And yet, somehow, NZ managed to produce the world's best RL team without any kind of rep fixtures. Football, cricket and rugby union also seem to manage to run international teams without dividing the country into two arbitrary pieces.

The idea that a Lancashire/Yorkshire match is going to be more intense than a normal SL club game is just comedy.

Scrap the magic weekend and have a 4 team series of games involving Yorkshire Lancashire, Cumbria and "Other players" ie London/Wrexham ( RL Barbarians?? )

The Kiwis managed to win two one-off games in 2006 and 2008. Their team has otherwise been beaten consistently by Australia in one-off tests, test series and tournaments for decades. As have England/GB. Graham Lowe and others in NZRL obviously agreed with the need for a level above the NRL.



When it comes to the three nations of England, Australia and NZ, consider the following.
Firstly, when it comes to football, the English football structure does not facilitate success in the national team - it has not won a major international tournament in some time. Nor could one use the A League.

Secondly, the format of cricket is totally different, especially in Australia/NZ, where international players are barely involved in state/provincial cricket. Comparison cannot be made.

Thirdly, when it comes to Rugby Union, England has also underperformed consistently, and the clubs/country have been involved in conflict over control of the elite players and the game for most of the professional era.



The games of 2001 to 2002 already proved to be a series of intense, worthwhile fixtures. 2003 ended up being one-sided, which is no different to State of Origin, or to many NRL fixtures and countless Super League fixtures. Notably in 2002, when the RFL ran a two match Roses series, GB won the test series against a good Kiwi team (as opposed to the poor Kiwi team they defeated in 2007). GB also won the first Ashes test in 2001.

Super League has seemingly fallen in intensity with expansion to 14 teams. This year, 58 of 160 games, or over 36%, have been won with a margin of 20 points or more. 8 games have been hidings of 50 points or more, culminating in the Wigan's 58 nil defeat of Catalans, Warrington's 58 nil defeat of Quins, Saints defeated Hull KR twice by 54 and 56 points. 10 margins in the 40s, 13 margins in the 30s.

Meanwhile, in 2001 to 2003, there was one large defeat in the Roses series, out of 4 games. 25% of those games.

Excellent post.

County games are the way ahead.

As long as they were scheduled sensibly and taken seriously by the clubs then I don't see why a Lancashire-Yorkshire game couldn't achieve 15,000+ crowds sooner rather than later.

The only other alternative would be a mid-season England-Wales international alongside playing the Frogs.

Call it the Reds vs the Whites, like the Blues and the Maroons. Get all fans involved, else look at getting the Magic weekend moved and free on your season ticket to ensure a full stadium. At least then you are promoting the game to the British public instead of defending the sp crowds at the big stadia.

Leave English players to get better on their own, they may win tests against the Kiwis but it will take at least another generation to beat the Aussies in a test series with our current game-plan (I'm not seeing a logical one beyond me promoting what the coaches have been calling for)

The cold hard facts are that Rugby League in the UK is neither strong enough or well supported enough to successfully have any 'Origin' type competition.

It is simply not popular enough.

Sorry... but its true.

And this was reflected in the performance of the GB team in those years?

Close result does not equal intense. I'd describe those games as glorified friendlies/ exhibition games, with all players involved doing their best not to get injured and with one eye on the clock. That's the most you could hope for from such games.

I have an idea, how about a hog-roast where you're the guest speaker, and then we have a showing of Gareth Thomas: The Movie.

How about charging full price to all, with all money raised going to the benevolent fund?

4 way tournament

West England
East England
Celtic Nations
Rest of Europe

East
West
Overseas super league players
France

This way we have France playing in (hopefully) intense competitive gamesthus aiding both ours and their progression in international rugby. A sister tournament could run along side this involving Wales Scotland and Ireland plus one guest nation which could change year on year (ie Lebanon Greece USA etc)

If the concept of Yorks v Lancs didnt catch on then why oh why oh WHY waste time trying to organise a team who were born inbetween Hull and Gateshead v a team whose immediate family once had a Big Mac meal in St Helens?

Its nonsense.

Yorkshire and Lancashire are the 2 biggest RL playing areas in the UK...and if rumours are to be believed... they dont like one another much.

If Yorks v Lancs cant get a healthy crowd then no 'origin' type thing will.

this guy has the right idea.......oh look its me!

I love the way the naysayers conveniently forget that the last time these fixtures were played they [idid[/i get healthy crowds, even more so because they were midweek & zero marketed games.

England vs Rest of the UK would of been a better shout. They are never going to get anything like the state of origin games. In OZ they veiw those games more importantly than playing for the green and gold

Thats because they are stupid though.

but the players never really fancied it...

Correct

West

Briscoe/Tomkins, Riley, Bridge, Gleeson, Goulding, Briers, Eastmond, Morley, Roby, Graham, O'loughlin, J Tomkins, Sinfield

Myler, Moore, Coley, K. Brown

East

Widdop, Hall, Atkins, Senior, Smith, Burrow, McGuire, Peacock, Diskin, Crabtree, Westwood, Ellis, Burgess

Lynch, Pryce, Wilkin, Shenton

R.O.W (S.L)

Hodgson, Richards, King, Delaney, Hicks, Dobson, Sammut, O'Meley, Monaghan, K. Leulaui, Landerson, Menzies, Fitzgibbon

Gidley, Buderus, Newton, Lauititi

France

Greenshields, Pelo, Raguin, Jean Phillipe Baile, Stacul, ?, Bosc, Ferriol, Touxegas, Gussiet, Elima, Mounis, ?

So you are saying there aren't 40,000 rugby league fans who wouldn't take advantage of an event that is included in their season ticket to see the best 34 British players take aim at each other. Wigan and Leeds must be playing in front of cardboard cut-out fans tomorrow if that is the case.

Sadly for the sport yes I am saying exactly that.

So this is the last generation of rugby league in the UK, with fans replaced by cardboard cut-outs at SKY's request and flatcappers deeming a free ticket included within your season ticket as too expensive, saying "at least Dick Turpin had the decency to wear a mask!"

If you build it, TheY will come, especially if it's free!

Firstly we make the amount of league games smaller
by shrinking the amount of teams in a league

split the teams into [utwo[/u top leagues

West Division - East Division
11 teams - 11 teams

top 3 West v top 3 East in playoffs against each other

league games reduced by 4
playoff games reduced

leave plenty of room for gimmicks, etc

For me there are 2 options to create an event and a meaningful fixture to improve the england team at the top level.

England v Yorkshire is the logical choice.

But instead I would like to see the current SL champs play England in a new club v country game at their home ground.

It would be a real test, I could see some great pr opportunities surrounding a club v country game and a full house.

I would also like england still to play the winners of a wales V france fixture each year.