Obviously it is desirable to have England play mid-season. But any notion that France being whipped once a season is helping them is a bit silly. They'll only get better when more of their players get SL experience (second license?).

What we need is an annual match against a team of northern hemisphere based non-English players.

Have the likes of Dobson and Matt King (who would surely love to play) alongside the best Welsh, Irish, French, and Scottish registered players.

SL fans would love to watch England in a competitive friendly, and would also surely enjoy watching their team's players face England. It's also no shame to lose to such a team.

The only problem is that players may not take playing for this team seriously and will withdraw injured etc. But, with time and by making being picked seem an honour, this team could gain respect.

Then let France concentrate on mid-season friendlies against the likes of Wales or Ireland. Much better for everyone.

But would their clubs? That was ultimately the reason why concepts such as York v Lancs failed.

Maybe make it so there can only be a max of two players from each SL club in the squad?

We should....

Have a 32 team league
Have a top 16 play off
Go back to winter
Have a Yorkshire cup and a lancashire cup at the beginning of the season.
Have a secondary cup comp, maybe invite a tobacco company to sponsor it
Form a GB team
Tour every 4 yrs to Aus and NZ
Have the Aussies over here every 4 years.
In the first test series (2012) make Steve Nash the skipper


That will sort it all out.

The Aussie Rules do very nicely with a team called 'The Allies' and RL used to have 'The Other Nationalities' concept .... Why not a game between England and all the rest of your SL favourites mid-season ?

Why would anyone give a crap to play for a team called The ex-pats or Non-England, or 'The others'... that would really instigate pride in the jersey of a contrived team for utter convenience.

And would the fans get behind it?
The majority of voices before, during and after last night's game in Paris were overwhelmingly negative.

You could strike up interest by having an NFL Pro-Bowl style public voting system and get the players they want in the team...

Seeing as they have 14,000,000 fans, it would just be full of Hull KR players.

Yeah forgot about that!...

The current problem with playing the French is the lack of intensity when compared to a Super League game (and even that is too much for the French when speaking to Monsieur Goulding this afternoon); playing an 'Other Nationalities' would have the opposite effect and make it even less intense.

Don't worry Bobbie, you'll get plenty of intensity when NZ and the Aussies come over.

I like!

An all stars type team would be great.

I would watch that.

A probowl type game would be good but how would the teams be split? English v the rest or Yorkshire v Lancashire, North v South?

I like that All Stars idea.

Super League All Stars vs England

Sounds Ameicanis(z)ed aswell which would perhaps aid the American Pro RL bid if coverage could be had over there.

Probably wouldn't have massive intensity, but as a better preparation for facing Oz/NZ then a combined Other Nationalities team would be better than France.

Don't call them All Stars, it sounds too corny and American. The English wouldn't buy into it, and that's who you are appealing to here. Something simple like Exiles would be better IMO. Name fits the team well.

call them the ALL GOLDS

This idea has surfaced periodically for years now and it still hasn't happend. If it was going to it would have already.

yeah but i think it's finally dawning on the powers that be that the gulf between the top 3 nations and the rest is too vast for games between the 2 to have any meaning or worth....so if it means that england 'A' plays against france,wales,ireland & scotland and the full blown England team plays against a all golds/anzac/other nationalities team....then so be it


and it pains me to say that

How would ticket sales be for a Four Nations series be affected if the team of former NRL players plying their trade in Super League beat the England side?

Double-header?

i'm all for double headers.....but the RFL are'nt are they..

personally i see not wrong with a ENG 'A' v france & ENG v ON double header

In a physical sport where we all ready play too many games, there's no chance that clubs would release their overseas stars and risk them getting injured.

The French, only having one SL club, have a shallow (top end) player pool, and so the few injuries in the forward effected them very badly. So a big(ger) score was always only the cards.

I would like to see France play our regional teams, lancashire, yorkshire (maybe even "the south" and in a year or so Wales). It will give France a better run out, and it will give the English chance to mix up coming players with the experienced guys.

I also think we should get the Pacific Island combined team touring over here to play aginst England, France and Wales. It will give the English lads good experience to [ibuild up[/i to playing the Aussies.