gingerjon

151 pages isn't quick.

If Leigh Leopards were a volleyball club you'd be training liberos.

Because we love it. Whereas you only tolerate it when everything goes the way you want it to. Thus, most others on this thread are far truer fans of the game than you will ever be, or ever were.

Man who threatens to leave rugby league every season if some minor rule change goes ahead says what?

You're quite happy to cast aspersions on everyone outside the precious heartlands. And yet it is the heartlanders, for all their hard work, who have failed hardest and most frequently. Get a thicker skin if you're going to hurl insults at everyone who doesn't fit the narrow, narrow, narrow vision of what you think rugby league should be.

They own a rugby league club. Do you have a rugby league club?? *insert picture of Milhouse's dad here*

They will, because this is the mentality now, use that as validation. Back bedroom critics etc. The sport's new leaders actively despise the vast majority of their actual current fans.

It's useful for us that the RU pathway is so bound up with private schools and county associations.

Historically, the sport has never really produced enough players in its heartlands to support the professional game.

You've had the last fifteen years and all of the years from 1895 to 1995. And in the intervening years you had the majority of focus. If the game's declined in the heartlands, it's because of a complete and total failure of the people there in spite of having the most favourable set up for rugby league in the country.

Less then one full season of delivery.

Hard to see how the game is in such a mess when you’ve got such deep thinkers as Degsy here acting Billy Big Balls at midday on a weekday.

Leigh would be one where I think they’ve done an excellent job expanding the audience within the town.

I don't know if that's true at every club but it certainly feels true for a lot of rugby league right now in a way that it doesn't for other sports. We don't seem to be expanding the audience or even really seeking new ones.

The reporting, such as it is, says there's no break clause. The brains trust currently running the RFL agreed to that.

That last wicket, oh my!

Time for tea.

Leak to the press tomorrow. Announcement when they can be bothered.

The very real problem is that the structure decided won’t be the one in three years.

The only country in the world who, universally among its real fans, think this is a joke tournament are now its champions. Magnificent. Well done, FIFA.

OTOH, and I don’t necessarily agree with this but it’s the counter, Atherton would regard scoring at three an over as dangerously OTT. The game has completely changed since he played. Short version: there are probably as many scoring shots or meaningful deliveries now even with fewer overs.

Chelsea winning is the most fitting outcome of this pre season knockabout.

Lovely performance from the Lionesses. Ignoring the emotion and focusing on what they need to do. As things stand, it’s Germany in the next round. If not them, then Sweden. What an insane draw after this group.

Dean Buchan?

Obviously, for a minor tournament like a Club World Cup, you have to contort to fit the supposed ideal for global TV times. But for the actual World Cup they should kick off at whatever works best for the place it’s being played in. People will tune in. The issues around stadiums seem to be a lot around transport and they aren’t getting fixed.