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10 million so far https://www.rlwc2021.com/article/685/nearly-10-million-tune-into-opening-rounds-of-rlwc2021?fbclid=IwAR0Qvn2KuGl5m97Iep7106RggH2Trr07zaaVNZlYCiDbQegxN4PY3-FduBc

Might be difficult to estimate:

I posted this in another thread but thought I’d post it here also Looking back at the Samoa vs Greece game none of Samoa’s tries came through structure and they were all made through sheer physical dominance. This will not be an option against a first grade side like France. Samoa’s overall attack has looked very clunky and unsmooth, there is no real structure and the don’t look like a proper footy team. If France have a fairly solid defensive display they will easily hold Samoa to only a few Tries, and the tries that Samoa do score will all be from a bit of individual brilliance rather than teamwork. France are a Rugby league team. consisting of players who play with each other week in and week out, most of them have probably known each other since they were around 14-15. There Cohesion is elite and unmatched by any other word cup team. Samoa are the total opposite, there 13 players who have been put on a pitch to do an individual job rather than to work cohesively. That is probably more of a criticism to the Samoan coaching rather than players but the player’s individually have looked really poor also. I simply can’t see how a team like Samoa can beat a team like France. Most people predicting Samoa are sheerly comparing the 2 team lists and nothing else, there’s so much other factors going into this game and I just don’t see Samoa winning. I’ve been very good in my predictions so far this tournament and I’m very confident this one is correct too, but we’ll see. I will say this though If Samoa do win it will be through Individual brilliance and strong kick returns, Samoa are much stronger in the outside backs so that is where there points will stem from.

My feeling is Australia will use England when it suits and drop them when it doesn't. The NH RL needs to realise this and work on working with those nearest. France needs to be playing a full England side each year as it builds toward the 2025 WC. Ideally in some sort of four nations format if possible with a grand final. Less money for England than going down under I presume but more valuable to the international game. The SH can still have a top international comp within the Pacific.

The key with Wales is not the ability to set up new clubs, in particular a SL club. It’s the development pathway where talent can be filtered into existing professional structures; this includes scouting of young RU players with potential. The more routes the better.

I do get the impression that he (and a fair few Leigh supporters) think he is some kind of marketing genius, but this is already starting to die down and they’re then left with a diabolical brand that most people are laughing at.

Exactly G I've been taking my tribe for years with another birth soon I will be up to 21 the thing about the trip is not all of them go to watch FEV at the Bash but as a family WE still have plenty to do together funny thing last year gave the bash a miss but we all still went to the pool, and EVERYONE watched FEV on tele I feel sorry for the fans who don't go because they think Blackpool is beneath them all I can say is more fool them

Australia is committed to the Ashes....

Would that be because you consider Samoa not to be as good as expected or France are better than expected? I think that Samoa will come back very strongly and I am afraid that France will suffer for it.

Apparently, The Championship clubs have received their draft fixtures for the new 2023 season. The RFL will announce them to supporters a week on Sunday 6th November. The first ten round Premier Sports TV selections will also be known. The Summer Bash will once again take place. And furthermore, Serious About Rugby League can reveal that Bloomfield Road will be the host yet again next season which will be music to many peoples’ ears

I think Brasil are doing amazingly well seeing as this is only their second ever international (I think that's right?). France really not looking any great shakes. Enjoying it all so far.

Unbalanced , yes totally agree but it's about enjoying RL with your mates and fan's of opposing clubs all having a great weekend.

I don't feel sorry for people whose chose not to go F I've a mate who loves Blackpool but has never been to the Bash just feel sorry for those who come on the forums and slag Blackpool off and use that as their reason for not going

Jimmy Meadow's on for 2023 Great news

What time is today’s Leigh badge released ?

If we are honest, the make up of the side is pretty irrelevant with Farnworth and Watkins hopefully back for the q's. Seems like Radley is being given the chance to play in front of family from Sheffield as otherwise he would surely have earned a rest - especially with Knowles available. The key for me is getting through this one with no injuries.

