wiggler

Will either (or both) Toronto or Ottawa be playing in ukleague 1 next year?

This is obviously a pipe dream but here goes.... If British RL is serious about international development then how about setting aside a weekend next summer for a batch of internationals to promote the world cup and give some nations a match to prepare for October. In particular, if we are serious about developing Jamaica as an RL nation then what better way than playing an international IN Jamaica in world cup year? It would not be good for Jamaica to get hammered so playing England is unlikely to be beneficial, but how about one of the weaker home nations such as Wales? Part 2 of this mythical weekend would be a double header played in Belfast featuring Ireland v Scotland and England v France. Why Belfast and not Dublin? Well Dublin has a lot of high profile sporting events such as football, hurling, horse racing and RU whereas Belfast is less well served in this respect. Windsor Park has a capacity of close to 20k so would be big enough but not too big. But, if push came to shove Dublin would do! Downsides are the costs involved and the willingness of British clubs to release players but it would seem a better development route than the pointless England v NZ game played in Denver a few years back. I will keep on dreaming!

Am I allowed to attend a NCL fixture this weekend as a general spectator?

For the England CNAS game what rules will be used? International or domestic? As it is international preparation it would make sense (to me) to follow the rules that will be used at the World Cup. The biggest difference that I can see is scrums. We are running out of time to practice attacking and defensive moves from scrums so this seems like the ideal opportunity. Are we going to use this opportunity? Plenty of tries being scored from scrums in the NRL, so we need to catch up fast. Or get the international rules changed!

I take your point but perhaps it reflects more on Queensland's position than the Aussie game as a whole. I think NSW could put out a second string 13 that might do better than Queensland did in SOO1. Now watch Queensland prove me wrong this Wednesday!!

'Combined Nations All Stars' - really? I am not discussing the concept here but the allocated name. I find it dull and easy to forget. Is it better then 'the rest of the world' or how about 'World All Stars' or even just 'the world'? 'England takes on The World' would be a great headline! I certainly think the word 'world' should be in there as a verbal link to the WORLD cup and the subliminal impression it gives of RL as a global sport. Or do you love it and can't wait to get your 'Combined Nations All Stars' bobble hat and keyring?!!

I see there is no 3/4 play off game scheduled for the RLWC. Is the RFL missing a revenue opportunity here especially as it MIGHT involve England? Would you pay to watch (for example) England take on Tonga? How about if it was Tonga v NZ? (Forgive me if either of these games could not happen due to seeding, but you get my point) It could happen the Friday night before the final and I reckon it would get a decent enough crowd at a smaller venue. If the seeding works out as planned, I think it should be a game that has not already taken place. What do you think?

After watching quite a few tries scored from scrums in the NRL I got to wondering where does the international game and, more specifically, the RLWC stand on scrums? Does anybody know whether scrums are in or out for the RLWC? If they are to be included in the World Cup then the British players and coaches are missing out on opportunities to develop scrum based moves and defensive tactics.

Focus seems to be on getting a winning team and all will be well. There is no doubt that a winning team will increase crowd sizes. However, marketing theory will also tell you that a good product (winning team in this case) also needs to be well packaged. To get a sustainable winning team we need to attract young, local talent. Is the TOWN brand good enough to persuade a young local player, with other options, to choose Town? I am not saying the brand is the be-all-and-end. Far from it, but it has a role to play in attracting young spectators AND players. All elements need to be working to attract younger people. I appreciate that the majority of readers of a Town forum will be diehard fans but, if we keep doing the .same things. we will get the same results. Anyway enough from me on this - thanks to those of you who have taken the time to reply.

I see that Salford and Wigan have launched new logos and Halifax has gone even further with a new logo and wish to be known as Halifax Panthers. I have raised this issue before, but our logo looks desperately dated and does little to engage with youngsters. I think it is time to change - new logo AND a new 'name'. Drop Town and replace it with a more dynamic moniker. Develop a logo that is easy to reproduce and works in monotone. The new Fax logo looks like it will work in these respects - not sure about the link but what link was there between Leeds and Rhinos and look how well that turned out!

Don't get me wrong (as Chrissie Hynde put so eloquently) - I am really looking forward to seeing the best players in the world on our soil. I just don't think England will win. I started following the game just after we last won a world cup and a few years after we last won a test series against OZ, so I would dearly love it to happen before I take my last breath. My heart says YES but my head, sadly, says no. My mother always said 'plan for the worst but hope for the best'. Wise words for me when it comes to international RL! Come on England - prove this pessimist wrong and make an old curmudgeon happy!! Best wishes to everyone who takes the time to read my posts - especially to those who reply.

Saints 48 Dragons 2 Wigan 29 Hull 2 So the theoretically 3rd and 4th best sides in SL could not muster a single try against the best 2 sides. The lack of depth in our game is nothing new but these results really emphasised it. Add to that, the fact that so few of the stand out players, in either game, will pull on an England shirt. Sad to say it but I think those results give a clear indication why England will not be winning the world cup in 2021.

Me neither

You may well be right. Cubs with a long history and contributions to the game such as Fev, Leigh, Barrow and Oldham may well be anachronisms past their sell by dates. All the opportunities they gave to up and coming players and older players on the way down are an expensive irrelevance. Give them all a call and tell them not to bother coming back next year. The game will be better off without them and their 'whingeing'. Stop giving them 'crusts' and let the big clubs have it all. Does everyone agree with Rupert?

I must say Eddie seems to make the most erudite comments on this topic. They make me smile as well. Keep it up!