So thats Finch, Carmont, Leuluai and Hock all injured in the space of a week?

Why is it a joke game?

We slaughter the RFL for not being innovative. The Exiles idea was innovative. It hasn't hit the heights they were hoping (and by the looks of it it's going to go downhill from here with the new NRL Salary Cap), but at least they bloody tried. The games are still tougher than anything France et al would provide.

It was a concept that was well worth trying but it has little chance of growing. As mentioned the rise in the NRL salary cap will keep the best overseas players down under and with the focus on clubs producing home grown players the standard will surely drop if the concept continues.

Without any real rivalry, with pretty much no support for the Exiles team and no atmosphere generated I can't see how the concept can survive.

I don't think there's any doubt that the game is better preparation than a match against France so I guess it depends on whether the RFL care about how well supported the event is or whether improving the capabilities of the international side is the most important thing.

That was the most boring game ive watched in a long time.

James Roby is the most over hyped player ive ever come across. How many times did he pinch a few extra metres by running from dummy half instead of moving the ball wide quickly to the likes of Chase and Tomkins. Whats the point of having two attacking threats at 7 nd 1 if the hooker is never going to get the ball to them quickly.

i posted the exact same thing on saints board i know they wont like it but o'well. he just plays for him self he even grubbers for him self.

Tried and failed yet again..no crowd..who cares about it..no passion..no real desire to win..truly awful game..i feel really sad about british rl at the mo..but don't want you to rip your head outta the sand

Thats why Stains are rubbish

I thought tonight was an awful game and an awful advert for international RL. It had no skill or intensity and was played between 2 fairly mediocre teams that any top SL team would annihilate. Wigan have beaten better teams than those by over 40 points this year. McNamara or the RFL can dress it up all they like but that was dire tonight.

11,084 better than half of the league games in the weekly rounds

and if you really believe there is no passion and no desire to win just look at some of the tackles, look at tommys injury body on the line and talk to the players involved i know brett was absolutely distraught not to be playing.

It was an absolutely terrible match, no heart from either team, no atmosphere, basically no-one gave a crap about it. It's a good concept, if people cared.

Yadda Yadda..it was gash..we all know it apart from the ones in d-nile..x

the reason it looked slow and mistake ridden was the rain was awful and didnt help that 8 of the exile players that had been in the training sessions had to pull out and they had to adapt this week. watch the 2nd and hopefully better weather and the origional players back it will be a faster better game

No doubt they will tell you that you dont know what your talking about and point to his stats. Stats are all well and good if they are earned with quality play. I always thought Cunningham was similar in his earlier years when he ran too much from dummy half but at least Cunningham had immense strength to knock defenders off and offload which resulted in openings in the defence for the second phase attack. I always felt Cunningham became a better player about 4/5 years ago when he varied his game more. Roby needs to do the same. No wonder Saints have been hammered by Wigan this year. Just shut Roby down and you shut St Helens down most of the time.

Still with no significance.

As I've said on the VT, he only way this concept would work is if there was a significant win bonus for the victorious side.

How many of you have been out today? its slashing it down and blowing a gale, the game was decent for the weather conditions.
I think there are a too many numb brains on here talking nonsense about a lot of things.

exactly get better weather and the other players back for the exiles that did the origional training that pulled out last minute and it will be a different game

you may see a few more "injuries" before the next game now!

The whole concept of the game is a joke really, whats the point of the game? Whats wrong with bringing back Lancashire against Yorkshire? at least there'd be 2 sets of supporters creating an atmosphere. Plus how can McBannana be taken seriously when he picks so many out of form Leeds players? And whats the point playing for a trophy when they only play 2 games, who gets the trophy if the Exciles win the next game.....what an absolute joke!!!

No it wont. I will also be very surprised if even more Exile players dont pull out of the next game.

Yep. Lima and Lauaki have both got knocks after the Bradford home game.

I wouldn't be too happy with having key Wigan players in the Exiles team. I do enjoy international rugby league but to me it's nowhere near as important as the club game. That's not how it should be but unfortunately at this moment in time international rugby is simply not good enough.

It's alright saying fans should get behind it and change their attitudes towards it but what incentive is there? How can fans start seeing the international game as more important than the club game when the club game is simply so much better? There's little to get passionate about when it comes to internationals when England face France, Wales or a bunch of overseas players hastily thrown together. There's no real intensity, no real rivalry in those games between the players or the fans.

I have struggled with the concept of the England v Exiles matches to a degree!!! Yes they offer England some warm up/team building matches against a team of experienced battle hardened players. But if we want a concept which will eventually grow into a match with the brutality, entertainment of a state of origin match, which the Aussies use to basically choose their national side, instead of England playing meaningless but useful games like the Exiles match, why dont England play the England Knights??? Im sure there are a few Knights players who would love to show the current England manager how well they can play, and also show the current England players why they need to be dropped!!! These games can then be used to see which players, young/older/experienced/inexperienced etc, can play in their selected positions, and then the England squad/team can then be chosen from those that perform best!!! The fact that a potential England place is up for grabs will be better motivation than playing games against the Exiles, and one sided matches against Ireland....Just my thoughts!!!


Matt

I have said much the same in posts recently. England v England Knights, East v West etc. Whatever way you want to name it have a trial match between English players for England selection and it has a lot more mileage and potential than any doomed Exile concept.

England v England Knights would be much better than the current farce..deffo go with that..

Been saying this for months now.
Rugby Union used to play Probables vs Possibles.
It would certainly give the young lads a cahnce to prove themselves against the so called England first team and gives the coach something to think about.