strength Exiles would be worth watching and with sensible scheduling/ticket prices/marketing etc should be able to bring in 20k supporters. The game should have its own sponsor also!

The only problem with the future of the Exiles concept IMO is the reduction of the oversees quota and the increased NRL salary cap is going to lead to a lower player pool for them to choose from. I think it should have been brought in years ago but the RFL kept persisting with France and Wales, I'd have loved to have seen Barrett, Lyon, Jones etc playing in this fixture.

No, it's not. I didn't watch either of the Exiles matches, but I fail to see how it's better in any way, especially the second game which was pretty much a 2nd or 3rd string England side. At least nations like France will be motivated to play, the Exiles are a made up team with no incentive whatsoever and, as I said at the time it was announced, this concept is completely doomed to failure no matter how much people want to try and hype it up or make excuses for it.

Ultimately, this is a poorly implemented idea based on dubious reasoning by an unintelligent man who is extremely bad at his job. Unless a mid-season fixture is more intense than a top Super League game, then nothing will be gained from it other than being a run-through for the team. At least matches against France, Wales or others would be genuine internationals which could benefit the sport, and actually would have the potential to grow and develop into intense fixtures given time and improvement in the opposition. The Exiles is just a joke.

So what do we gain by sticking 60/70 on Wales or France?

Yorks v Lancs is not a new concept these matches were played for years prior to SL but were stopped due to lack of interest, that was in the days of winter rugby-pre super league when everything with RL was great!!

There is not an appetite for this type of contest

England have only topped 50 points against Wales twice in over 100 years.

And France?

EDIT - Our last 3 results against Wales: 74-0 48-12 42-4

Our 3 results v the Exiles: 12-16 18-10 20-32

Wonder which were the tougher games?

Quote ="headhunter"No, it's not. I didn't watch either of the Exiles matches, but I fail to see how it's better in any way, especially the second game which was pretty much a 2nd or 3rd string England side. At least nations like France will be motivated to play, the Exiles are a made up team with no incentive whatsoever and, as I said at the time it was announced, this concept is completely doomed to failure no matter how much people want to try and hype it up or make excuses for it. Ultimately, this is a poorly implemented idea based on dubious reasoning by an unintelligent man who is extremely bad at his job. Unless a mid-season fixture is more intense than a top Super League game, then nothing will be gained from it other than being a run-through for the team. At least matches against France, Wales or others would be genuine internationals which could benefit the sport, and actually would have the potential to grow and develop into intense fixtures given time and improvement in the opposition. The Exiles is just a joke.'" Totally agree. Its all very well people saying 'give it a chance', but the point of leadership is being able to make decisions based on intelligent predictions not random ideas then 'giving it a chance'. Anyone who predicts the exiles game will succeed long term is as daft as people who thought it was clever scrapping GB to replace it with teams from nations where the interest in RL is minimal. There's a clue in the WCC. That didnt need time to catch on. Remember the first one? Probably the most electric atmosphere at a game in the modern era, still gives me goose bumps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4HSnEkyiI Unfortuantely we cant make it happen without the NRL believing in it, but something akin to the Champions League (which i heard talk of a few months ago) is the next logical step to expose the cream of British players to the highest standard (other than them going to the NRL) Two groups of four, 2 Aus in each. You play both your away group matches in one 7 to 10 day trip overseas, to minimize the problems of distance. We should be working our backsides off, and spending our marketing salaries to convince sponsors and the NRL to go for it. You can put adverts on the side of trucks all you like, but give the press a proper elite competition and its worth 1000 times as much in marketing.

