ENGLAND will play Tonga in three-Test series – that much has been confirmed.
The venues of those games have also been confirmed with St Helens, Huddersfield Giants and Leeds Rhinos hosting the clashes.
The dates of the games are as follows: St Helens (Totally Wicked Stadium, Sunday 22 October), Huddersfield (John Smith’s Stadium, Saturday 28 October) and Leeds (Headingley Stadium, Saturday 4 November).
However, there has been some concerns raised from the rugby league fraternity as to why games haven’t been taken elsewhere. Here are some alternative venues that could have been used:
Newcastle – St James’ Park
With Newcastle and St James’ Park affinity with the Magic Weekend ending in 2023 with no plans confirmed for the concept for 2024, hosting a Test game at the iconic stadium would have been the perfect tonic. The venue has been one of the most popular amongst rugby league in terms of the Magic Weekend and would certainly provide a big hit when hosting a Test game. There could also be the opportunity to bring in rugby union and football supporters.
London – Emirates Stadium
The home of Arsenal has provided some great rugby league internationals over the years, not least the men’s Rugby League World Cup Semi-Final between England and Samoa that went into Golden Point extra-time. It seems quite remarkable that London as a whole has been overlooked to host at least one game, particularly when World Cup hosts were genuinely pleased by the take-up in the capital. With great transport links, too, the Emirates would have been an ideal host.
Manchester – Etihad Stadium
The Etihad has hosted the Magic Weekend on a number of occasions in the past and has always proved to be a success. The incredible fan zone surrounding the venue suggests that it could have been a perfect host for a Test game against Tonga, with transport links to the Etihad some of the best in the north.
Leeds – Elland Road
Leeds will be hosting one of the Test games against Tonga, but that game will be held at Headingley Stadium. Elland Road could have been a great venue to host such a highly-anticipated clash with the atmosphere for last year’s Challenge Cup semi-finals one of the best in recent years. And with a smaller capacity than the three above, it would have been more likely to be packed out.
Birmingham – Alexander Stadium
If you were going to take one of the Test games on the road, then where better than in the Midlands where rugby league is bubbling along nicely? The Midlands Hurricanes are slowly making strides on and off the field and with proposals to move into the main arena at the Alexander Stadium for 2024 in the pipeline, this could have been a good time to exploit the good feeling on the ground. With a capacity of 18,000 the Alexander Stadium would have been more than useful and could help the Hurricanes show just what the Midlands can offer.