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Dave Woods is on the money.


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Disaster of a tour in every way.

I’m still glad that we played four Tests with extensive coverage on the BBC. I’m not at all convinced England players would have played four Autumn Tests without this tour.

It’s a pity that the likes of Regan Grace and the increasing number of Welsh players coming through are unlikely to tour these places in future but there you are.

In the end, nobody cared enough to make it work. Not the RFL, not the coach, not the players.

Safe to say the GB Lions is now dead.

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Good article by Dave Woods. It's been pleasing to see articles like these from Woods and similar ones from Brian Carney.

There seems to be a greater willingness to cast a critical eye over the sports decisions by our media now. We need that accountability to improve.

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Whilst the players clearly deserve some criticism, it wasnt Jack Hughes who selected himself at centre for half the tour. Or Austin on the wing. Or Lomax dropping himself after being excellent last year. Or Clark playing well and then dropping himself. It wasnt Widdopp and Hastings who refused to step aside for a different half combination.

It is right that we review player performance, but it isnt that the GB players arent talented enough to beat a PNG team packed with lower tier players. When performances like that happen, it is a clear sign of bigger issues.

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Just now, Eddie said:

Good on Dave Woods, considering how excited he was on the BBC Podcast (about GB coming back) he’s realised what a shambles it was and isn’t afraid to say so. 

Yes he is spot on, a fair analysis taking out all the nostalgia regarding GB. If, and it is a big if, the only way it could be revived, is if their were players good enough to be considered from Wales, Scotland and Ireland, but that looks unlikely for the foreseeable future.

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I still maintain that GB can potentially fulfill a really useful role in providing a selection carrot for any prospective home nations players. Unfortunately, the logic and planning behind this tour couldn't have been worse, and has been a copybook example of exactly how not to do it.

On a separate note, how in the name of **** did we let RU trademark the Lions name??!! That's up there with the Rugby World Cup situation. The people making decisions in our sport at the time should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

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8 minutes ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I still maintain that GB can potentially fulfill a really useful role in providing a selection carrot for any prospective home nations players. Unfortunately, the logic and planning behind this tour couldn't have been worse, and has been a copybook example of exactly how not to do it.

On a separate note, how in the name of **** did we let RU trademark the Lions name??!! That's up there with the Rugby World Cup situation. The people making decisions in our sport at the time should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

I was optimistic about GB returning and before this tour I really thought we could have a GB tour every 4 years like union do. 
 

But after this shambolic performance I think the concept is dead. Like Woods says, we do not have the depth to have a British team. Realistically we have a few Welsh players and a plastic Scottish and Irish team

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2 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

I was optimistic about GB returning and before this tour I really thought we could have a GB tour every 4 years like union do. 
 

But after this shambolic performance I think the concept is dead. Like Woods says, we do not have the depth to have a British team. Realistically we have a few Welsh players and a plastic Scottish and Irish team

I agree that the concept probably is dead after this tour, but I think people shouldn't confuse the concept with the execution of it. Ultimately, if this had been England, we'd still have lost 4 nil, so would some people be saying to chuck England in favour of GB?

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1 minute ago, Mr Plow said:

I was optimistic about GB returning and before this tour I really thought we could have a GB tour every 4 years like union do.

Not wishing to sound critical, but what about the current set up made you think that this would be viable right now? It's abundantly clear that rugby league doesn't have players from Scotland, Wales (and perhaps Ireland) in order to replicate what rugby union does with the B&I Lions.

It's doubtful that rugby league will ever have that, but it's realistically going to take another 10 or more years for those players to be produced, if ever.

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11 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

At least use the Lion logo (perhaps the red version) for England then. It's too good to not use at all.

 

 

 

lion.jpg

after the tour we just had this one might be more appropriate 

 

untitled.png

see you later undertaker - in a while necrophile 

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I disagree with the article and the general consensus here. How do you expect to attract floating Welsh, Scottish and irish fans into the sport without something like the Lions?

The casual fans in those nations generally won't be overly excited about watching 'England' play a test match whereas if they feel part of something like the GB lions, its enough to pique that interest. Im Welsh and i never see an england rugby shirt, for obvious reasons, but see loads of British lions shirts. 

What's more, national broadcasters like the BBC almost have a duty to broadcast something representing the UK. Team england could potentially be shunted off the schedules under the argument its not in the national interest 

As Oliver says above, terrible organisation led to the poor attendances and its easy to criticise with the benefit of hindsight, of which there seem to be too many experts on here 

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1 hour ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

More misguided guff blaming the Great Britain name for a failing across multiple departments that had nothing to do with kit for a name of the side and that went. 

I haven't seen anyone saying the name or the kit is responsible for the results. That's just daft.