I think each game could have done with a few thousand to five thousand more at each and, in my mind, that could have been achieved with a mixture of clearer marketing for each game, a little bit more investment in either FOMO event bits or community engagement, and, lastly, prices that weren't quite so eye watering for the games. (Leaving aside whether 4-5 could have been shifted away from the very overgamed areas.) There is absolutely no need to blast freebies left, right and centre. That would have increased costs for no gain whatsoever. Filling the grounds by any means necessary was not, and should not be, a target.

When I arrived in London from Oz in 1980 I picked up a copy of the Australasian Express to discover there was a RL club called London Colonials nearby. A phone call was answered by an Englishman, Gordon Anderton, who was Chair of the London Amateur Rugby League( just 5 clubs) but was also doing all the admin for the transient Colonials One thing led to another and Hemel joined the London League that grew to three divisions of 27 teams under Gordon's management (such was the influence of the newly arrived Fulham RLFC). Over the years I admired Gordon's commitment to the sport in London at all levels but it was at grassroots level where he was at his best. I always thought that every grassroots club needed at least one Gordon Anderton My final meeting with Gordon was in London Colonial's clubhouse (the basement of a pub overlooking the Thames) after Hemel's Southern Counties Cup victory over London Colonials in 1997 at the Hurlingham Stadium( more used to international quoquet matches than RL) when we shared thoughts on life etc. We both had identical heart problems - mine had been operated on a couple years previously to allow me to write this today but Gordon - who was significantly older- was denied the operation and was dead within a year. After Gordon's death the Gordon Anderton Memorial Trophy appeared but quickly disappeared. It would be nice if it was resurrected to permanently acknowledge the founder of RL in London

Notice the NRL’s objective to focus on the health of the sport in the Pacific? The RFL must focus its growth around the NH and stop focusing its attention on what the NRL can do to help increase the exposure of the sport there. A combined strategy with the French would be a great start. The ball is in your court.

Compared to Fev v Toulouse, Eagles/ Broncos IS a local derby!

No it’s for a specific block in the east stand, it’s the only block available to select and in only one price category. it is only letting me buy a single seat in the north stand at the highest price, anywhere else seated i get that message. if this is happening at a lot if venues make no wonder sales are slow, I don’t mind paying the higher price but it would put a lot of people off.

While that should happen it will always limit the amount of Welsh players that make it to the top. Not every player wants to go North either. Wales needs decent semi-professional clubs (at least) too.

If regular tours by the Aussies to here and England doing tours there, and they undermine SOO the Aussies will find an excuse to drop them

Amazing that people think that France can win this. I give them virtually no chance and can see a heavy Samoan victory but more likely something like 40-10. France are notoriously weak minded and I can see Samoa being extremely focused for this one.

A pre-World Cup Test for both sides played to IRL Rules - so ranking points on offer.. The game is at 14:00 on Saturday 29th October at the Archers Arena, Cyncoed Campus, Cardiff Metropolitan University CF23 6XD Free entry - all welcome

Great news. Meet up with mates from Fev. Just hope we aren't playing them this time. And hope that the Bloomfield Club still has its homebrew on tap.

Why ?? Thompson would come back as a Marquee player and would only cost £75K on Saints SC. Releasing Bell and not replacing Grace would easily cover that.

The quota system is a mess which really needs an overhaul & a reduction in overseas places,fair play to Leigh but the fact that Lam is now classed as fed trained after playing a few games for St Pats U8s is a joke,so finding another loophole in the system wouldn’t be a shock.

Agreed. I was really hoping to take my daughter to some of the women's tournament. But I don't think the tournament is important enough to take her off school for it, and I won't be taking her along for a double header in Wigan in November. It really is an unfriendly schedule for what you would hope to be a young audience.

Yup - there is a clear split between before and after the postponement in terms of the quality and spark of the work. I suspect a lot of that is down to trying to do more with less people and less money. I suspect we will see *a lot* about how the other tournaments are successful - and they probably will be the most successful tournaments they've had. I cannot forgive starting the women's tournament at 2.30pm on a working Tuesday and then playing the final as a curtain raiser though. That is not acceptable in 2022.

