That's probably what the Aussie fans think when England play Australia.

It's good to see more variety in the England squad than the Saints/Leeds team that played in the world cup, looking forward to seeing Burgess play hes been nothing short of sublime in the NRL this season.

I agree.

England versus 90% of a team rank bottom of Super League and only interested in a Challenge Cup Semi Final.

England by 50

How long is it since there have been more Wigan players than Saints in an international?

[url=http://www.liverpooldailypost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/2010/06/10/sean-mcguire-england-v-france-how-not-to-arrange-an-international-sporting-fixture-92534-26623689/England v France – How not to arrange an international sporting fixture[/url

The planning of the game is almost unbelievable, I say almost because this is the RFL we're talking about so it hardly comes as a suprise.

It should have been played last night and billed as a game to get the old English passion flowing ahead of the football world cup. That way it would have given the players the chance to play for their clubs at the weekend and we'd have got a decent crowd on and maybe a touch of media coverage instead of it now being played as a totally meaningless game that people can't really be bothered with because the football is kicking off about 20mins after this game finishes.

Another fine cock up by the kings of the cock up!!!

Couldn't agree more. Interesting to note that England rugby union are also playing on Saturday, but at 11am UK time.

.

Does someone have the complete list of Top Level personnel at the RFL?

Taken from a recent RFL meeting,

And with 2 ex-league players in the side...

And both are set to start.
The Australians have two sons of Kangaroos, a couple of Kiwis and a few lads who started off in league, like poster boy James O'Connor

Union, but I might record that (so I can x30 through the scrums, mauls, lineouts, goal kicks etc).

EDIT: awww, why doesn't "strikeout" work?

How many do u reccon wigan will bring to the game?

anyone know whether you can pay on the day?

Yes you can pay on the day

thanks

No problem come stand with the leigh fans

haha Hope as many of you come as possible as we are all cheering the same team

Since the last time one of our England contingent was injured?

Politicians answer.

Good article. However, even hardcore RL fans are choosing to watch the soccer on TV rather than pootle along to Leigh, which is no great distance from any of the rugby league towns on this side of the Pennines. So while the RFL have behaved in the amateurish way I for one would expect them to behave, the lack of support for the game is still down to the RL fans themselves.

Too true and to be honest it's something I can't get my head around. The number of people moaning about the game, the RFL and who go on about the state of rugby league will choose to go to the pub and watch a bunch of overpaid prima donnas battling it out for a ridiculous winning bonus before going back to their mind boggling salaries, 5-bedroom detached houses and Aston Martins.

That's a fair point, but still, why put the game up against such competition, when there's really no need for it? The Wigan & Saints boards, along with SKY, were quick enough to change our fixture because it was coming up against some footy game or other.

It's not as if the SL programme has been put on hold for the international, so why couldn't it have been held, say, a week or two earlier?

Did anyone hear the RFL media manager on GMR last night? He got some stick but his points were quite valid.

The game was arranged well before the world cup was sorted. The RFL get stick for throwing the games in at short notice so they planned this one in advance! (Personally thing that hosting it during the world cup dates was silly tho!!

They tried to move the kick off to the afternoon but sky schedules wouldnt allow(Presume its the Yawnion on then!!)He then said that if we cant get 10,000 people from Wigan, leigh, Warrington, St Helens, Salford, Widnes etc wanting to watch the national team knowing they have a good 45mins to get home to watch the football then somethings wrong! (In a way I think hes right but thats relying on the die hards to turn up. I think We should be making it easy for everyone to get to by removing excuses/barriers!)

He also pointed out that all the clubs playing friday had the choice to move their game at the start of the season knowing the fixtures would mean players being missing!

On a side, wish I could have got odds on no Bradford player being in the 17!! Hes not as daft as we all think that McNamara!!

I have to simply admit that this game does not in any way excite me.

It’s the main reason I won’t be attending but other factors such as the Wigan playing the following day and it being showed live on TV have all contributed to my apathy.

I just can’t get excited to see England pummel a very poor French side.

Now if it would have been England vs a SL select team at a half decent stadium i'd be all over it.