Like I've hinted to you:

I am a long term fan of both domestic and international RL.

I have been to internationals. With the plural.

I didn't realise it was on. Because nobody had really hyped it. I knew that we weren't playing Australia this year, but this match completely took me by surprise because I have other things on. So I am in his boat. I don't know why you don't understand this view.

Quite possibly the RFL were ever so slightly embarassed by what was always going to be a farce of an actual ' Competition ' , not a criticism, just the way it is

What if he (or people in his party) had already made plans? The fixtures weren't announced until last month. We didn't know if they'd all be away or at home.

I had no idea this tournament had started until 4:30 last week when I switched the TV over and caught the last few minutes.


That's the spirit.

The other problem is that well, frankly, its just not an interesting match. Its a real shame we don't have a credible northern hemisphere international game, but trying to wish one into existence won't change that, and only serves to embarrass us. Tours were far better, but I don't blame the Aussies for being fed up of the English game. The only hope I see is an extension of the WCC to something akin to a champions league, to start building credible north-south rivalry.

So how much money do you think the RFL should have spent ' Hyping ' up a completely non ' competitive ' competition? Just so another 500 RL fans might attend, and where would you have them ' advertise ' these matches? , a billboard campaign? , busses in Hull?

That's just full of pessimism though. You want northern hemisphere competition, yet you don't want us to work for it? Where is it going to spring up from?

Whinge if we do, whinge if we don't. How can you win?

But despite the fact the game was pointless and one-sided; played in front of only 4,000 people even though its on many fans' doorstep; an embarrassment to our game that no-one knew about - it was still a story on the ten o'clock radio news as I was driving back to the soft South where none of us will ever know or care about the game.
I love the game and Test football is our best hope for success in the future. I had a great time at the game despite the one sided nature. Then again I suppose as a Broncos season ticket holder I'm used to watching an under prepared team missing one on one tackles!

As you know, I am no fan of the RFL, but didnt Mr Wood make a visit down under about 3 months ago to try to set up a last minute tour of some sort? ,it was only when that didnt happen they went for the full England team playing in this competition ?

A turd is still a turd even if you roll it in glitter

If they could persuade a haulage firm to put it on the side of trucks it would be worth millions in advertising. I'm suprised that Satchi and Satchi haven't hired Nigel Wood to be honest.

£5272.15p.

Well if that had got you and pinky winky to the game it would have been money well spent

Well the fact they hadn't organised anything 3 months ago is still very very worrying! They've known for a while now the Aussies weren't interested. This could have been announced in 2011 from that knowledge and hyped during the 4N off the back of Wales' fairly respectable performances.


I don't think international RL is a turd.

Tell us how you ' hype ' up a clearly one sided competition?

We didn't learn anything from that!
What it did confirm is that we need a new England Coaching team.
If they are that disorganised v the Aussies and Kiwis then next year's World Cup could be truly awful.

Are you trying to tell me that because it's one-sided, it's unhypable?

You suggested it could be ' hyped ' , I'm just asking how you would do it?

I only 'want' a credible northern hemisphere international competition in the same sense that I 'want' to play for Wigan despite being 40 years old and having yet to display any significant talent for the sport. Nice, but aint going to happen. Trying to build a Wales team this way is (almost but not quite) as futile as me starting training for my new RL career.

What I'm saying is that we have to accept where we are...not out of pessimism, but because we need to be realistic about how best to grow the sport. I'm not particularly hung up about whether we grow through clubs or through internationals ( very few major sports are as dominated by internationals as RU - in fact nearly all US sports have none ).

The fact is, I have no idea if we'll ever have a serious home nations comp. It feels unlikely in my lifetime, but who knows, if we can get a couple of top flight welsh clubs, its maybe just possible. However, it seems like such a fantasy at this stage, and given the much more urgent need to revitalise RL in areas where we *know* there's been a historic passion for the game, it doesn't feel useful to me.

I see more eventual hope ( and that's all it is ) in a much more extended WCC, akin to a champions league. That has more chance of one day being our rival to RU's six nations than trying to create our own home nations comp. If we build a sport dominated by club ( including international club ) competition, along with huge North-south international series every year (like our Ryder cup ) I'd be just fine with that.

Pretty much, yes. If you hype up an inevitable drubbing you just look embarrassingly desperate. Those who know the game smell the BS for what it is, and a newcomer would feel conned.

A total waste of time. A pointless exercise.

I'm not quite sure what people are expecting. A series against Australia or NZ wasn't possible. This was the next best thing. Yes Wales were disappointing, yes it was an easy game, yes the crowd was disappointing.
But on Saturday rugby league received more media coverage than for any RL event other than the Cup Final and Grand Final this year. Live, prime time coverage on BBC One, high billing on the news both BBC and Sky, high billing on the BBC website.
Given that a series against Australia or NZ wasn't possible and certainly no chance of one over her, would it really have been better to have had no internationals this year at all? The year before a World Cup? I think people are getting far too carried away simply because of the scoreline. The quality of the opposition is almost irrelevant, it's the chance to get the team together, bonding, and practicing and playing together that is important this year.

Promote it is a Welsh national side I think now a fair few more Welsh born players are coming through the system and are now in the side. More people will support the team if they are supporting the players who was born in the same country as their own. However good Briers and Cunningham were the Welsh cant relate to them. It'll be the same if Mcbanana keeps on selecting these NRL players who were born in Oz how many people who currently watch the English side will stop if 10 of the 17 were born in Oz?

What people forget and its true the aussies have in the past done the same to loads of teams scored loads of points against them, what would they do if new Zealand was not on their doorstep to give them competition

i thought the following

Wales are terrible
Watkins and Charnley are a promising pairing for the future
Myler shouldn't be anywhere near the number 7 shirt
Hardaker and Hall are v. good under the high ball
Hock is our best attacking forward runner
Sinfield played like he does for Leeds instead of how England tell him to play
The rfl are very illogical

More should be known after the France game but id expect a low attendance as the game is basically meaningless result wise, a good chance perhaps for the fringe players to get a game

Sales, marketing and promotion aren't my occupation.

However, observation would tell me that if a friendly against Wales 4 years ago can attract nearly 11,000 in Doncaster and a mid season test against France can attract 12,600, then there is definitely a better way to promote and organise these games than they have done. Everyone expected a heavy win. Both games weren't part of any major competitions.

ANYTHING can be promoted. If the people at the top are looking for reasons to not promote events, then they need new jobs.

Who's going to win the SPL for the next 3 years?

Yep, should have had France v Wales as the last game before the final.