Thought I’d talk about some interesting statistics from the word cup so far Line Engaged- Josh Ralph sits top with 34, Lolohea not far off with 33 and Olds and Keyes make out the rest of the top 4. Tackles Breaks- Very similar to the NRL with Manu and Tedesco dominating the statistic. Offloads- Gelling and Toby King have 11 far off there closest competitor in Lolohea with 7 Kicking- Ilias sits top as expected with 845, Gigot makes a close second with 818 and 3rd place barely reaches 700. Kieran Rush though has kicked the ball the most with 28 Kicks. Tackling- Ashton Golding sits top with 93 Tackles and also is top of missed tackles with 15. The likes of Joe Burke and Nicholas Flocas make close seconds behind Golding. Running- Josh Ralph has ran the ball the most 51 Times, Brian To’o sits top of Run Metres with over 500. Errors- Ed Chamberlin sits at the top with 8 Errors. Support Play- The stat I found the most interesting was Sam Tomkins being in support 48 Times which 15 higher than he’s closed competitor. Shows how important he is to this England side. Team Statistics- Set Completion- Greece- 88% Cook Islands- 87% France- 85% Jamaica- 85% England- 83% Shows how the newer nations are relishing the opportunity and not making silly mistakes also displays the clinical performances from European nations England and France. Supports- Cook Islands dominating this statistic with 287, Next closest is England and Wales tied on 228. Line Engaged- Tonga dominating this statistic with 138, 30 above there closest competitor in Australia. Linebreaks- New Zealand with 25 Post contact Metres- Again another great stat from the Cook Islands winning this statistic with 1,376, Fiji and England make out the top 3. Decoy Runs- Wales with 147, 20 above the next closest, Interesting statistic and demonstrates there game plan. Run Metres- Very important Stat and England sit on top with 4,159. Tackles- Wales Dominating this stat as expected with 808 Tackles, Next closest being France with 661, shows how much bravery and fight they are putting into this tournament. Errors- Ireland sit top with 39, far greater than next closest Penalties Conceded- Also the Irish with 15.

Don't worry K at the mo FEV have 22 York 21 and Fax 19 so there is going to be plenty of incomings to put it into context last year FEV announced three signings 26th jan after we played2 pre-season games and just days before 1st league game on 31st furthermore club says We already have a very strong squad, but we are keen to add further quality and youth to our side within the next few weeks. So, I'm sure your Rams will be doing the same

Indeed, and the concept of a five-year deal is a nonsense given the rate of change in modes of consumption.

I think that's a bit of a trope and respectfully, the women aren't as 'mature' in their skills development as say the men / other sports. Of course they know their stuff, but the coach should still be implementing a way of playing' and building skills where they can; especially in part-time players. In one huddle, he asked how the quickest way was to play in their half, with the answer to kick it. That's it. It all seemed a bit 'basic' as i've already mentioned, which is perhaps unfair, but the pre match talk didn't really touch on anything other than effort. For example, look at how technically better with and without the ball England women are under the current regime versus Neville, P. I don't want to be critical, this is my method of getting excited to see them play. A shame that i'll miss the game as i have meetings - it KICKS OFF AT 14:30...!

One of the big things IMG bring to the table, from what I can see, is experience in this exact market. They have already spoken about streaming using one of their companies (Endeavour streaming) and they also have an arm that does the Premier League content IIRC and they negotiate on behalf of the NFL, NHL etc for their TV Rights http://www.img.com/expertise/media/ according to this.. so they do know what they are doing. In terms of the sky deal. Sky are losing subscribers in general due to the way TV is consumed now. you dont need a dish and receiver, you dont need one company providing all your channels (and taking a margin on each "extra" you do). We watch all our TV over the internet now and subscribe directly to each bit. We have Now TV but i wouldnt if RL goes, I only keep it on in the off season for the NFL. But I am surprised how little actual SKY content we watch as a family its BBC Iplayer, All 4, a bit of ITV Hub, Apple TV and Netflix mostly and the kids are constantly watching YouTube.. This isnt going away and Sky need to jump on board, and they know it. They also need to understand where they fit, for me its the fact you get lots of stuff in one place. For example: I could buy the NFL game pass if I wanted to for about £35.. thats 1 months Now TV.. so if all I want to watch is NFL then that, surely, is how I do it.. If RL gets its act together then they could do similar (of course not at £35 for a season but the season is much longer). BUT if Sky have 2-3-4 of the sports I want to watch then that becomes the cheaper option than loads of these "Game pass" options.. OR they buy the dedicated rights and take the "game pass" option off the table. Due to the above (which is me guessing a fair bit to be fair) the key, as always is going to be competition. Sky on their own can just say "i'll give you this" and we have to take it.. BUT if we have all these options, IMG who can sell rights, IMG who can create content and have a streaming platform etc then we have 2 things, another viable option and a bargaining chip to sky (or whoever else). They can bid to be exclusive for more, they can take parts and let us build the "game pass" style option too, they could let the BBC/ Channel 4 take some games (they seem to be starting to understand this is good for them as to encourage people to watch on SKY, seeing it on FTA is a good advert etc). IMHO the "bring us more" in the last one was content.. All games televised to a good standard, highlights packages etc, basically plug and play content. If we can bring them that then there is money on the table, whether it is enough is a different matter, but the more "plug and play" content we can have on the table the more chance there will be other buyers to bid against SKY (or with Sky in a partnership) therefore pushing the price up. I am by no means saying this WILL work and Sky or someone else will throw money at us, but its one of the things that I HOPE may well work and HOPE the IMG deal will bring to the table. I dont think they can harm us in this for sure. But the huge key is that whether we keep Sky or move somewhere else, or lose it all together, we have to do a lot of the same things so that we have a fall back option of some form of streaming platform as its something we should be working towards anyway.

