tiffers

Sangare for man of the match. He's been everywhere.

It's insane that Leeds are still in this with so many injuries... Surely Saints will overrun in the dying moments... Surely...

Isn't this largely about PR/press relations with the individuals building stories to actively send on to the media (both at club and individual levels). The problem being that most of the professional clubs are turning over far too little revenue to be employing a PR officer themselves. Hence, they rely on old school relationships with a handful of RL journos and then the reach doesn't cut through beyond the usual. Nor do we adequately reach other audiences through other channels apart from via our own social media followings. Do the RFL have a PR officer? Genuine question as I don't know the answer... if they do, is it even in their remit to be promoting individuals and stories from clubs and pushing new content to new audiences? From an outside perspective, we rely on the clubs promoting their own stars, but they dont have the strategic foresight (or cash) to do this at a level that generates column inches. This is definitely where either employing people to do it / outsourcing to IMG (or other PR agencies) would need to happen centrally. All of the above is from a club/RFL perspective. Any High-Net-Worth business person/sports star would also need their own PR agency - but again, this requires a long-term plan to develop stories/narratives to build audiences. Unfortunately, there isn't anyone earning enough cash in RL to do this individually with a professional PR approach. Perhaps this is where it makes sense to pool resources and then we have the individual players looking to exploit their social and digital spaces to build audiences on other channels away from a Fri night sky sports showing. Critically we need the stories and engaging/interesting narratives. That requires thought, energy and effort. Side note - It's absolutely baffled me that we haven't gone down the Netflix/Prime documentary route with a longer term approach. This seems a no brainer. We have a track record of doing this on specific projects like Sky Sports/BBC for GB Tours. Wigan are arguably dipping their little toe nail in with Sky Sports at the moment (in the dressing room with Wells/on the coach). Last Chance U and other programmes that offer gritty authentic content like that really cut through. RL has this in abundance and would really cut through when you tell the stories of individuals trying to "make it". There are some amazing stories to tell.

It's very tempting with a win/loss ratio like that!

Went to almost all home games since inception and the one game I couldnt make... They go and win!! Delighted for everyone at the club.

Safe to say the atmosphere and intensity of that match was akin to origin. Great game. Loving the new rivalry.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The club did a great job last year and again on Saturday afternoon. The Skolars @Penryn last year was one of the best games of the season. Here's hoping this one is a cracker too!

You mean this guy... https://cornwallrlfc.co.uk/squad/tom-ashton/ " Salford born, Ashton started the season as a regular with Rochdale and bagged a fine hat-trick in the away triumph at London Skolars. However, after a number of weeks out of the first team squad, he opted to ;eave Spotland. Prior to plying his trade for Rochdale, Ashton has previously represented Hunslet, Oldham, Dewsbury and Sheffield Eagles. He also spent his formative years playing rugby union in the academy structure at Sale Sharks. Clearly in your books he's an absolute novice that shouldn't be playing the game seeing as he has no pedigree for RL at all...

Thoroughly enjoyed attending the game in Cornwall today. A large crowd, with a belting atmosphere especially as Cornwall came back in the 2nd half. There's no doubt the club are building and growing slowly. Despite the internet naysayers, there is a real positive atmosphere around the place and people buying into the club down in Cornwall. Long may it continue!!

As much as Leeds have been poor tonight. They have also bombed several scores. Equally not reassuring for hull. Neither team has been great tonight.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/64751820 Challenge Cup: Cornwall ready to make historic debut in competition Great piece and input from the club. Shows the passion and enthusiasm for RL in Cornwall.

And I think it was Lewis Dodd on 5Live this morning as well. I caught the segment on Breakfast and they did a good job of telling the story. 58hrs to get home due to transport delays... I have a feeling the Cas game might be a tad too far this weekend. You'd have to be robotic to not lose some focus after being so up for Penrith then the media hype and travel disruptions this week.

Am I in a parallel universe... RL all over BBC breakfast this morning. Kev getting a good 10min slot and the wheelchair win being called out in the sports headlines. Brilliant to see.

Just been rewatching the 55mins to 80mins. 2 very dodgy decisions before 'the argument'. Where the French official seemed to claim the England player played at the ball. Looked to me like a charge down (does that even exist?) rather than played at by England. Then he goes off on one not watching the play and trouncing up the touchline. Play continues and he doesn't set a defensive line marker for the French team, they are actively looking at him for it. Then on 72 mins fails to call a pull on an england player. Very obviously a pull too. Then immediately calls England offside on 73 mins. Very harsh call. At the restart he pulls England back much further than 4 metres. 75mins drop out, he calls a rip on France and the ref over rules to give a drop out. England score. Refs arguing it shouldn't be a try. Very unprofessional. Tell me there shouldn't be a review...

That French ref called several wrong calls and clearly wanted to call another two that I noticed just in the background on TV... I'm genuinely not one to call out a ref when they are trying their best... Geez I've previously been one for a short period and know how hard it is... but that HAS to be reviewed. It was in real danger of taking this final into a farce... thankfully the BBC team didnt highlight it more than they did... In positive news. MASSIVE RESULT for England. Delighted!!

