I didn't suggest England should play Scotland, Ireland or Wales.

I said England should play mid season games against France and then New Zealand. These are the best teams who are likley willing to play us. A stand alone mid season game against Austrailia is sadly a pipe dream.



Nobody would be interested in probables v possibles, I certainly wouldn't be buying a ticket and traveling to the game. Origin is unique to Austrailia and works for them, this is because RL is mostly played in 2 states, the Aussies are passionate about the state they come from so get behind their side and the players see it as a rep side. Like England and Wales both been part of the UK and people support them in sporting events. Sadly Wales aren't good enough to be competitive with England. It makes no sense to try and replicate something like origin where it doesn't exist.

Australia has the money and media profile to push the international game forwards if it wants to. It was they who were the main culprits in the reduction in internationals and tours anyway with their NFL-like obsession with their own league.



I agree with that mentioned above about a mid-season international comp v France etc. I don't know about going down under for 1 game. I think that's a lot of expense for not much when we'll be more than likely be playing NZ at the end of the season anyway.



I get the point about France and the other nations not being up to standard but I think we have to start somewhere. And give France a dedicated, set in stone, international structure and I think they'll improve as will Wales.

It's getting a set calendar, year on year that is vital to getting the international teams to develop and improve.



I've said it before but I'd like to see a set international calendar of:

Year 1: 5 Nations alternating between here and down under. (Big 3 plus Wales & France when held here, top 2 Pacific nations when held down under)



Year 2: GB tour. Alternate between Australia and NZ. 3 match series.



Year 3: England Test Series. Alternate opponents between Australia and NZ. 3 match series



Year 4: World Cup



Plus an annual mid-season European Championship involving England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France. And ideally an annual mid-season Pacific Championship involving Australia, New Zealand, PNG, Samoa & Fiji.



I think that regular format would revolutionise international RL in both hemispheres. It'd show all those countries that we take internationals seriously.

One thing that might get the Aussies more interested in Internationals is if we start beating them again. Hopefully that will start in November and they will sit up and take notice during the NZ -England final when they are confirmed the number 3 ranked nation in the World

Depends if the refs pull them out of the sh|t again like last time when exactly that should have happened.

Historical revisionism at its finest.



We were responsible for the reduction in internationals and tours with the switch to summer seasons since 1996.



There hasn't been any proper international tours since.

If anyone's the revisionist it's you.



Was it the '98 tour that was cancelled due to the Super League War? And it was the Aussies who truncated the 2001? tour to being just the 3 test matches by using 9/11 and the war in Afghanistan as some kind of excuse for missing out the club games.

Income Streams

Player Quality

Participation

Game Intensity

Match Officials

Sports Funding

Sponsor Revenues and Quality

Fanbase

Media Output

Player Skills

Weekend Matches

Away Support

u/23 development teams

Disciplinary Consistency

Stadia Ownership

The way forward is Toulouse, Toronto, Avignon and Montreal within the next 6 years, with Paris and Vancouver to follow.



If Nigel "Dominos" Wood insists that they all waste their collective times climbing the divisional ladder, then so be it. That process is of course a massive waste of time and resources. Licencing is the only efficient method of expanding. Nevertheless, if rugby league takes off in Toulouse and Toronto and Montreal then it will be a success, albeit an inefficient one.



But until we have several teams from France and Canada in Super League, we cannot hope to attract the USA cities.



If Canadian teams take off, using local NFL discards with a handful of English, Australian and Kiwi players, then the USA will follow fast.



If Toulouse alongside Catalans in Super League can ignite more French interest in rugby league, then other French cities will follow based upon rich benefactors and rugby union defectors.

I think France and french speaking Canada should form there own competition to take advantage of the rich benefactors and union defectors you speak of.

OMG. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

What sort of planet are you on its not Earth thats for sure you are