Lowdesert

Great win for HKR. Despite Wigan’s hit and miss form, any win against them at home has to be earned. I never thought I would ever read about a Wigan coach apologising to the fans.

Obviously part of it but little real effort to preserve the health of the games assets or prepare for a WC.

Indeed. Sometimes we really do work hard to make sure we’re on the back foot.

Isn’t the international game overseen by the RFL? Or has that duty handed over now as well?

Its been mentioned over the last couple of years. This year is no different other than clubs have cut squads down to help their financial situation. An example is that Cas are crying injuries but offloading Hepi to York, on loan, to cut the wage bill. All Clubs still face the same wage crisis. Sky/SL/RFL need to look at this situation quickly. It is not just down to rule changes, 10m, head tackles etc but just plain lack of sufficient test. The ‘player welfare’ policies are just cosmetic documents.

Bit over the top all this. One man won’t change a mess of a game and another good man will step up in RL. Wish him well with the respect he deserves and welcome him if he comes back.

Is there any reason why Narbonne has not got its own team in Elite? Right on your doorstep!

Not sure if this has been shown

Road.

Neither do i Eddie. What has to be considered is distances between the suggested towns on here. VSL, St.Gaudens, Toulouse are all a 5 - 6 hours drive to Lyon and 4.5 to Marseilles, Avignon etc. Start to include Bordeaux and Paris and there is mega cost for small clubs. We have to remember that the biggest majority of players have jobs as well.

Barring the ‘sponging’ comment, I think they’re quite happy doing their own thing but it’s not enough for members of this forum. Its in all french clubs interests to improve the national team. For a long time they’ve all gone on in their own separate ways but I think we are seeing some change now. Robinson will add some value, in time, as well.

Yes mate, agreed with you first time around, but I was just adding the recent announcement by Carca into the equation. Just discussion points. I think what we will see is a continued stream, although not a flood by any means, of players from Esteve and TO (in time) reserves/youth into Elite. This will only make Elite stronger imo. If it grows in team numbers then that’s all good.

Carca into League 1. They are not guaranteed to get promotion in the 1st or even 2nd year over, say, Donny or Workington next year. Secondly, the obvious travel costs and thirdly, lastly (and selfishly) local clubs might end up losing key players to Carca. We could also factor in TO recruiting more from Elite to bolster their own lower teams. From what I see, Elite 1 has a lot going for it. St Gaudens, Avignon, VSL and Albi have a lot of improvement in them. Of those (my opinion) it is down to coaching issues. There are also the obvious opportunities to develop televised games.

Last time I was there, I seem to think I Hulls walk on was Baba O’Riley by the Who. Apparently it was based on life around the Whalebone pub.

Scores like that indicate Fev have hit them with everything but the kitchen sink. Even if we give them the officials being bad, what about the rest? i don’t see any team, yet, challenging TO or Fev.

Is Manfredi on the outer?

Took the words out of my mouth mate. Wynne was there last night. But.... Sneyd & Houghton have to get past the forwards union at disciplinary yet and will Reynolds be fit? He struggled first half.

Hull FC have been taking kids on from Wales. I think the last one was last year from Torfaen (Jermaine Chatham) and there were 2 brothers (Batham I think) a couple of years ago.

Yeah, your right but my point stands, whoever is the decision maker. It’s all about the spectacle. Do we want to see fit players performing to their max or burned out, injured players on the touchlines and blow out scores. It might not matter to Sky. Their sports news at 0530 this morning showed 10 secs of Fonua going over the last 2 yards and then a 1 minute piece on RU showing Eddie Jones carrying a bag.

Very happy with a win. Tough game with both teams playing on fumes. Playing 5 days after a semi final is nothing short of stupid. Player welfare? RFL just playing at it.

I think the tackle was more momentum combined with poor technique than intent. The 2nd tackler, Houghton, caused the main issue and barring him coming in I think a penalty would’ve been enough. From the video could've caught Fosters head with his knee or hand. Unfortunately it seems like a bad injury and on that point I think there will be a ban. Hicks didn’t give a Card and I didn’t see or hear him put the tacklers on report. Did he?

Yeah. Bai only played 8/9 games but should have been kept. Probably the Melbourne money. Same with Best, who went to theDragons and did well.

Nathan Blacklock was a marvellous winger. Electric speed, brave, terrific opportunist, played to the crowd and they loved him. Front somersaults followed by backflips. When he came to Hull after playing for St. George he was past his best and imo was playing injured but still scored 20 odd tries in his first season. Second season injuries affected him. How I wish we had him in the years he spent at the Dragons. Probably one of the first to come out publicly with stress related issues too.

The reason I commented first time around is that you seemed amazed he’d been picked on the wing mate. Chico was quite slim at one stage but, with a couple of others, always put extras in after training and bulked up a bit. He was opposite us buying a beer at the KC a couple of years ago and I don’t think anyone recognised him. Really nice lad. Another winger who I wished we’d hung onto was Colin Best.

Hull signed Naulogo from RU. Top athlete who burned many wingers in his first year but since has gone back to RU for a better pay check. We also have another Fijian , with a long name! who is learning the game but is a real athlete. With the challenges RL has in paying champagne players with beer money, these are the guys we need to be signing.