Did I just see the French official in the background arguing with other officials?

Absolutely correct. You cannot act like that as an official. After all the positivity of this wheelchair tournament...

It's been coming for a long time though and keeps getting delayed and further delayed and further delayed. Obviously none of us are close enough to be able to make a commercial judgement on whether or not you hold your nerve again and wait (hope) for the calendar to be approved. Or you go it alone and make things happen yourself. Albeit, sounds closer than before. I'll believe it when I see it.

The problem is we don't have an ongoing portfolio of international events to offer any sponsors. So, yes the world cup has been great for getting eye-balls on the current programme and that's great for the current list of sponsors. However, we have literally no vision of what autumn international RL is happening next year or the year after. So crudely, why would we see any more interest from sponsors when we haven't got anything to offer them. For me this comes right back to the fundamentals of pinning down an international calendar. With or without the SH and NRL. If we want to build strategic partnerships and relationships to drive income over the long run, we need a product to work with in the first place.

It's most definitely the second... If no one was interested you wouldn't have however many 1mln+ people watching it on BBC. Nor would you have 40k at the Emirates. It's people not being strategically coherent enough to decide we won't wait around hoping for NZ/Aus to come here, having been let down so many times. Perhaps we need to take the bull by the horns and confirm our own calendar with nations that are willing to commit to calendars and then we can more easily line up everyone (our new audiences) and everything else (sponsorships / media). If that is the NH teams for the moment, so be it.

It's so frustrating to see the same things happening again on repeat after previous world cups. We have lost serious momentum from the WC if announced in Dec when all those casual sports fans eyes are on Qatar. No doubt at all that the big 4 pacific teams will be in the Oceanic cup, leaving us with PNG/Fiji to come to England. That's a solution at least for next autumn. Albeit, the long-term future for NH RL has to be in developing an international series with NH countries. It's clear we are not at the party for the SH competition. Anyone else concerned we still haven't got a 10yr plan nailed? It keeps being kicked down the road again and again with some warm words of "the NRL is onside". Not onside enough to agree to it though...

The problem is we have seen zero tangible evidence that the RFL are doing anything at all to take advantage. I've seen nothing. Where's the drive for an increase in participation across our disciplines? Where's the opportunity for people to continue to view and buy tickets to England RL beyond this next week? Nil. That's the problem. That's why we are on a path to not take advantage of the huge interest we have had from the last few weeks. If we don't make it easy for people to engage with us, they won't.

Completely agree with the lack of accountability. There just is no tangible link-up between the WC happening in England and how we turn that into longer-term demand and participation. It's criminal to have such massive attendances and not be working those newly built audiences in those cities with no strategic growth plans. It smacks of short-term thinking. Any one worth their salt would be looking at scenarios of England losing at various stages of the tournament and now actively kicking into driving demand for the (yet to be confirmed) NZ test series next autumn. I suspect we won't hear anything at all until after the final. It wouldn't remotely surprise me if we don't hear anything for weeks afterwards... then wonder why we have to work so hard to sell tickets again next year...

I very nearly started a thread along these lines before the game today... In the hope of an England win today and anticipating a WC final buzz to be all over the media. It's the hope that kills you. Do we really think that the RFL would've been able to capitalise on an England world cup win? In my opinion at least, not a cat in hells chance would they have... We have really struggled to turn positive viewing figures into ticket sales across the tournament for a whole host of reasons (geographic saturation / terrible user journey on websites / pricing policies to name a few). We are also yet to have any confirmed news about the next international window in 12 months time... If we don't act now, literally in the next 24-48hrs, we will be losing serious momentum from the WC. Particularly with all the other international sport happening this autumn. Given everything I have seen so far with this world cup, I don't understand how the RFL could possibly harness a leap in interest. We haven't got the basics in place to do that... No active campaigns to drive players participation at clubs, no marketing plans in place to drive engagement with international calendars for next year, no direct link into professional clubs for viewership. I don't understand how the RFL would have the resources or the where with all to take advantage... There is no legacy plan for the WC. Yes the national lottery have put some money into existing facilities and absolutely that is great to see. But it is for an already established audience. It's not driving the new interest and audiences we have just built up, nor is it lead by the RFL. That's the bit that is missing for me. It's brilliant to get 1mln watching on BBC One. But if we aren't pointing people in how they can get involved with the game then it is purely a transactional relationship that misses the best opportunity to grow RL in the UK for a long time to come...

One of the most refreshing things about tonight was that it represented a modern, inclusive, forward thinking sport with none of the historic baggage that comes with other forms of RL. It genuinely came across as Olympic style sport. With the quality of skills to match the arena livery too. Bravo to the BBC tonight as their production was superb as much as it was diverse. Both in mixing the accents and in showing a panel all with various physical disabilities. Probably for the first time ever. This is RL, breaking down walls and barriers. Opening up new doors and screaming for a bigger spotlight.