Dave T

Admittedly I don't watch much Union so I've probably missed plenty of poor instances but I've never seen an issue with it tbh. I think pacing of a Union game is very different to ours, so they could easily speed it up. I would prefer the VR and the ref to work together.

The 'for show' bit. The whole thing is for show, it's sports entertainment, but I don't think their system can just be dismissed as that. I acknowledged that some decisions will be incorrect under any system.

I'm not sure that's true. I think the process of keeping the on-field ref involved in the decision is a good one.

I don't think it's perfect, and in Union they are quite happy to amble round and take a while doing everything, much like the players, but I do find it much better to understand and appreciate rather than our process of the VR often just keep watching the same thing. I do think it's better though now we can hear the VR.

I think it's more the conversational style of the review. It's like they work in partnership and the VR helps the ref make the ultimate call.

Yeah, I don't like the sport in the slightest, but RU does seem to do a better job around the Video Ref processes - in terms of the way the discussion happens and things are communicated as opposed to always getting the right decision which is always subjective. I think their approach does align with your proposal more and I do like it. I'm 50/50 on Captain's challenge, we did have it in the WC and I don;t think it added anything when seeing it live.

I agree about the point about some of the cameras not being perfect, but I disagree with the conclusion that your options are perfection or nothing. The vast majority of decisions are able to be reviewed just fine with the current setup, but there are some edge cases where the angles or pic quality are a little challenging, but most things are quite clear. We should continue to strive for better and keep learning, but it would be a backward step to refuse to have VR's with the current setup. On the Captains Challenge piece, I think it's just a personal preference tbh, I can see why some like it, and why some don't. I think it's a little bit of a fad really. in the same way it is in most other sports that have this approach. I can see why camera angles are challenging on this though, as quite often the challenge is around ball stealing, or fingertips for knock ons etc. and there aren't anywhere near the number and quality of cameras that there are in the NRL coverage.

some rather depressing snippets in that isn't there? Was that 2021 World Cup as disastrous for the RFL as the 2000 one?

Avignon does appear to be the place for crowds, although I do think it had higher status games.

The last mid-season international between these teams in Toulouse (2008) got 8.3k. A year later in Paris it got 7.6k. The crowds don't tend to be horrendous considering the organisation.

Lancashire does exist. There are plenty of maps to show where it is.

I mean you can keep dismissing people's point as them not being interested, even ignoring the fact that I've said I've been before to these games, have watched them on tv and would do so again. It doesn't mean I think it's a good idea. I still think it would add no value to the season, and a big factor in that is that I don't believe there is any demand or interest in a Lancs team. You've not countered that, or offered any real benefits.

See my response to Wellsy - maybe the game does need to be more creative if it was to play in this space and create rep teams.

On this point - if you were going to work with an agency to create a new brand, you would probably be more likely to go with something like this. See Northern Superchargers in The Hundred (not pushing that as a good brand btw!), or Southern Brave in that same comp. There may be an argument that if you were going to look to create something new and fresh to fill this space that you wouldn't try and play on the old fashioned War of the Roses piece and you'd use modern names that maybe don't focus on the place names, particularly when one of those place names is largely irrelevant.

The point isn't really about LA boundaries or geeky discussions like that - it's more a point that maybe a reason why this doesn't grip people, is that it doesn't really mean much to people. If we had never ever had Lancs v Yorks, if you think about the proposal, it is bizarre. If your objective was to create an event, create training camps for players to step up into rep squads, and to try and create commercial value, I don;t think anyone in the world would come up with Lancs v Yorks - because quite frankly, it's weird to use Lancashire as any kind of rep team here. People raising the fact that the NW RL teams are not in Lancashire and haven't been for 50 years isn't some pedantic silly argument - it's quite a key reason as to why there just isn't any real kind of hook in for fans this side of the Pennines imo.