Quote ="headhunter"No, it's not. I didn't watch either of the Exiles matches, but I fail to see how it's better in any way, especially the second game which was pretty much a 2nd or 3rd string England side. At least nations like France will be motivated to play, the Exiles are a made up team with no incentive whatsoever and, as I said at the time it was announced, this concept is completely doomed to failure no matter how much people want to try and hype it up or make excuses for it. Ultimately, this is a poorly implemented idea based on dubious reasoning by an unintelligent man who is extremely bad at his job. Unless a mid-season fixture is more intense than a top Super League game, then nothing will be gained from it other than being a run-through for the team. At least matches against France, Wales or others would be genuine internationals which could benefit the sport, and actually would have the potential to grow and develop into intense fixtures given time and improvement in the opposition. The Exiles is just a joke.'" Totally agree. Its all very well people saying 'give it a chance', but the point of leadership is being able to make decisions based on intelligent predictions not random ideas then 'giving it a chance'. Anyone who predicts the exiles game will succeed long term is as daft as people who thought it was clever scrapping GB to replace it with teams from nations where the interest in RL is minimal. There's a clue in the WCC. That didnt need time to catch on. Remember the first one? Probably the most electric atmosphere at a game in the modern era, still gives me goose bumps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4HSnEkyiI Unfortuantely we cant make it happen without the NRL believing in it, but something akin to the Champions League (which i heard talk of a few months ago) is the next logical step to expose the cream of British players to the highest standard (other than them going to the NRL) Two groups of four, 2 Aus in each. You play both your away group matches in one 7 to 10 day trip overseas, to minimize the problems of distance. We should be working our backsides off, and spending our marketing salaries to convince sponsors and the NRL to go for it. You can put adverts on the side of trucks all you like, but give the press a proper elite competition and its worth 1000 times as much in marketing.

Quote ="RLBandit"Totally agree. Its all very well people saying 'give it a chance', but the point of leadership is being able to make decisions based on intelligent predictions not random ideas then 'giving it a chance'. Anyone who predicts the exiles game will succeed long term is as daft as people who thought it was clever scrapping =#FF0000GB to replace it with teams from nations where the interest in RL is minimal.There's a clue in the WCC. That didnt need time to catch on. Remember the first one? Probably the most electric atmosphere at a game in the modern era, still gives me goose bumps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4HSnEkyiI Unfortuantely we cant make it happen without the NRL believing in it, but something akin to the Champions League (which i heard talk of a few months ago) is the next logical step to expose the cream of British players to the highest standard (other than them going to the NRL) Two groups of four, 2 Aus in each. You play both your away group matches in one 7 to 10 day trip overseas, to minimize the problems of distance. We should be working our backsides off, and spending our marketing salaries to convince sponsors and the NRL to go for it. You can put adverts on the side of trucks all you like, but give the press a proper elite competition and its worth 1000 times as much in marketing.'" It is to do with Sport England funding, they won't put money in unless it is 100% for England. Unfortunately I would rather see GB being the pinacle and the path ways being the home nations.

Quote ="RLBandit"Totally agree. Its all very well people saying 'give it a chance', but the point of leadership is being able to make decisions based on intelligent predictions not random ideas then 'giving it a chance'. Anyone who predicts the exiles game will succeed long term is as daft as people who thought it was clever scrapping =#FF0000GB to replace it with teams from nations where the interest in RL is minimal.There's a clue in the WCC. That didnt need time to catch on. Remember the first one? Probably the most electric atmosphere at a game in the modern era, still gives me goose bumps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_4HSnEkyiI Unfortuantely we cant make it happen without the NRL believing in it, but something akin to the Champions League (which i heard talk of a few months ago) is the next logical step to expose the cream of British players to the highest standard (other than them going to the NRL) Two groups of four, 2 Aus in each. You play both your away group matches in one 7 to 10 day trip overseas, to minimize the problems of distance. We should be working our backsides off, and spending our marketing salaries to convince sponsors and the NRL to go for it. You can put adverts on the side of trucks all you like, but give the press a proper elite competition and its worth 1000 times as much in marketing.'" It is to do with Sport England funding, they won't put money in unless it is 100% for England. Unfortunately I would rather see GB being the pinacle and the path ways being the home nations.

I think the Exiles is the best of a bad job. A couple of mistakes by the RFL this year.

One match was enough this year but it was diluted before it even began this year.
No official sponsor for it.
I can see why they chose the Galpharm for last nights match (central location in the heartlands). But Leeds or Wigan would have been better as there would have been more of a crowd and better atmosphere.
Talking of atmosphere, Why don't they close off the stand where the TV cameras are? This at least on the TV show a more fuller stadium and at least make it more appealling to TV viewers.

I would like to see England play two matches mid season. One England v England Knights as a trial game. I think for the vast majority of people would like to see the Knights win so there will be a team for people to win. Then the Exiles match, marketed as they think they're better because the played in the "superior "competition.

Whilst they are going on get Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France playing each other.

After typing all that another thought popped into my head. The RU 6 nations, with a mid season competition where the regular season is going on whilst the international competition is going on.

