gingerjon

Agree with that - it's also worth saying that Italia 90 (I believe before your time) saw England limp out of the group stage, and then squeak past Belgium and Cameroon before playing 1 (one) good game that they lost on penalties but should have won. They were mostly really not very good in it.

It had to be used as a shop window to entice countries to want to visit and instead it was yet another example of 'will this do' and on the cheap. We saw the kind of show the NRL expects with the Vegas event. It could never have been as good as that but it could have headed in that direction.

Yes, I was mimicking the idea that Covid is a valid reason for our current pathetic position.

Better stop people using it as an excuse then.

It wasn’t a try. The blame is with the RFL and the officials for obvious no tries being given as tries. It has nothing to do with fans complaining.

That’s not a try. It is very obviously not a try. The fact it is sent up as a try should not stop rhe video ref stating the obvious.

Unless anyone knows better, there are no ERL tournaments planned at any level that I could see earlier.

I follow a lot of sports. Far too many. It is only rugby league where Covid appears to have ended the international programme. Even baseball, which could have ditched its World Baseball Classic, gave it a couple of years and put it back in the schedule.

It's the slow mo running over from Austin Powers. This has been seen coming. There is nothing happening this year that could not have been predicted last year or that didn't have enough warning the year before. It is the fact that none of that has been addressed that leaves me feeling that multi year calendars are just words put out in press releases and nothing more. There is nothing substantial to any of it.

I want both. Right now, we have vagueness about the future, and nothing for the present. That's an appalling state to be in.

Dates, venues, teams, link to purchase tickets. Has to be all four of four.

They tore up the last one - which confirmed a whole bunch of structured games for European nations - even after it had been confirmed. That was the one which had an England team - never decided as either Knights or firsts but presumed Knights - playing in a European Championship.

Have you met Harry? Agree with him and he'll still argue with you.

Go on then

Stand by for the forty-year-old quote from Yes, Prime Minister as if it could possibly be true now.

Probably, in terms of atmosphere and drama, the 2003 Challenge Cup final between Leeds and Bradford.

You go too far.

It's a personal thing. You're allowed to have as your worst match something that someone else would have as their best. I'm sure, objectively, I have absolutely loved some low quality games entirely because of the result.

Are we counting a post on a forum as being an announcement now?

This is the future for our game that the Hearns want.

Someone's already mentioned the England v New Zealand game at the Olympic/London Stadium. God, that was ... the last time I took anyone new to a game. And all wrapped around with the worst matchday 'entertainment' possible. In my entirely humble opinion, the fact that England can't even get any fixtures confirmed can probably be traced to the attitude and delivery of that day. Otherwise, London Broncos 12-10 Hull Sharks lingers as being just awful but there was a game against Huddersfield a few years later where I remember an ironic round of applause because two consecutive passes were held. That match could easily have had more knock ons than spectators.

None of them has a circulation worth mentioning, hence why none of them do any more, and the Telegraph is a comic these days. No idea about the Times as it's behind the paywall. Sports coverage in the UK is not in a particularly healthy spot, really.

Pile high. Sell cheap. Do badly. Have people on this forum yelling that we should all attend to show willing and it will be better next time.

I also remember the ground filling up during the first game for the second. People did the same then as they do now - go for the one game they want to see and maybe catch some of the rest.

They had pagers and bleeps when it was made.