An Ashes type series every year outside of a WC would be a terrible case of overkill IMO Jim. Buses.

As a part of their presentation didn't IMG refer to having access to other broadcasting systems and partners. Given the size of their organisation I would hope that they are miles ahead of the rest of us in preparing for changes and getting a string of alternatives in place. this isn't like the days when a couple of representatives from the RFL wandered up to negotiate the deal. IMG's professionalism in this sphere should put the sport in a better position than it would be without them.

I agree, England/GB is one of only 2 of Australia’s competitors, they need to be playing on a regular basis and the ashes is a great way of getting them back playing regularly. The NRL can try to keep in it Australia and New Zealand by playing Oceania cups but it just isn’t going to work, People will get tired of seeing Australia destroy everyone with the occasional New Zealand win and then they will be straight back to playing England like they have been for last 114 Years. Just another one of V’Landys and Abdo’s #### plans to Americanise the sport and keep it in Australia.

I thought the Samoa Vs Greece game gave me a clear understanding of where Samoa are at. They came into that game with a goal to make a statement and they did that but at a big cost, take a look at the Samoans tries, Almost every try wasn’t structured and rather created by sheer physical dominance. The main thing that interested me was Samoa’s Completion Rate 65%, Compare that to Frances which sat at a crazy 90% against England. Against Greece, France played very conservative, they Took 2 penalty goals from right in front whilst leading by a large margin and almost all of the tries were structurally made. If Samoa go into the France game with the same Mindset that they had against Greece, they’ll be in for a real shock. Samoa have shown there only real threat is being bigger than the opponent, and that won’t work against France. Personally I can’t see the Samoan attack scoring over one or two tries against France.

We need to grow the NH. France is the initial way forward. We need to be playing France every year, and not made up teams. I would love to see tours in Oct / November but the first thing we need to do is stop the combined nations mid season farce, and get games vs France going mid season

The IRL also had meetings over a few days before the World Cup with representatives from all over. Australian representatives were there. That is where the format of international RL over the next 5 years should be being discussed and decided, not by the NRL or ARL Commission.

Is it me, or is this just restating what they've said earlier in the year? And again we hear "Creating a dedicated international window in October-November is critical". Is that not what we already have and have had for a long time?

Full time Brazil 4 France 16 Brazil very solid in defence. Their try was a neat switch play back through the ruck. Unless my eyes deceived me, towards the end they went for a mousetrap at dummy-half. Not seen that in a while. Overall verdict - Plenty of potential.

Ohhh bl%&dy hell I won't sleep now!!

14/1 for France looks like a really good price to me.

I agree with your last statement, although it's not strictly true. The development officers were doing it, but the initiative was killed off (finance pulled) and the game went into recession. If the initiative had been maintained we would have seen significant growth by now. Newcastle are showing how it can be done, we just need to replicate what they are doing elsewhere.

You’re buying off “World Cup 2021” so they take responsibility- if they’re using a sub standard contractor, That’s still on them