www.superleaguefans.com/videos/p ... m=facebook Nice little video to get us in the mood for the St George game

www.superleaguefans.com/videos/p ... m=facebook Nice little video to get us in the mood for the St George game

Just wondering what Warrington fans view on the series is. I didn't see much about the 'powers that be' plans to revamp the world club challenge, though I was aware of it involving 6 teams.

Just seen the fixtures for it and it dosen't look much of a revamp.

Well it improves on just one wcc to one wcc and two exhibition friendlies!

Although many seem to bash it as "just 2 friendlies", its the foundations of a potential off-season "Champions League" of RL. I'm all for it.

It could have been vw had the powers that be, not watered it down to this format.
Still I'm not throwing stones. It is progressive.

RD I agree with VW and think it's a first tentative attempt to broaden the scope/appeal to see whether it's attractive... a toe in the water?

If it's well supported by all involved then it might progress into a Champions League Challenge and I hope that it does. The sport needs an easy to understand, elite competition and if the format can be agreed ie how do you really qualify for it, what are the rewards on offer and can games accommodated then it's a positive for mine.

I don't ynderstand Rugby League's small minded obsession with every game 'meaning something'. Rugby Union regularly sell out exhibition games at Twickenham. Why can't we celebrate and enjoy events like this for what they are? If we make a success of it there is no reason why it can't grow into something bigger.

If we insist on dismissing games as meaningless or friendlies, why should we be surprised when the media decides not to give us recognition?

I think bringing 3 squads 11000 miles to play one game is a lost opportunity and somewhat a waste.

A three game format I would call the first step to a champions league.

Top 2 of each hemisphere play a round Robin

The third team from OZ play 2 friendlies. Wire and someone else.

Make your mind up. Earlier you said you weren't knocking it as it is 'progressive'. I agree, but you can see from the tone of some posts that to some fans it's 'meaningless'. Therefore better not to tempt fate by scheduling too many SL v NRL matches first time around. I'm really looking forward to it.

Have a 'magic weekend' of SL v NRL at the millennium stadium.
1v1, 2v2 up to 8 v 8

2 days of rugby alternate between countries, clubs to triple/quadruple up on the air travel/hotels to keep costs down.

RU....what club exhibition games are regularly played at Twickers?

These games are not meaningless but two of them are exactly what they are, a cross hemisphere friendly. The headlining game is nothing more than a head to head football charity shield game.

These games will get no more exposure than they deserve.
Few people outside of RL would give a shat about it. It's fortunate BskyB have agreed to broadcast it to give it passive interest, but it's a far cry from unmissable tele!

As an example, who other than Man Utd fans, who have the Utd TV service, gives a shat when they go off to the Americas or Asia, preseason playing football.
Exactly, nobody but the supporters of the teams they visit perhaps.
It make tiny news in the national papers if any and nowt on terrestrial TV, and we are talking here about arguably the biggest supported football team in the world!

Like I said, I'm not throwing sticks and stones, but it is what it is, and unfortunately it's a million miles away from Rugby Union's, Rugby Champions League.

I can see the woods beyond the trees, but the problem with the RFL is they like cut down trees for us to see them. The concept is yellow and smells like custard, it is watered down, but my guess is it's still custard! Yet I'm a Wire and I will buy a ticket and I will cheer on my team.

You're talking out of your rear end again Duckie. Make your mind up whether or not you're in favour of it or not. The players on both sides will not treat this as a friendly. Tony Smith seems to think that there will be some real needle in it between the two teams. Why is it that fans of other sports support their game regardless of what's going on, but some (only some) RL fans seem to want to dissect everything that happens within the game and constantly whinge?

Barbarians

The BarBar's are not a club side. There a selection team, the nearest we have to that now were the Exiles.

That is a friendly at an international standard, something akin to the Harlem Globetrotters with greater public interest.

Tees
I'm up for it and it's much better than a warm up against Widnes but other than exposure on BskyB and capital return, its an exhibition game at a club standard.... that I'm afraid is still a friendly however you want to dress it up.
I do however think the players will take it very differently to a friendly.

It can wagered a little more interesting...

I dare both clubs to settle it on a winner takes all showdown!

I think me and Sir Adrian Morley would like that.

If the players treat it properly, which they will, it's not a friendly.

That's how we hope and expect the game to pan out, but unfortunately we have no other category to name this type of game other than an exhibition game or a friendly.

You really are hard work. You have essentially just defined exhibition football for us. The autumn internationals are by your standards also friendlies, yet they fill Twickenham and Cardiff. They are a series of one off tests.

The original Super League world club challenge, held down under was an unmitigated disaster. We need to gradually develop this concept rather than having another farce like that.

What we need eventually is a 6 team comp, everyone plays each other home & away (Aussies come here and play everyone then we go over there and play everyone) and the top 2 battle it out to be champions with 3rd v 4th and 5th v 6th for final placings.

OR just a straight-up league with top finisher being Champions.

Create a new trophy to be won with a big sponsorship. Look how massive that is in European football. We've got to start somewhere and work towards something like this, it can be done with the right marketing!

Agreed vw

Dya think it'd be better as a Eng v Aus thing or a every club for themselves thing?

So two Aussie teams could take 1 & 2?

Top 3 qualify would also spice up the Super 8 as certain teams won't 'settle' for 4th.

Home nation or the six nations are all international games and so gets the exposure it deserves.
As regards them being friendly fixtures they are not.
There is a league structure and a cup.

Club rugby league does not other than the wcc of which Warrington is not competing in.
Yes we are in what is known as a world club series.

Hard work Ganson's?
What do you want me to say?
It is what it is.... 2 club sides playing a game that one (Wire) qualified for not being successful but finishing higher in the league than all the other non finalists and the other (St G) who have qualified because they put their hands up when pretty much nobody else wanted to be involved, and hey they finished halfway down their league.

a league structure must be whomever finished top wins or every team for themselves knockout.
2 top oz teams playing in a final would not effect the attendance.

As with the recent rl world cup, you promote the final and sell tickets well ahead of the final.

Are we forgetting the perennial argument here....

Picture the scene

It's a Saturday afternoon in October/November, and England have beaten Australia in an EARLY qualifying Test, for the 3 (or) 4 Nations.
The week after, and we beat NZ

Next week, it's the final of the 3 (or) 4 Nations against Australia.
We take the lead with a Ryan Hall miracle try, and the commentators and pundits are nursing erections of Everest proportions.
10 minutes later, Greg Inglis walks through a gap a mile wide, and it's level pegging.
We get a bit of biff, and then the game settles down, then, all of a sudden, BANG BANG, Burgess gets a barge over try, and Tomkins shows a bit of magic for a try, but we miss both conversions, so we go in with an 8 point lead.

Half time, and the smiles can't be wide enough in the studio. But hang on. Millward is smirking (he knows).

Second half starts, and we fluff a great chance, and 1 minute later Cameron Smith gets a try (converted), so the gap's only 2.
10 minutes more of attrition, and nothing changes until.........a bomb goes up, and Tomkins drops it, and Aussies get a walk over try. They lead by 4.
Then they lead by 10
Then they lead by 16
Then they lead by 22


Then the final whistle blows, and we have the inevitable inquest in the studio. The pundits come to the conclusion that the Brits (English) play too many games in comparison to the Aussies and NZ. See 2002,3,4,6.....you get the picture

Puts the mini World Club League into perspective, eh chaps.