New European Championship

[Mr Plow]

https://www.rlef.eu.com/articles/1796/mens-european-championships-to-expand-in-2020
 

this seems really exciting, very similar to footballs Nations League. 4 divisions with promotion and relegation between them will hopefully mean more meaningful and competitive internationals and benefit developing nations

[Hela Wigmen]

Like this. Shame there’s no England involved in some way. 

[Mr Plow]

Just now, Hela Wigmen said:

Like this. Shame there’s no England involved in some way. 

England should be playing in four nations with Australia, New Zealand and Tonga though. But I kind of agree

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

England should be playing in four nations with Australia, New Zealand and Tonga though. But I kind of agree

I agree about that, definitely. I think, without wanting to sound too snobby, that we should be playing Tier One nations but I’d have liked to have seen the Knights involved in this. It would get them guaranteed games. 

[Futtocks]

42 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

England should be playing in four nations with Australia, New Zealand and Tonga though. But I kind of agree

But we Got Brexit Done!

[roughyed8]

50 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

England should be playing in four nations with Australia, New Zealand and Tonga though. But I kind of agree

England are playing a 3 test ashes series against the Kangaroos

[Mr Plow]

19 minutes ago, roughyed8 said:

England are playing a 3 test ashes series against the Kangaroos

But in the future they sounds play in the Four Nations rather than European Champs

[Harry Stottle]

What is the point of England/GB playing France, it is no better than an opposed training session for England,  if we want to improve as has been suggested there has to be a regular 4 nations tournament held down under, the forever promised improvement of the French national side with Catalan joining SL has never materialised and how will it with the Cats team being so reliant on foreigners populating their team, and it will be no different if Tolouse comes to the party as far as the French team is concerned. 

[JM2010]

7 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

What is the point of England/GB playing France, it is no better than an opposed training session for England,  if we want to improve as has been suggested there has to be a regular 4 nations tournament held down under, the forever promised improvement of the French national side with Catalan joining SL has never materialised and how will it with the Cats team being so reliant on foreigners populating their team, and it will be no different if Tolouse comes to the party as far as the French team is concerned. 

Completely agree. Until any other nations step up then this European format should be stuck with and built up and England play in a 4N with SH teams, possibly 6 if Samoa, Fiji and PNG keep improving.

Jamaica, Lebanon, Nigeria, USA, Canada etc could potentially compete against European nations if they wanted to expand the competition by running a NH tournament every 2nd or 4th year

 

[Man of Kent]

13 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

it will be no different if Tolouse comes to the party as far as the French team is concerned. 

That seems rather pessimistic. Surely it would benefit the French team if more French players are playing for Toulouse in SL

[Bert1]

What’s the point in England playing hardly anyone turns up. Joke the attendance at Anfield.

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

That seems rather pessimistic. Surely it would benefit the French team if more French players are playing for Toulouse in SL

C'mon MoK, Le Cats have hoovered up all the better French lads knocking about and then they have to head North to England or to the Southern Hemisphere, So lets assume Tolouse get promoted next season what are they going to do about populating their team and where from?

[Harry Stottle]

8 minutes ago, Bert1 said:

What’s the point in England playing hardly anyone turns up. Joke the attendance at Anfield.

I went did you?

[Bert1]

1 minute ago, Harry Stottle said:

I went did you?

Yeh went to all tests. Was more shocked at the attendance at Hull tbh. 

[Man of Kent]

18 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

C'mon MoK, Le Cats have hoovered up all the better French lads knocking about and then they have to head North to England or to the Southern Hemisphere, So lets assume Tolouse get promoted next season what are they going to do about populating their team and where from?

They’ll have a mix of English/Antipodean imports and French lads, of course. More French players will come through in due course, of course.

Let the flowers bloom, Harry, let the flowers bloom!

[GUBRATS]

45 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

That seems rather pessimistic. Surely it would benefit the French team if more French players are playing for Toulouse in SL

If ?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

If we had a 5 Nations at the top tier, you could have your traditional big 3 and a qualifier from the Oceanic Cup and European Cup. A genuine reason to want to win the comp and a consistent international calender.

[Hela Wigmen]

2 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

If we had a 5 Nations at the top tier, you could have your traditional big 3 and a qualifier from the Oceanic Cup and European Cup. A genuine reason to want to win the comp and a consistent international calender.

Sensible and a good idea that incentivises both sides of the hemisphere. 

[GUBRATS]

5 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

If we had a 5 Nations at the top tier, you could have your traditional big 3 and a qualifier from the Oceanic Cup and European Cup. A genuine reason to want to win the comp and a consistent international calender.

Been stated before and is obvious , only problem we sometimes have is teams fluctuations in quality due to heritage 

So a team can be win a comp with half a heritage squad who then decide if aren't available for the next one 

[Tonka]

1 hour ago, Bert1 said:

What’s the point in England playing hardly anyone turns up. Joke the attendance at Anfield.

Well if you went does that not answer your own question!?

[Bert1]

Just now, Tonka said:

Well if you went does that not answer your own question!?

My point was how could we not fill the stadiums in Liverpool and Hull. Something is wrong but who knows how to fix it.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Well if you went does that not answer your own question!?

I won't go to Anfield again, I am just about 6'-00" tall and the leg room in those seats must have been modelled from Snow Whites 7 mates, the most uncomfortable arena I have ever been in, and I have visired quite a few.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Bert1 said:

My point was how could we not fill the stadiums in Liverpool and Hull. Something is wrong but who knows how to fix it.

It won't get fixed by playing France Bert, they just don't offer as an attractive fixture. I lived less than a mile from the LSV for the last French fixture, when I saw the list of how many of the expected strongest French lads had pulled out, I think it was 11 or 12 who couldn't be bothered, I took the same respect and boycotted it myself.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

It won't get fixed by playing France Bert, they just don't offer as an attractive fixture. I lived less than a mile from the LSV for the last French fixture, when I saw the list of how many of the expected strongest French lads had pulled out, I think it was 11 or 12 who couldn't be bothered, I took the same respect and boycotted it myself.

We've had over 20k against France before. If it's an interesting competition, the public take interest. If the competition is the same team we've played about 20 times in the last 6 years, the public have seen it before.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Man of Kent said:

They’ll have a mix of English/Antipodean imports and French lads, of course. More French players will come through in due course, of course.

Let the flowers bloom, Harry, let the flowers bloom!

Because of its near 90 year history there is something to work on in France, 1000 times  more than over the Atlantic, there is a nucleus in France it needs tending and nourishing and it could grow, but it is only being fed with water at the moment it is limp and lacklustre, but who will do it.