Jim from Oz

I thought almost every ticket was sold for this game?

Attendance: 22,363

Did anyone catch the attendance?

Absolute game of the season for me, how good is international rugby league!

Yes, he was quite dynamic in the second half, that’s for sure! I think I will retire now as a pundit!

The young Kiwi fullback is an exciting prospect, but he is just too small! Maybe they could move him to the wing, and bring CNK to fullback? CNK should NOT be at #6 !

Tonga looking very good at the start, 8-0 after 12 minutes, crowd looks about 75% for Tonga, and the ground looks about 85% full

If the Ashes tour of the UK is on, and at the same time the RLWC Men's Qualifying World Series (South Africa, Jamaica, Cook Islands and France) is on in France at (roughly) the same time, would make it attractive for Aussie RL fans to go on a supporters' tour to Europe to (hopefully) watch both series …

yes, and if the Kangaroos are playing in the UK at the end of 2025, it will allow more focus in the SH on this comp … which should then get good crowds etc. A win-win, in other words. A first for international RL ??

Nice to see a packed stadium for the Kiwis versus kangaroos rugby league test! And in Christchurch, I don’t think that’s a huge league area

There is a report in today's Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH (behind a paywall, so no point posting it) noting that not only did Australia v Tonga rate very well on TV, but Fiji v PNG also rated well … the latter even rating better than rugby union's Bledisloe Cup !! Here's an online discussion forum about it, with some interesting figures: https://www.reddit.com/r/nrl/comments/1g9c8sd/kangaroos_vs_tonga_highest_tv_rating_of_any_rugby/

A bit more detail on the Fiji versus PNG ratings is here: https://tvtonight.com.au/2024/10/saturday-19-october-2024.html

The promotion for the Pacific Championships in Australia this time has been distinctly better, I’ve seen lots of ads on TV and in print, much better than last year!

https://tvblackbox.com.au/page/2024/10/19/friday-voz-ratings-kangaroos-test-v-tonga-takes-the-cake/

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/oct/08/new-zealand-tonga-rugby-league-pacific-championships-2024-squad-announcement-jahrome-hughes

I wonder if any of the French players will get a chance to come back next year in NRL clubs' junior teams ? Optimistic, I know …

Which teams dropped out (presumably to a lower level or did they fold?) from last year? Merci

Wonderful story

This will all be an invaluable learning experience for the French lads. It's a shame we don't have a scholarship program for young players from places like France … would be great if, say, four French U19 juniors were selected each year to spend an Aussie season at, say, the Roosters …

I am certain that I saw in the international rugby league documents that it would be a 10-team, 18-game World Cup in 2026 and in 2030!

In 2034 the FIFA World Cup will be held in Saudi Arabia, probably around November, so an absolute direct clash with the RLWC

https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/07/25/world-cup-to-be-defining-moment-for-wheelchair-game/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEQZd1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYBfpi3dzphziySynQHB5RQurbhsl52NRaaC3Lz-eG2eWQnbrftfYJWfzQ_aem_bXhFTS1vMzqc8gIav6nsDA

https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/07/25/massive-shift-world-cup-set-to-take-womens-game-to-next-level/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEQZclleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYuPBcTbFp2v_6kfwYoHjSmKgJDO9hHUQX5nho0QTLtUdloUnAhKIjAJ2g_aem_-Pa19Hoc26OLYM1fW-VcRQ

https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/07/25/world-cup-26-will-be-most-competitive-ever-meninga/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEQZcFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHes2I8eKg7ZVxdtEElAw_K3oJEo75zxZvcoxtH6VMP5N1mTG4G_XzpZcCw_aem_2nXcUR13g3geBT_kxO0X3g

Zero confirmation about the Pacific cup this year as yet