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Lions tour 2019 (Merged Threads)

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Exiled Wiganer

Exiled Wiganer

Posted
Posted

Aren’t we damned if we do and damned if we don’t with this tour? People say where is the context, but what does that mean? The only internationals with any historic context and track record for crowds are England/GB v kangaroos, Kiwis v Kangaroos,  and, over here, NZ and Oz. We have a World Cup every 4 years, we will have a Kangaroo tour every 4 years. Which leaves 2 years. If we play NZ at home in one of those what do we do in this one???

It seems to me a sensible proposition to attempt something that gives PNG, NZ and Tonga proper games and our rep team a chance to tour. We didn’t know in advance what appetite there would be for these games. That’s for hindsight and post mortems. It might be there just isn’t the interest - there never has been in the past and there might not be in the future. In which case we can either keep doing it, in order to give the games context, or else ditch it. My vote would be for the confeds cup. 

Finally, this again shows what a fantastic market for our game we have in London, the next time somebody writes about league having failed down here. 

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DoubleD

DoubleD

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Posted
5 hours ago, Dave T said:

I'd like to think that costs have been kept to a minimum and commercial and media deals more than cover this. 

The benefit of only a 4 test tour is that travel costs are kept down and fewer players are required. 

But I am not a fan of doing things on the cheap. That isn't a way to grow.

Agreed, you’d hope the promoters Duco would take a chunk of the hit too

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nadera78

nadera78

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9 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

What would you have done?

I wouldn't have gone anywhere near the GB concept, for a very long list of reasons that have been discussed on here dozens of times over. And that's even if the Aussies had been interested. I just don't think it has any value beyond a nice looking shirt (and tbh even this year's one isn't great) and a nostalgic view of the early 1990s.

I'd have continued to focus on England, that's our brand. 

If 50% of the time, energy and resources wasted on this over the last 5 years had instead been spent on campaigning for a Confederations Cup then we'd be getting excited about watching the best 8 teams in the world playing for that right now. Instead, we have a half-arsed GB tour and a half-arsed Oceania Cup.

"Just as we had been Cathars, we were treizistes, men apart."

Jean Roque, Calendrier-revue du Racing-Club Albigeois, 1958-1959

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RP London

RP London

Posted
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15 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

 

It seems to me a sensible proposition to attempt something that gives PNG, NZ and Tonga proper games and our rep team a chance to tour. 

Totally agree which makes you wonder why we have gone as GB

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Exiled Wiganer

Exiled Wiganer

Posted
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1 hour ago, RP London said:

Totally agree which makes you wonder why we have gone as GB

I have no opinion either way on GB as against England but I can understand people getting cross about it. Setting that aside, if the confeds cup wasn’t a runner, this set of fixtures looked like a decent one to me in advance.

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GeordieSaint

GeordieSaint

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, ghost crayfish said:

Today's events are probably a huge boost for the tour. Tonga winning and the all blacks losing should give next week's crowd a big boost. I think Tonga could give Australia a great game, and NZ v GB had all the makings of a cracker. 

Lets hope so.

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Exiled Wiganer

Exiled Wiganer

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ghost crayfish said:

Today's events are probably a huge boost for the tour. Tonga winning and the all blacks losing should give next week's crowd a big boost. I think Tonga could give Australia a great game, and NZ v GB had all the makings of a cracker. 

It was all part of the masterplan... It will be good to be able to support the Tongans rather than wince when they hit our boys. 

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Themusician_2

Themusician_2

Posted
Posted
21 hours ago, Exiled Wiganer said:

Aren’t we damned if we do and damned if we don’t with this tour? People say where is the context, but what does that mean? The only internationals with any historic context and track record for crowds are England/GB v kangaroos, Kiwis v Kangaroos,  and, over here, NZ and Oz. We have a World Cup every 4 years, we will have a Kangaroo tour every 4 years. Which leaves 2 years. If we play NZ at home in one of those what do we do in this one???

It seems to me a sensible proposition to attempt something that gives PNG, NZ and Tonga proper games and our rep team a chance to tour. We didn’t know in advance what appetite there would be for these games. That’s for hindsight and post mortems. It might be there just isn’t the interest - there never has been in the past and there might not be in the future. In which case we can either keep doing it, in order to give the games context, or else ditch it. My vote would be for the confeds cup. 

Finally, this again shows what a fantastic market for our game we have in London, the next time somebody writes about league having failed down here. 

No there is no damned if you do damned if you don't just play as England and everything would've been ok

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roughyedspud

roughyedspud

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On 25/10/2019 at 17:05, Exiled Wiganer said:

What would you have done?

In consecutive weeks..

England play in the world 9s 

England play Tonga

England play a meaningful  3 test series v NZ (or AUS in 4 years time)

England play PNG on the way home

 

It really wasn't rocket science..

OLDHAM RLFC

the 8TH most successful team in british RL

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Exiled Wiganer

Exiled Wiganer

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, roughyedspud said:

In consecutive weeks..

England play in the world 9s 

England play Tonga

England play a meaningful  3 test series v NZ (or AUS in 4 years time)

England play PNG on the way home

 

It really wasn't rocket science..

Yes, that is unrecognisable from this tour.

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Farmduck

Farmduck

Posted
Posted

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/nrl-premiership/wayne-bennett-wont-panic-despite-tour-ending-injuries-to-great-britain-duo-against-tonga/news-story/8365bb1b5f58a0e3fc22092002f7a551

Quote

Great Britain coach Wayne Bennett fears centre Oliver Gildart and prop Luke Thompson have suffered tour-ending injuries in their opening 14-6 defeat to Tonga in New Zealand but he insists there is no panic.

Thompson, who was man of the mach in St Helens’ Super League grand final triumph, went off against a Tongan Invitational XIII after only 12 minutes with a rib injury while Gildart dislocated a shoulder on 59 minutes.

“I don’t think they’ll play again in this series,” Bennett said at the post- match press conference.

 

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Farmduck

Farmduck

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He has to bring some youngsters in sometime. If you look back to that WC final, only 4 of the 17 Kangaroos in that game were in Friday night's team. Cherry-Evans is the "old man" of the team at 30. Even the "senior" players like Papalii and Cordner are only 27/28

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marklaspalmas

marklaspalmas

Posted
Posted
23 minutes ago, Scubby said:

By the time we get to PNG we may have Bateman and Whitehead in the centres and Hardaker on the wing ? 

The spirit of Rorke's Drift.

So long as it saves a few quid and overstretches some more battered bodies.

I love RL but running this tour v the Onion WC gives things a certain perspective

https://www.fevarchive.co.uk/

 

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