Gerrumonside ref

Johnnie Walker Blue is the prestige range.

Sorry, I see some of it’s merit but I don’t support it though as a proposal. I think we too often overlook the basics which is that in order to follow a support you need to be able look at a table and calculate pretty quickly what is happening. Similarly a playoff system. I believe as a sport we forget this as we import or concoct designs to create a Grand Final - and then endlessly tinker with them! Constant change smacks of a lack of direction. As I said before, continuity in sport is to me how you build tradition and prestige.

I can see its merits but while we are trying to get more people onboard to follow the sport I think we need a simple and recognisable format. It seems obvious but we need something that people can quickly look at and understand. I also think it’s continuity in sport that breeds tradition and prestige rather than too much tinkering.

Washington, Saints, Bengals, Browns, Rams, Broncos, Bills, Patriots, 49ers, Steelers, Cardinals, Buccaneers, Chargers, Seahawks, Chiefs, Packers

Maybe with a World Cup in 2025 they have time to devise a plan to get a team ready to compete in England off the back of the publicity? I wouldn’t claim to know much about the French scene at all, but this seems like a golden opportunity in terms of alignment. I hope a solution can be found.

Cool as.

Brilliant display and fantastic temperament when adversity came her way. Delighted for her!

Anyone else got a sound fault on the C4 broadcast? Edit: Resolved now it seems

This is an interesting take. Sorry to bring us all back to hell, but I have been reading a piece by Karen Carney (ex player and now broadcaster) who pinpoints the success of international women’s football as being the real turning point for the domestic game. Many of the comments below are easily applicable to rugby league where perhaps we are at I believe and could learn: “The women’s game has gone from a vicious cycle to a virtuous one since the inception of the WSL. Beforehand the lack of funding and exposure meant the product was not what it should have been, but this has changed. Having major international tournaments visible has been a great boost, because it helps showcase the quality within the women’s game, which then attracts sponsors and money into the sport to keep it evolving and improving. Previously, it was a hard sell to get people to watch a sport that when seen on TV was played in front of small crowds. Getting excited about what is happening on the pitch is not easy when the atmosphere is absent but the WSL has helped this grow in conjunction with England’s successes. The penny dropped in 2012 when 80,000 turned up at Wembley for the women’s final at the Olympics and English football has capitalised on this. The 2019 Women’s World Cup was another turning point, proving the appetite for the women’s game. For England’s semi-final against the USAthere were more than 53,000 inside the stadium and 11.7 million watched a slick, professional broadcast at home, giving a great image of women’s football. It made household names of the likes of Ellen White and Lucy Bronze, which aided momentum.”

I’m not sure on the detail but we need to save as many of our clubs as we can both heartland and expansion (if those terms are still relevant). We need to keep them sustainable and community focused yes, but also with the possibility of dreaming a little dream of better days ahead and future investment that isn’t only central. I’d like to see best practice being shared from top to bottom amongst the administration teams. I would hope too there is a joined up strategy that looks to cash in on any publicity gained from the restarting of the postponed World Cup and using the England brand to shine a light on the sport generally.

I tend to find there’s little value added by most commentators in broadcasting these days and the old style rules about only speaking to add something have long gone. This I think is true of other sports as well as Sky’s Super League so increasingly I just filter out the commentary mentally and try to form my own opinion where possible relying only on the commentary to fill the odd gap in knowledge on the events unfolding. I think as Sky’s production team, like most, will be a family type affair, I think it’s unlikely there will too much radical change. Your best hope of that is if the secondary rights go to a broadcaster who decides they’re really going to present their ten games in a different way to Sky and BBC. I personally hope someone gets the coverage who can do for us what Channel 4 did for the NFL in the 1980s and bring the game to a wider audience.

Saints localised version with different lyrics has been around for a long long time mate. They might not be to everyone’s tastes! And you’ll be asking what a split, fish and curry is next.

Wasps are b##tards. All that needs to be said.

I think this is true and especially of the top players on the tour. I have had an extra interest in this story though because she is British and we haven’t competed at the top of women’s tennis often in my lifetime. Personality and watch-ability definitely matters though as well as an appreciation of skill and national fervour.

For those who missed it during the Saints-Leeds game: https://www.skysports.com/rugby-league/news/12196/12403710/wheelchair-rugby-league-super-league-grand-final-to-be-live-on-sky-sports-for-the-first-time “Wheelchair Rugby League will continue its breakthrough broadcast season when the Super League Grand Final between Leeds Rhinos and Leyland Warriors is shown live on Sky Sports for the first time on Sunday, September 19. This means that Sky will show three Super League Grand Finals - men's, women's and wheelchair - this autumn. And Sky is also expanding its coverage of the Betfred Women's Super League to include the semi-finals for the first time. St Helens' Totally Wicked Stadium will host a double-header of matches on Sunday, September 26 ahead of the Grand Final at Emerald Headingley Stadium on Sunday, October 10.”