Dave T

It's another cheap example of doing something half assed. We'll hold it in Oz so we can provide 16 or 18 teams mainly from oz. On the cheap.

Yes, I should have clarified that. Agreed.

I did read on Twitter that he was talking, so hopefully ok.

Im not convinced. Teams outside of SL contribute a lot to the Challenge Cup imho.

I think we should look for different games. We are really milking this NZ match up!

Going back to a Manchester, Leeds and London format would be going back to some of our most successful recent series. It is a form that was working.

3 Test Series's should always be played in Lancs, Yorks and London. Etihad, Elland Road and Olympic St should probably be first choice, with a bit of variation (Anfield, St James, Wembley etc.). Internationals need to be events, let's now move on from regular SL grounds for good.

I tend to agree. I used the shuttle bus, it was excellent. The stadium is tired, but it is a decent size, holds the sound in well and because you are crammed in the atmosphere is better. It feels like a bigger event there than Hudds or Wigan too. A big problem though is Eng/GBs shocking record there !!!!

It's a good point. As disappointed as I was, the Kiwis were a joy to watch today.

Bit of a reality check, which ain't a bad thing, coming after we won the series. A lot of big players disappointed today, for them to score so many points under the posts was a shocker. But we can be much better than that, as we have seen.

Yes, was near us and was really quite upsetting during the whole pre-match ceremony. The guy was alive when taken away, fingers crossed he is ok.

Fine margins. We've been ok. For allthe criticism of halves, we have created chances. Some of the defence in our 20 is the weakness here.

Either you or Martyn are lying, or mistaken. Which one, and which one? I hate fake news. So let's be honest round here.

That is appalling spin Martyn.

Im not after an argument Harry, but none of the above prevents a full international game (with tours if we want). It may be seen as easier, but changing whole seasons for something that can be done anyway (with the right effort) is unnecessary.

Other sports are happy to play internationals during their season, whether that is at the same time as club games or via international breaks. RU has the six nations and autumn internationals in-season. FIFA world cups are played when out of season for the whole world pretty much. Either system can workif you want it to. We could have international games in May and October if we wanted to. Aligned seasons do not prevent this. There is literally no excuse that does not also apply to Other sports. They just prioritise things because they see value in international sport. RL doesn't see the importance and we end up with what we have.

I must admit I have always thought it was heavily weighted towards international games anyway in recent years. I think under this approach Makinson could have been a winner anyway.

Whiley just didn't work on a show like that, and I am a big fan of her. She is pretty cool and has some funky musical tastes and they made her do inane chat and mainstream cheese and pop. Joining an established show was the wrong thing for her.

There are good examples of international teams losing but getting good crowds. With England RL we have an example of crowds going down despite the team being better.

The point about the Aussies is that they struggle to get great crowds (for different reasons as you highlight) but the outcome would be the same - the events not being staged. A perfect example of this is the RLWC. In 1995 we had some hugely positive signs that to would embrace an extended international game. In 2000 it bombed and the International game went backwards. We went into Our shell, no World Cup for 8 years and GB reverted to playing Ashes in small grounds in the North to consolidate. The international game was hurt by the 2000 tournament and went backwards before being confident enough to move forwards again. Example 2. The 2008 WC was a solid success. 2013 a resounding success, 2017 much less so, failing to hit it's financial projections. On the back of this we are again seeing some retraction - no more talk of this 8 team comp. Aussies nervous about staging internationals - they just staged one in New Zealand! Example 3 - a lower than expected crowd in Denver is likely to kill the 2025 US world cup stone dead. Crowds, commercials and tv deals are the lifeblood of these events and international growth. Even if England are amazing, if we can't pay the bills we won't have a team to watch (melodramatic I know). The above is why I care about the fact the RFL have delivered a tournament that has seen a crowd decline of 15 to 20% since the previous one three years ago.

To answer your question seriously. They are not totally independent, although performances can affect crowds. But, I would expect Bennett to be focusing on the field and sales and marketing off it. Whilst that semi final loss in 2013 was probably the most heart breaking game of RL most of us will have been at, there is no doubt that it was a special occasion on and off it. A problem is that if we have a good team but get low crowds watching then we risk these events not happening at all. Look how difficult it is getting the Aussies to host us. Surely we want a winning team in front of full houses? Oh, and maybe in a nice kit.

Think the whole bottom tier is c30k, so probablyjust over that at the moment. Should be a very good atmosphere however many they sell In the upper tier.

I do think a 'price promise' along these lines is a good idea. Even if the refund is in rfl credit.

Excellent post mate.

So be it. But it is a form of entertainment, not a responsibility for us to keep alive. It's a bit like moaning that Big Brother has now finished because they have fewer viewers and being angry at the ex-viewers.