Well exactly.

I mean it's not like we don't reward players with the current and potential earnings opportunity to match their talent is it?

Correct, a customer of mine who was over at the same time as us who went to the games isn't going any this time round. If it wasn't for the Kiwi's vs Australia tomorrow it wouldn't be worth watching, I'm looking forward to that game the most rather than any of our games after what we went through in Oz.

Go the facking Kiwi's I say!!

I've put kind of (only because I'm going watching the England V Australia next week with about 50 lads from our work

).

I can only see England winning one game - France.

Poor crowd and farcical national anthem situation. No wonder international RL is seen as a joke...

Great Britain means Rugby League, England means anything but.

I asked my girlfriend did she want to go watching England V Australia, she said no, she only realised this week I was on about RL, she thought it was cricket. She'd have come if I'd said GB V Australia, now i know any RL worth there salt would know its not GB anymore, but i think that's a perfect example of how GB means RL and England doesn't.

I'm sorry but I can't be up for it, not even bothered to turn Sky Sports on.

GB Team of the 90's would put 30 on this lot.

well this aint giving me any reason to be excited so far, could be in for a record battering next week

Awful so far. Just awful.

This is the worst side we've put out since the mid-80s, by some distance.

England are playing weak and France will have this if they really want it, still think we will be to good for them but if we play like this against Aussie and New Zealand it will be shocking times. Was thinking if it was still GB and Ireland Pat Richards would be on the wing !

If they stop gifting England penalties.

Posted this on another thread - albeit, the wrong thread.

International RL is a shambles IMHO.

Here's how I would like England RL to go:


Tours

I can barely remember GB tours to the South Pacific Islands etc. However, from what I've read and been told, they were a great success.

I'd personally like to see tours of Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG - those sort of test's are real tough ones, especially away. Really intimidating and from Radlinski's book - really fierce and physical matches.

Why can't England do a tour there one season? RL is strong in those countries and IMO they would be more exciting as a fan than tonking France and receiving a heavy beating off Aus and NZ.


4 Nations

In years gone by, tonights match would of sold out at a bigger stadium. The RFL needed to put out advertisements in national papers, gather interest and gather spectators. I bet 75%+ of France don't even know their RL national team is playing arguably thier fiercest rivals tonight.

I just can't see the logic in including France. It will be detrimental to the French game IF they recieve 3 heavy defeats.

I would of like to of seen Ireland/Fiji involved, correct me if I'm wrong but didn't they finish 4th and 5th in the WC? Where did France finish - last.

Include the best teams and slowly introduce teams growing in strenght such as France, such as Wales etc etc.


Expansion

The RFL took a massive gamble with Catalans - and IMO it paid off. However, they tried it again with Celtic and so far it's been a complete failure.

IMO they got intimidated by the 'If Celtic aren't included RL will die in Wales' calls. We needed to make RL strong in Wales by slowly building them up, instead we fast-tracked it and it failed, plain and simple.

If the RFL are serious about expansion, they must concentrate on expanding:

- London
- Cumbria

These two are hot-beds for RL (London is the fastest growing RL area in the UK). Why can't they help out a team in London and take them to Quins level?

They've taken a "lose some to win more" attitude - I can't see where they are winning.

I think that could be being generous to this England side.

How many of them would get in that 90s team? None of the backs. Peacock or Ellis maybe, but that's about it.

I think Graham, Morley, Ellis, Burgess and Peacock would be in with a shout.

Complete and utter shambles.


I am cheering for the French.




Good to see the RFL's policies working isn't it?


Still, at least Wigan aren't winning everything. That's what counts.

In my memory we have only ever toured the South Pacific once, 1i 1996. Played 3 tests against NZ, lost all 3, beat PNG 24-22(or something similar) and tonked Fiji about 70-10, think we also played a NZ Maori side and only just scraped a win.

For further info, Bilko has a page on tests in the last 30 years on the Cherry and White site.

