Tommygilf

Exactly, you're just Man United with a more likeable face!

We are a regional oddity even in the North though. Of the 5 big cities that culturally dominate the Region (Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle), we have a strong presence in 1. So even in the places in the north that have broken down barriers and stereotypes, we barely make a mark. Big fishes in small ponds. How many Shinty players have been knighted?

What are your thoughts on Powell? From the outside several commentators and fans have been saying that he must be close to being sacked, given the results. That said, having listened to him and thinking in a broader context of Warrington Wolves over the past 5 or so years, do you think a bigger overhaul is needed and Powell as a fresh pair of eyes has seen that? Warrington strike me as a club that has become too comfortable, almost overnight, both on the pitch and off it; or at least that they have taken their eye off the ball to some extent. My own club has been and is going through something similar. A fresh set of eyes are often what triggers radical change.

I wouldn't put it past EPS to bring out another kit for Magic tbh, but yes it is better than the grey blandness.

I totally understand. I'm basically at the stage where it is my own club I'll go watch but little else interests me in the game too much. So given where the game is now in London with Broncos cannibalising the Skolars I don't blame you losing faith in that too. Hopefully it gets better soon.

Quite the opposite, the regional (and Northern regional at that) nature of the sport is a hinderance with these things.

Can any Leeds fans help? It seems our pink 3rd shirt is now being used exclusively by the reserves. Is that the case? I actually quite like it and obviously we have a 100% record in it which is nice but would be a shame if it was brought out for 1 game against Wakefield and then permanently "reserved".

The RFL aren't going to organise a game at a ground without actually liaising with the owners of that ground are they?

Club sides playing national teams on tour??

I thought you'd be a fan of this sort of thing Harry?

Tbf, its not too bad actually, but its barely a month since the black and cyan range released...

For some clubs like City and Chelsea, who even their most one eyed fans can see have been bankrolled to multiple League titles, the Champions League certainly feels like the elite of the elite whereas the League almost is taken as a given; good to win, but you aren't proving anything to anyone. The CL still has that elusive rarity, and ultimately it means coming up against some similarly resourced clubs in the latter stages too.

If Liverpool win nothing more this year, coming second in the League and losing the FA Cup and Champions League finals, is this year a failure?

That 17k was affected by also having a game in Leeds which is a far more popular for Yorkshire based fans given the choice. When there was only one Yorkshire game and that was in Hull then it was better attended. The 3 test formula against Oz and NZ that should be followed except for extraordinary circumstances should be 1 game London, 1 game Leeds, 1 game North West or elsewhere like Coventry or Newcastle. Multiple games in either of those regions would unnecessarily cannibalise eachother as we saw with Leeds and Hull in the example you gave. For less marquee fixtures, such as those against European opposition, then venues like Brentford could be explored.

In fairness, probably an upgrade from the University sportswear provider player layer. My only hope is that there are more clubs with Oxen that the quality goes up...

My thoughts exactly. Same logic applies with England vs Wales or any other non-SH nation imo. London, even Bristol or the midlands should be the sort of places these games could be pitched at (if England are to play at home rather than away that is). Only Leeds in the Heartlands should be considered imo given its good record for international crowds.

There is a peculiarity where familiarity with RL decreases success chances for certain international fixtures. Most regular RL fans will know what games are foregone conclusions. Some will still go to those games but many won't. Hence poor crowds in Leigh for example. That logic doesn't seem to stick as strongly elsewhere.

Seems an appropriate place for this. So much of this is applicable to the Challange Cup too.

I might be able to get to this one, anyone got any tips for away travel? Would be coming in by train to Manchester city centre

Quite

That was my understanding.

He's right though, barring origin in NSW or VIC, or the NRL Grand Final, the challenge cup final is one of the best attended games world wide.

I can't remember if they had anything lined up specifically in the meantime. I seem to remember world cup warm up games being mooted but can't fully remember. Was 2020 supposed to host a European championship?

They played Jamaica at Belle Vue in 2016 which isn't showing on the Wales results page so it is possible that there are games not on there. Perhaps around the time of the World Cup 9s? Other than that I suspect the mid year test against France this year will be Wales' first full game in 3 and a half years.

That is strawmanning and you know it