But one year out from an ashes tour, and two from a home world cup, it was absolutely crazy to think about ditching the England 'brand'. It's a reasonable argument that the 'GB' brand doesn't really appear to resonate down under in the way it perhaps used to. Apart from the nostalgic middle aged and above part of the RL community, I'm not convinced it resonates here either.

I mean really, what exactly was the point aside from a trip down memory lane? It's time to bin it. They'd have done better having a really simple international series with England, Wales and France rotating versus NZ, Tonga and PNG for three weeks. Most of the players were down there anyway after the 9s.

But hey, we had a nice kit.

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30 minutes ago, Moove said:

I haven't seen anyone saying the name or the kit is responsible for the results. That's just daft.

But one year out from an ashes tour, and two from a home world cup, it was absolutely crazy to think about ditching the England 'brand'. It's a reasonable argument that the 'GB' brand doesn't really appear to resonate down under in the way it perhaps used to. Apart from the nostalgic middle aged and above part of the RL community, I'm not convinced it resonates here either.

I mean really, what exactly was the point aside from a trip down memory lane? It's time to bin it. They'd have done better having a really simple international series with England, Wales and France rotating versus NZ, Tonga and PNG for three weeks. Most of the players were down there anyway after the 9s.

But hey, we had a nice kit.

England was never ditched. 

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3 hours ago, Man of Kent said:

Disaster of a tour in every way.

I’m still glad that we played four Tests with extensive coverage on the BBC. I’m not at all convinced England players would have played four Autumn Tests without this tour.

It’s a pity that the likes of Regan Grace and the increasing number of Welsh players coming through are unlikely to tour these places in future but there you are.

In the end, nobody cared enough to make it work. Not the RFL, not the coach, not the players.

Safe to say the GB Lions is now dead.

Knowles and Grace are the standout 2 who should have gone and possibly been 1st choice

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1 hour ago, Oliver Clothesoff said:

More misguided guff blaming the Great Britain name for a failing across multiple departments that had nothing to do with kit for a name of the side and that went. 

Well no, had we lost all four games in front of packed grounds, with new sponsors and broadcasting deals leading to the RFL making a packet, I suspect it would be here to stay.

Similarly, had we won all four games, it wouldn't have hidden the fact that the crowds were way down on recent England games down in NZ.

Not a single metric can suggest this was a success.

Even if we agree this delivered the same as England would have, that isnt success. Surely we changed because we thought it would be better? Otherwise, why bother with the effort.

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2 hours ago, RugbyLeagueGeek said:

I agree that the concept probably is dead after this tour, but I think people shouldn't confuse the concept with the execution of it. Ultimately, if this had been England, we'd still have lost 4 nil, so would some people be saying to chuck England in favour of GB?

Almost certainly, yes.

Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

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13 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Well no, had we lost all four games in front of packed grounds, with new sponsors and broadcasting deals leading to the RFL making a packet, I suspect it would be here to stay.

Similarly, had we won all four games, it wouldn't have hidden the fact that the crowds were way down on recent England games down in NZ.

Not a single metric can suggest this was a success.

Even if we agree this delivered the same as England would have, that isnt success. Surely we changed because we thought it would be better? Otherwise, why bother with the effort.

Packed crowds, sponsors etc from this tour have no bearing on Rugby League in the UK. People here don’t want people removed from their positions because the crowds weren’t very good during this tour. 

It’s a rubbish argument to make. 

The management and organisation of the whole thing was abysmal, from the announcement of the games, dates etc through to squad selection and the appointment of Bennett as GB coach without clearly setting out different parameters to his position as England coach. 

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What happens if England get thrashed 3-0 next autumn? Do we ditch that "concept" as a failure?

Judging whether something important is worth doing based solely on the results on the pitch is the most Rugby League thing ever.

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2 hours ago, Hughsehhh said:

I disagree with the article and the general consensus here. How do you expect to attract floating Welsh, Scottish and irish fans into the sport without something like the Lions?

The casual fans in those nations generally won't be overly excited about watching 'England' play a test match whereas if they feel part of something like the GB lions, its enough to pique that interest. Im Welsh and i never see an england rugby shirt, for obvious reasons, but see loads of British lions shirts. 

What's more, national broadcasters like the BBC almost have a duty to broadcast something representing the UK. Team england could potentially be shunted off the schedules under the argument its not in the national interest 

As Oliver says above, terrible organisation led to the poor attendances and its easy to criticise with the benefit of hindsight, of which there seem to be too many experts on here 

Wales have their own decent team, and I doubt the Scots or Irish will ever be bothered. Have you really seen plenty of people wearing Lions shirts in Wales though?

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