Exactly

For years people were saying lets have a game against the rest of the world, now it happens you dont want to know and want to play a B team or back to awful Lancs v Yorks.

Last year was a success and this year should have been if it wasnt for the amount of drop outs in the squads. It should be kept as a one game match and rotated around the hearlands.

But if funding from Sport England was stopped, the fat controler and his cohorts, would have to take a £50 or £60 thousand pound pay cut a year.

Up to last night i thought it was a good idea but now not so sure, if we have it make it one, but if we stick to 2 lets have a full strength side from England and don't whinge about playing wens and sat the Aussies do it every year

England vs the exiles or England vs the knights is not an international test match. The NRL teams have every right to not release the players.

If this exile match is gonna be continued then let's include all non English players!!

The problem here is the same problem that will hold England back from beating the Aussies or anyone lese for that matter.

We play a game. We lose. We don't want to play any more.
Great! We might as well play a bunch of 13 year olds!

"Making this work" seems to translate to big crowd watching big win.
For me it needs to be players wanting to win and playing as hard as they can, whether we have injuries or not. People will come to watch that.

It's about time England used the chip to motivate rather than an excuse for not doing something.
It was the same for Yorks v lancs and GB v France as said higher up.

I actually think losing should be seen as a motivation. I would want to be playing next time and prove that we are a decent team.
NSW didn't cry off when they lose in a long losing streak, neither did Queensland wehn they had the same.

Well said

One game (until there's room/interest for more) England vs. Exiles with the curtain raiser of the Knights vs. Wales/France/Celtic Nations XIII. Would that work? No idea, but I can guarantee people will whinge about it on here regardless of whoever and whatever was put in front of them.

I would suggest that whoever becomes the captain of this rudderless ship goes back to drawing board – again.

The French experiment is so much in it’s infancy it’ll be many years before they’re a credible opposition.

The Exile concept was quite a novelty last season, but, the lack of intensity on show this year shows it’s just a jolly, a bit of extra cash for those involved.

People keep banning on about the International set-up, however, do many of us really care if England beat the French or a cobbled together Antipodeon side?

In fact, do many of us actually care about International rugby at all, we are so parochial a match between Purston & Streethouse (One for the real Flatcappers there

) has far more ferocity.

Yet, go to the parallel universe that is the NRL, Indigenous, Anzac, City v State, S.O.O, passion & pride aplenty, it’s not just a Rugby thing, it’s cultural.

The medicine isn’t working, time for a change methinks & oh, get rid of a fulltime National coach, it’s not necessary.

What?

Why would anyone want to pay to see what is nothing other than a training session game

You don't see the rfu dropping internationals because they have thrashed someone do we?

They continue playing them teams on a yearly basis,and that is why there game continues to grow,thats why they get sponsors who want to actually pay money to sponsor there events,not paint a handful of wagons.

They play REGULAR INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENTS!!!!! they have tours on yearly basis,why they even have the BRITISH LIONS who go and tour,what do we have?????

A 4 nations when the whim takes them,a world cup which day by day looks like it will be a bigger flop than the last one we had over here.

For internationals to work they have to be played on a saturday afternoon with all yes all the super league fixtures moved to midweek.

Have our own 6 nations tournament every year and have at least one team touring from the south hemisphere once a year,every 2nd year we would have a tour down under,why even take france wales ireland and scotland down there on the tour and let them play the smaller nations.

Before all this super league malarkey the rfl had two old dears who use to organise tours down under were we played clubs mid week and nz and oz at the weekend and players were partime them,they had to get 2 months off work to tour,now they are all professional we can't organise a 2 week tour let alone a 2 month one?

For our sport to grow super league as to take a step back and allow internationals to drive our game on,if that means axing 4 teams from super league so be it to allow space for internationals,internationals is the product the sponsors and general public judge a sport by.

Having a handful of teams in yorkshire and lancs is not exactly going to bring in the global market is it???


Feel sorry for you young uns as you will never have the great memories of touring watching your country as us old sticks did,the last tour which was scrapped down under years ago was going to take 20k in fans down under,now we can't get fans to drive 20 mins to go to a match now.

The last proper tour donkeys years ago we were playing club teams and the grounds down under were almost full of the barmy touring armies we use to take.

Now ask youselfs what went wrong and were are these people now???