theswanmcr

Surely they should be the NZ Kiwheelies

I'm an expansionist as well - and agree totally with your comment. Was just an idea! But we're not going to get the 16 you and I both want. And we're not going to even get 12 either. We get what the Aussies tell us and we're both going to have to suck it up as usual.

If only we had 12 teams... would be the perfect number to appease expansionists and still be pretty competitive. 3 groups of 4 - top 2 and the 2 best 3rd place into the quarters. 8 teams in quarters guaranteed entry to next World Cup so gives the minnows a chance to aim for a third place in the group. Create two groups of Four Nations from the last eight. Semi Finalists in World Nations, losing quarter finalists in World League. Scrap tours and run these alternatively across both hemispheres. Keep in the World Series for qualification.

Awful poster but nothing wrong with the Hotpots… The Girl from Bargain Booze is genius

This was my first ever live wheelchair game and got to say it was a great experience. The speed and skills - especially from Catalans - is just incredible to watch close-up.

Cardiff Demons. Real potential there to get them into and firmly established in Women's Super League. Create a real strong base for the Welsh women's game. Use this as a 'reverse model' to then look at establishing a professional men's team later in the city too.

It will soon be Grimethorpe arguing with fans of Brighouse & Rastrick over who has the shinest eupohoiums for an extra 0.5 points next... https://www.4barsrest.com/articles/2023/2043.asp

Great to see Castleford hosting an international match.

Good to have you back Ralph, we’ve missed you as our leader.

France are going to play Kenya, At Rugby League. In Kenya. How anyone can find this anything other than amazing in the current s***show state of international rugby league is beyond me.

Hopefully they'll take notice when sponsors pull out due to lack of social engagement and a poor on-field product that gets nilled when they actually bother to play

I tell you once and I tell you flatly, I don't ever wanna go to Gatley I don't even wanna go to Batley... where is that place exactly?

If only... we could have had a World Four Nations based off the last World Cup... World Series: Four semi-finalists from World Cup - Australia, Samoa, England, New Zealand World Championship: Other four from Quarter Finals - PNG, Tonga, Lebanon, Fiji Two of those series played before next World Cup. World Cup of 12 teams - 3 groups of four. Top two plus two best runners up make quarters and then the next set of Four Nations starts. Gives even more added incentive to make the quarters and can justify having those 8 pre-qualify for next world cup. If only... oh well.

You beat me to it trawling through the IntRL website Looks like we got the same countries and shows how crazy this currently is.

There's 18 full members according to this https://www.intrl.sport/member-nations/ With those already qualified that leaves... Americas: Jamaica Asia-Pacific: Cook Islands Europe: France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, Scotland, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia MEA: South Africa There'll need to be some seriously quick form-filling going on by the likes of Brazil, Ghana, USA etc by March 2023 to actually create qualifiers outside of Europe.

This whole thing is rubbish but Wales do get a chance to qualify - they are full members and so should take part in the European qualifying tournament (with the winner going through to the World Series bit).

A farce would be the highest level of professional Rugby League in this country playing each other 2.5 times (plus play-offs).

It’s brilliant that there will a big rematch in an arena - but yeah there really should have been a game in London too (we never learn).

Why can’t we ever just make life clear and simple? You would think the SH would have 2 x tri-nations - allowing one of the ‘top’ nations to tour over here each year. Instead we have the Aus coach saying they will have a four nations next year… when it should be Samoa over here. Unless he’s talking rubbish of course?

That pretty much sums international rugby league brilliantly (sadly).

True - interesting that the 10 team world cup isn’t mentioned in the Int RL official page… almost like they’re trying to keep it quiet. Talk of a ‘world series’ seems a way to keep the minnows quiet while the big boys get on with the ‘proper’ big games. Need to ensure France is part of the incoming tours to create a North Hemisphere tri-nations (it won’t happen but it should). Mid season international between Eng and Fra could form part of this.

No hurry eh Troy

I expect we’ll see a couple of headlines but with lots of fudge. • New Zealand to be confirmed as next world cup hosts but no decision on number of teams or even the year it will take place • Pacific tri-nations 99% confirmed for this year but nothing in concrete for future • Ashes tour to take place in whatever made up year they can come up after the next world cup • The mythical 10-year plan due ‘before 2030’

Writer and producer Johnny Bristol penned this following a visit to Fartown for a Floodlit Trophy match in 1969. Martha would later perform it live at Lindley Working Men's Club in 1972 as part of her Keepin’ It Real world tour.

No I’m not on drugs. You sound nice. Any general sports fan will know that Tonga equals rugby and haka (as others have mentioned). Even if you’re not sure of their exact strength in RL you can make a good guess at it and that they’d be pretty handy at our sport. Ireland much less so. Most know they play football and rugby but not much RL and they’d be right.