I know it wouldn't help France improve but how about England vs Rest of Europe or Rest of World which is made up of players from the league.

Would make for a lot closer match IMO

If nothing else, the lads from the Midlands RPDC who went said it was fantastic.

Yeah thats all it'll take.

It's only taken a country the size of the USA over a century to be considered even slightly competitive at football (a sport with huge worldwide media coverage, exposure and resources), yet people seem to think a few clubs fast-tracked into super league is going to give us some kind of ultra-competitive international scene within a couple of years.

I doubt you'll still be alive by the time France are 'competitive' at rugby league internationally. If they ever are.

France have played in 2 RL World Cup finals? What went wrong? The talent was their once.

And for what its worth, England v France sounds like a football or RU game. My mum would have gone to the game had i offered to get her tickets for Great Britain v France. I know people will say 'well if she is a proper RL supporter she would know........' but you understand what i'm saying.

The talents their still eg Bosc, Raguin, Fakir, Mounis, Baille ect. The problem is asking part time players cant compete with full time professionals.

not forgetting of course that no so long ago RL was essentially semi pro with many part time players, allowing nations of similar setup a relatively equally standing.

France faces a huge uphill battle to be competitive in this and other test matches. The gruelling schedule faced by France's Super League based players is a key factor, and I listed the reasoning for this [url=http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showpost.php?p=6676646&postcount=42in a post on League Unlimited[/url. France's elite Rugby League players have all been worked into the ground since Catalan Dragons' admission to Super League.

The issue of foreign players in SL has far smaller ramifications than it is claimed to have. Super League only has marginally more foreign players than the NRL system (which has at least 92 overseas trained players in its ranks this year, this number os broken down by nationality in [url=http://viewtopic.php?p=15241745#p15241745wigan to eliminate all imports within 5 years[/url). Super League also has far fewer foreigners than most competitions in Rugby Union:

League - % of 1st team squad that was trained overseas
English Guinness Premiership 2008/2009 - 40% of clubs' elite squads were overseas trained.
Italian Super 10 2008/2009 - 40% of elite squads were overseas trained.
French Top 14 2008/2009 - 37% of elite squads were overseas trained.
Super League 2010 - 29.43% of elite squads were overseas trained.
Magners Celtic League (Wales/Ireland/Scotland) 2008/2009 - 20% of elite squads were overseas trained (Celtic League teams are all centrally funded/controlled by their respective national Unions, to some extent).

Now, England and France's Rugby Union national teams have all had significant success in the last decade (the Five Nations expanded to Six in 2000). France has won 5 times out of 10, including 3 Grand Slams. England has won three times, including one Grand Slam. Both have recorded victories against the Southern Hemisphere big three at home and more crucially, away. England has won a World Cup, made a final. France has made the last few semi finals. The point is, England and France Rugby's percentage of foreigners is significantly higher than Super League average, and higher than Catalans (currently 9 overseas trained players of 25, 36%).

There wasn't a lot of point in that, imho.
We've seen that as soon as a couple of catalan players get injured the french team suffers the same (or more, since they don't have half a dozen Aussies knocking about).

It didn't do England or France any good from a point of preparation for the end of season game. To be honest, that French team would have been better off playing an NL england side. I've long been an advocate that they should be playing against games Lancashire and Yorkshire instead of just getting their ar5es handed to them by england once a year.

I would love a more vibrant international scene, but can't help think that our imability to compete with Austrailia combined with the low number of international teams is what's killed our enthusiasm for it. I think we need to be more creative with our international fixture list. I think we need to sacrifice some of our annual tonkings at the hands of the aussies for some more modest fixtures to allow England to develop as a team.

One year, I would like to see an end of season internatinal calander in the spirit of the following.

NL England Select vs France
France vs Lancashire
France vs Yorkshire
England vs France
England vs Pacific Island select (Fiji, Samoa, Tonga & PNG).

I'm not sure whether the Pacific Islands team would be doable, but even if you got one of the teams over to play it would be worth it imo.

