Jerry the Berry

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I've just watched it again today - I was hoping my one-too-many glasses of wine with the Christmas lunch might have blurred my understanding of it on the day. Have to say, I'm not much wiser after the 2nd viewing.

Jonny Vegas....

Great phots Gary. Edit: What's going on with pics 49 and 50.??

I know many people who wouldn't normally express anything other than a passing interest in Rugby League often comment to me (as a RL fan) that they 'caught the rugby' on SS1 and ended up watching it all. Quite a lot appear just to subscribe to SS1. I fully agree about the Ryder Cup though. However, if the golf has finished by 6pm, surely the highlights and post match discussion could be easily put on the Red Button like Sky do for their RL analysis?

It's certainly been downgraded compared to previous years. The decision to put it on SS2 is a pretty poor, but I suppose we were never going to have much luck when clashing with a Ryder Cup event.

Thought Sale Sharks v London Irish had trademarked that one.

Very eloquently put LRL, though I bet they're words you never thought you'd have to write regarding a Rugby League match, and they're words I never thought I'd read about a game of Rugby League neither. Sadly I suspect they won't be the last unless those that have the power to act, do so and do so quickly.

Me too please Mags. Either here or on FB.

Agree fully. RIP Terry. What a waste. Condolences to his family.

Have to agree with your 1 and 2 Shrek, though I was born about 9 miles from Wigan, but have origins in Wigan/Standish/Coppull. I used to follow Chorley Panthers when I could. As for all the other teams, I just usually support the underdog - I don't particularly dislike any club, but probably chuckle most when Saints slip up purely because of the Wigan/Saints rivalry.

Season tickets out of the equation, and the play-off format being that there could be the same fixtures in week 3 of the play-offs. Not bad attendances IMO for the first round games.

It often does. The 7'000 or so who watch Sale on a Friday night can look forward to reading a decent match report about their match in the following mornings nationals, whereas the 17'000 who watch Wigan just 30 miles away will be lucky to get a couple of lines in the 'World of Sport' or 'Other Sports' sections if anything at all.

Do you really think Rugby League would get better coverage if it was more geographically spread out? I honestly don't anymore. When we get a couple of lines in most Nationals for a game at Wembley that was officially a sell-out then it's a pretty poor do. Either John Drake or Martyn Sadler posted on here earlier this year about how hard it is to court the National press even with freebies, so I think unless something absolutely drastic happens, we as a sport are always going to be stereotyped and this is a comfortable option for many sports editors. If we had Plymouth Titans playing Gateshead Thunder in the Grand Final in 10 years time, I'm sure it wouldn't attract that much publicity. Both London and Perpignan having teams at Wembley failed to excite the National press or media in recent years, so we're pretty much p!ssing against the wind looking for it. I'm all for expansion of the game, but I fail to be optimistic about any significantly increased coverage it would get our sport anymore and I haven't a clue how we ever will I'm afraid, especially when the broadcasters and media seem to prefer the other code of rugby. For example, the BBC Radio 5 sports program last Saturday morning came live from the ground of Exeter RUFC and trumpeted the arrival of Exeter into the top flight of Rugby Union. We'd never ever get the same in February from the likes of Wrexham or Perpignan. We just aren't considered as newsworthy, despite the Aviva Premiership having a similar geographical split as the Engage Superleague, but with the bias towards southern based teams.

Are there any 'big' RU clubs in North Wales? Is there any real appetite for either code of rugby or is it just all football (soccer). Great news on the participation figures though. Well done to all concerned.