Lions tour 2019 (Merged Threads)

[Man of Kent]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Coote had a shocker today which should affect his already dubious GB chances.

Can’t have been fully fit to be fair

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

12 hours ago, Themusician_2 said:

4AM? 7AM? wow that's so early. Why no late night kick offs in NZ? Would help with the English viewers a lot.

When we host games do we kick off at the most convenient time for Australian and NZ tv? No, so why should they?

[gingerjon]

4 hours ago, RugbyLeagueMan said:

How can England represent people from Scotland, NI and Wales??

Ask the ECB.

[Themusician_2]

8 hours ago, RugbyLeagueMan said:

Wrong! How can England represent people from Scotland, NI and Wales??
We're not all supporters of 'English nationalism' thankfully.

Most people in Northern Ireland see themselves as Irish and not British. 

[Themusician_2]

5 hours ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

When we host games do we kick off at the most convenient time for Australian and NZ tv? No, so why should they?

fair enough I'm just saying it's easier for them to help us out then for us to help them out

[Allora]

17 minutes ago, Themusician_2 said:

fair enough I'm just saying it's easier for them to help us out then for us to help them out

The Media and Sponsors obliviously  have a big say in the time games are played.

The Challenge Cup was played in Australia at 11:45PM why didn't they play at a time that suited the Southern Hemisphere

 

[Davo5]

1 hour ago, Allora said:

The Media and Sponsors obliviously  have a big say in the time games are played.

The Challenge Cup was played in Australia at 11:45PM why didn't they play at a time that suited the Southern Hemisphere

 

Didn't realise there was a Southern Hemisphere team playing.

[Allora]

5 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Didn't realise there was a Southern Hemisphere team playing.

Isn't the Challenge Cup a Global event for our game that has fans that would like to watch it in the Southern Hemisphere?

 

[Davo5]

20 minutes ago, Allora said:

Isn't the Challenge Cup a Global event for our game that has fans that would like to watch it in the Southern Hemisphere?

 

Can't manage 2 lines without an edit.

You can watch it it's a Saturday night,is 23.00 too late for you.

[Harry Stottle]

22 hours ago, Themusician_2 said:

4AM? 7AM? wow that's so early. Why no late night kick offs in NZ? Would help with the English viewers a lot.

The game in Hamilton and Christchurch kick off at 20:00, Thats late enough for me, I want a pint when I leave the grounds. 

[Harry Stottle]

20 hours ago, thirteenthman said:

By November, 7am in the UK will be 8pm in NZ. Not really sure the Kiwis would be wanting to kick off any later than that.

The 4am kick off  is because the GB v NZ game is part of a triple header with Tonga v Australia kicking off a couple of hours later. 

That game kicks iff at 17:00 local time 

[Tommygilf]

Tongans are threatening to boycott now!

https://www.totalrl.com/great-britain-tour-unclear-as-tonga-threaten-to-boycott/

[Chris22]

Can we not have one year of internationals without someone threatening to boycott or being forced not to play by a corrupt regime? Just one!

[Harry Stottle]

14 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Tongans are threatening to boycott now!

https://www.totalrl.com/great-britain-tour-unclear-as-tonga-threaten-to-boycott/

Like I say I would not trust Aussies as far as I could throw them, and before anybody questions that statement the Tongan team is a collection of Australian born and raised player's who have a mindset of the schooling, district and social aspects of the country they reside and was brought up in, and that wasn't Tonga.

[Tommygilf]

5 hours ago, RugbyLeagueMan said:

Pussies.

I mean its over an issue with their Governing body and coach, I doubt they're scared of the GB team.

[Tommygilf]

12 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Like I say I would not trust Aussies as far as I could throw them, and before anybody questions that statement the Tongan team is a collection of Australian born and raised player's who have a mindset of the schooling, district and social aspects of the country they reside and was brought up in, and that wasn't Tonga.

In fairness Harry their reasoning for threatening this is due to the Tongan RL governance not GB itself.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

In fairness Harry their reasoning for threatening this is due to the Tongan RL governance not GB itself.

Whatever it is Tommy I don't retract from my statement, like I have said in the past, unless Aussie Tongan decedent's are going to send their pregnant wives and girlfriends over to the island to give birth then the team is not going to last that long under the Heritage ruling, and they won't be the only "RL playing nation", unless that is unless the ruling is changed.

[Tommygilf]

2 hours ago, Harry Stottle said:

Whatever it is Tommy I don't retract from my statement, like I have said in the past, unless Aussie Tongan decedent's are going to send their pregnant wives and girlfriends over to the island to give birth then the team is not going to last that long under the Heritage ruling, and they won't be the only "RL playing nation", unless that is unless the ruling is changed.

Different teams will come to the fore then under heritage though - lots of Eastern European and African migration both to Britain and Australia will change the old Irish and Italian migration patterns for example.

In all fairness the coach who the players are trying to defend insisted on taking the players back to Tonga before the WC in '17 and is keen on ingraining that link between players of heritage and the island itself. I also would totally understand if there were questions over the governance of the sport or cases of financial irregularities as anyone who's read into Pacific RU will know its par for the course almost.

Threatening a boycott is nuclear action but as we've seen in the Lebanon case players do care about the proper governance of the sport; even if only for their "heritage" nation. 

[Themusician_2]

On 24/08/2019 at 18:51, Scubby said:

The one where I said GB have never played outside the M62 or London in over 70 years. It pretended to represent GB, but never bothered to play in either Wales or Scotland despite having superstars from those countries in the team. In fact it has never even bothered to play in other areas of England.

Its England that's why. Any one who knows the origins of the GB Lions knows we were first called England!

[Tommygilf]

13 hours ago, Themusician_2 said:

Its England that's why. Any one who knows the origins of the GB Lions knows we were first called England!

It was, then we started picking Welsh and Scottish players who said "We're not English" and so we played as "Great Britain" instead.

[Harry Stottle]

On 07/09/2019 at 08:45, Tommygilf said:

It was, then we started picking Welsh and Scottish players who said "We're not English" and so we played as "Great Britain" instead.

So in effect it was not England Tommy, with the inclusion of Welsh and Scottish player's it had to be Gt Britain.

[Tommygilf]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

So in effect it was not England Tommy, with the inclusion of Welsh and Scottish player's it had to be Gt Britain.

Totally. Sadly the powers that be still ran it as if it was England though judging by where games were played.

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Totally. Sadly the powers that be still ran it as if it was England though judging by where games were played.

Yes but in those days when we were having bumper crowds 50's early 60's when it was ripe for expanding the game, it was thought better not to do so, the supremo of the RL at that time was Bill Fallowfield if I am correct, he sat back on his laurels I believe.

[Tommygilf]

5 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Yes but in those days when we were having bumper crowds 50's early 60's when it was ripe for expanding the game, it was thought better not to do so, the supremo of the RL at that time was Bill Fallowfield if I am correct, he sat back on his laurels I believe.

I have to admit I don't know the ins and outs of the RFL at the time but clearly it was an opportunity missed. 

Nevertheless internationals rather than exhibition or on the road club games remain the best vehicle for expansion in this country at least. IMO to get locals along (and therefore expand) you have to give them a team to support. Without a local club side then the national team should be utilised.

[Man of Kent]

Jackson Hastings has submitted evidence of his eligibility to play for GB, according to League Weekly.