Giving Lancs and Yorks fixtures is a way to test out some extra players (like, say, Ben Harrison) without dropping established players who've done nothing wrong (eg Morley & Westwood). I also reckon it would've got just as good a crowd as the England game at Leigh if it were Lancashire as people would go to see their club players representing. I bet if you played a Yorkshire game at Hull it would be the same.

england v Other nationalities and england 'A' v france......simples

I a proffesional era, I can't see you getting an "Other Nationalities" team together. You can't motivate the players with national pride and I don't reckon the RFL or whoever will be able to stump up much of a match fee for them. They won't risk an injury just for the fun of a run out.

so all the aussies and to a lesser extent the kiwis that by coming to play in super league giving up any representative career they might have had down under would'nt relish the chance to play a international for the 'other nations' against england....?


i think you'll find they'll be falling over themselves to be involved....it would be a bloody good side too and a far greater test for us than france....the likes of buderus,king,fitzgibbon,o'meley etc..would all still be playing origin if they stayed at home...

I'd love to see it as a spectical and i agree it would be the best test available in the Northern Hemisphere, but i don't agree with it being that easy to get the players involved.
It would be quite easy to find out though, all the RFL has to do is visit the clubs and ask the relevant players.

International RL is embarrassing. The game srae one-sided and the public are not convinced either - here and in Australia.

Even with Aussie imports the French are rubbish, and they are showing no sign of improvement. Time to let them sink and die. French RL is no better than it was 25 years ago.

well good morning sunshine....

Of course it is.
Frances problem ultimately is that England are moving so much faster trying to catch Australia they can't keep up with the resources available to them

heres a quick,off the top of my head,Other nationalities team


1. brent webb
2. scott donald
3. matt king
4. matt gidley
5. amos roberts
6. brett kearney
7. matt orford
8. kylie leulaui
9. danny buderus
10. mark o'meley
11. craig fitzgibbon
12. tony puletua
13. dallas johnson

14. ali lauititi
15. Iafeta Paleaaesina
16. joel clinton
17. Thomas Leuluai

that side would pose far bigger problems than france could ever cause

If I was an aussie player and the RFL said, 'fancy playing in a nothing game to make England better so they can catch Australia?'

I'd say, no ta.

thats cos your a miserable sod....

I wonder how much it would cost the RFL to insure some of the premier players in SL against injury in what would amount to a meaningless friendly?

You've then got the issue of clearing a free weekend in the calendar, as you can't expect clubs to play without their England representatives and any they have called up to an Other Nationalities team.

theres the prospect of a worldwide international weekend being setup anyway...

I suppose it's a bit meaningless like SOO and the ANZAC test down under.

You just don't get battled hardened players from them you.

Stop it, my sides are splitting.

So a game between England and a motley collection of overseas players thrown together for a week, with nothing but a bit of pride riding on the result, would have the same intensity as Origin or an Anzac Test?

Do you remember how "intense" that GB v Rest of the World one-off at Headingley was (late 80s?)

How are things on Planet Leaguefan?

we'll just keep flogging the french then eh?

It's the only (genuine) game in town, at least until the Welsh get up to speed.

If the purpose of the game is to raise the intensity and help prepare players for the next step up then why not play a proper "Test trial" of England v England "A"?

It probably wouldn't pull in much of a crowd, but it'll be more competitive than playing against the French.

Do you really believe that?
Buderus at 32 would be unlikely to replace Robbie Farah or Michael Ennis
Matt King? who's Origin spot would he take?
Fitzy at 32 had a second wind in 2008 but he knew his time was up with the shortened contract the Roosters offered him, they did not think he would be playing Rep games again.
O' Meley has not played at Origin level since 2006 and was a fringe first grader before leaving Australia

This team of other Nations... Why would they represent a Nation? why would it be called an International seeing as they do not represent any Country.

Maybe England should play Oz in a mid season Test?............
Oops, that has already been done with a less than spectacular result.
I think the GB team Coach or Manager said it would never be done again due to the lack of preparation and 1 days travel etc etc.
What he did not say but everyone knew was he did not want to face an Oz Test side that was mid season in full swing and rhythm.