Quote ="Dougy"In my memory we have only ever toured the South Pacific once, 1i 1996. Played 3 tests against NZ, lost all 3, beat PNG 24-22(or something similar) and tonked Fiji about 70-10, think we also played a NZ Maori side and only just scraped a win. For further info, Bilko has a page on tests in the last 30 years on the Cherry and White site.'" wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... ge_id=1094

Quote ="Dougy"In my memory we have only ever toured the South Pacific once, 1i 1996. Played 3 tests against NZ, lost all 3, beat PNG 24-22(or something similar) and tonked Fiji about 70-10, think we also played a NZ Maori side and only just scraped a win. For further info, Bilko has a page on tests in the last 30 years on the Cherry and White site.'" wigan.rlfans.com/fusion_pages/in ... ge_id=1094

Really? I think you're falling for the Sooopah Dooopah League hype. Morley in his prime yes, but he's past his best and only shines now due to the mediocrity of his competition. Graham and Burgess have a lot to prove IMO.

Just in case anyone is in any doubt as to how far things have slipped since the modern era heyday of British RL in the early 90s, this was the side that lost the World Cup Final 10-6 in 1992

1. Joe Lydon; 2. Alan Hunte; 3. Gary Connolly; 4. Garry Schofield (c); 5. Martin Offiah; 6. Shaun Edwards; 7. Deryck Fox
8. Kevin Ward; 9. Martin Dermott; 10. Andy Platt; 11. Denis Betts; 12. Phil Clarke; 13. Ellery Hanley
Replacements: John Devereux, Alan Tait, Kelvin Skerrett & Richard Eyres

Or look at this side from earlier the same year, which lost the Ashes decider in Brisbane 16-10 (it seems unbelievable in these Soooopah Dooopah days but we were that close to the Aussies once upon a time)

Steadman (Castleford); Eastwood (Hull), Powell (Sheffield), Newlove (Featherstone), Offiah (Wigan); Schofield (Leeds, capt), Edwards; Skerrett, Dermott, Platt, Betts, McGinty, Clarke (all Wigan).
Substitutes: Harrison (Halifax) for Skerrett, 50; Hulme (Widnes) for McGinty, 50; Connolly (St Helens) for Newlove, 62; Lydon (Wigan) for Schofield, 75.

Could not have put that better myself.

I must admit i am one of the biggest advocates of international RL and it pains me to see the current situation wherby it is is now on it's death bed. The advent of Super League with huge amounts of money thrown at Australian RL players to confirm alegiance and the switch to summer rugby has only increased the focus on parochial club rugby (shown by increase in crowds).

We just dont play enough meaningful games together to actually think that we can throw together a cohesive unit to perform against the likes of Oz and NZ. Even when we try, we have a coach who is hell bent on trying every player in Super League rather than trying to develop a team.

Again, i am not a parochial Wigan fan, but my decsion to attend next week at DW will be based upon whether Sam Tomkins gets the nod as it is embarrasing to watch an 'England' team (why does that always remind me of when England A used to play Oz in warm ups to the GB team?) tha tplays with such little heart? I really do fear for next week.

I'm excited about tonights game.

cant wait watch some real rugby being played

There just didn't seem to be any spark last night. The crowd was flat and the team was flat. Whether the idea to take a international game to Donnie (hot bed of rugby league

)on a wet friday night in the middle of October had anything to do with it or the fact that Eastmond or Tomkins didn't get a full run had anything to do with it but from, the crowd, the team and the national anthems the whole thing just smacked of cheap tat. It was Embarrassing to watch on TV, just glad I didn't jump on the M180 and wasted my money watching it.

Agreed. Last night was amateur compared to what will be served up tonight.

The drivel that has been served up in SL this year was on display last week, it will be a record score at the DW next week.

Great days ... a real competitiveness that seems long lost. I'm afraid I cannot muster anywhere near as much enthusiasm nowadays. I actually voted "not really" but now think I should probably have just voted "no"....very sad.

Im quite embarrassed at the quality of our team at the moment we seem to go backwards as other teams go forward

It is the best rugby league you will see two great teams who have been coached very well with a winning mentality and play attractive entertaining rugby.