solly

Experience tells me that identity is usually a simple thing when there are weak pressures on it.

Australia, Lebanon and Japan. But maybe as a reserve orange peeler...

Unless I am mistaken, the grandparent eligibility rule exists in all sports.

Toronto don’t have to be 'the saviours' of rugby league. It's the opportunity that they've presented that is the saviour. It’s up to the RFL /Super League administration to take hold of this moment. This is a chance for the administration to show that they belong in the modern world.

I, for one, can't wait to be a better person.

It’s an approach that the provincial mind balks at. Get past that mind and the sport grows.

Fair enough. Would like it though if the organisers had more faith in the product.

I always enjoyed the Four Nations. The name of the tournament has a great ring to it.

Even watching that highlights reel now, so many years after the event, leaves me with chills. An absolutely incredible match. Would have been good to see England in the final but alas, it was not to be.

I let out a breath that I hadn't realised I was holding when Ryan Hall couldn't hold on to that intercept. Then, Sinfield. He must still be having nightmares over that last tackle attempt...

Ok, fair enough. With publicity all across the world, I'd be surprised if the sponsors on the shirts, etc weren't smiling...

This, right here. The naysayers aren't properly aware that it is their way of thinking that has lead to all of this in the first place. The world has moved on. Rugby league needs to move on as well. My hope is that the traditional clubs find ways to engage with broader audiences so that they too can survive, no matter what division they find themselves in.

He knows something that we don't? Yep, it's called modernity. While the concerns about him performing on the pitch, I feel, are overstated, they are legitimate ones. However, SBW's value is not limited to the field. That value lies commercially. If you only see the game he does or doesn't play, and judge his contract that way, then you are missing the point. The old lenses have moved on. They were, in fact, replaced years and years ago. If a rugby league person finds all of this to be strange and unfamiliar - perhaps shaking their heads or thinking pfft - then this is evidence that the world has moved past them, whether or not they are simply fans or working as part of the governing bodies. If the relevant governing bodies are unable to leverage this into greater media deals, sponsorship, etc then they really ought to be replaced. It's 2019, not 1919.

People seem to forget that, right? Tonga are made up of professionals. Outside of experience and fitness, there is no reason why a team of professional players shouldn't be able to beat another team of professionals. A couple of years ago, Cameron Smith was interviewed after a match against New Zealand. I don't recall who won but I do recall him saying that the two nations were equals. A blowout result every now and then doesn't change that. The same applies to Tonga. They were beaten well enough by Australia previously but there were signs there. The important thing was that more matches were scheduled for them and they learnt from them. We all saw the result. Keep playing games each year, keep nurturing Tongan talent and who knows what is possible?

Look, it may be that more people know about Manu Tuilagi. Cool, that's great. But the very fact that SBW's deal is making headlines tells you enough people know about him too. There is nothing negative about this deal between Toronto and SBW. It covers all the necessary sporting and promotion/publicity bases. If people think he is being paid too much, consider how undervalued rugby league actually is.