Four Nations

[Mr Plow]

Australia, New Zealand, England and Tonga.

Why isn’t it happening and why was it scrapped?

[Man of Kent]

2 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

Australia, New Zealand, England and Tonga.

Why isn’t it happening and why was it scrapped?

Because the international game is more than four nations.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

20 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

Australia, New Zealand, England and Tonga.

Why isn’t it happening and why was it scrapped?

I think this has come up monthly this last year

We all love it. Non fans understand it. It is the way forward and should be an annual event... In England

RFL/NRL are you listening? 

[Damien]

The Four Nations was fine, as was the idea of replacing it. The trouble is that no proper schedule took its place.

[Mr Plow]

8 minutes ago, Damien said:

The Four Nations was fine, as was the idea of replacing it. The trouble is that no proper schedule took its place.

It actually works now as we have 4 strong competitive teams

[Damien]

27 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

It actually works now as we have 4 strong competitive teams

It worked before, it just gets repetitive if its done every year bar a World Cup year. Other nations need a chance too.

[Hela Wigmen]

With a World Cup, Four Nations and Ashes series lodged into the calendar over a four year period, won’t there be a potential worry over playing the same sides over and over again? I know we don’t exactly play a lot of International games right now but could we not go from under-playing to over-playing in one four year cycle? I’m just thinking back to what felt like Groundhog Day of series after series and game after game against New Zealand that has almost all blurred into one now and didn’t hold as much weight or demand as it did when we first started playing them. 

Looking back, we went from 23,526 at the KC in 2015 to 17,649 in 2018 at the same venue, which was our second game on our home soil after the narrowest of World Cup final defeats. We also went from 44,393 at the London Stadium to 35,569 in a year and the crowd at Anfield, the sixth game against New Zealand on UK soil and 7th in that same period, drew little over 26,000, only after a late push.

You could be looking at a similar number of games against the same opposition over a similar period and that’s not a good thing. 

Also, what about the Tier Two nations? While it was incredible that Ash Handley had been dragged off the beach to sit in the stands in Port Moresby and GB were a disgrace, Papua New Guinea are great to watch on their own patch, the Samoans are a difficult proposition and Fiji have shown vast improvement over the last couple of years. When do we play those sides? And if we’re not playing them, how do they get any better and create more nations of a similar standing? 

[Eddie]

I’d like to see a bi-annual four nations with second and third tier competitions with promotion and relegation between them. We have enough for 12 decent teams. I wouldn’t want any teams with all heritage players though, it would need to be > 50% homegrown. 
 

Obviously it’s pie in the sky and will never happen but would be good if it did. 

[Dunbar]

3 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

With a World Cup, Four Nations and Ashes series lodged into the calendar over a four year period, won’t there be a potential worry over playing the same sides over and over again? I know we don’t exactly play a lot of International games right now but could we not go from under-playing to over-playing in one four year cycle? I’m just thinking back to what felt like Groundhog Day of series after series and game after game against New Zealand that has almost all blurred into one now and didn’t hold as much weight or demand as it did when we first started playing them. 

Looking back, we went from 23,526 at the KC in 2015 to 17,649 in 2018 at the same venue, which was our second game on our home soil after the narrowest of World Cup final defeats. We also went from 44,393 at the London Stadium to 35,569 in a year and the crowd at Anfield, the sixth game against New Zealand on UK soil and 7th in that same period, drew little over 26,000, only after a late push.

You could be looking at a similar number of games against the same opposition over a similar period and that’s not a good thing. 

Also, what about the Tier Two nations? While it was incredible that Ash Handley had been dragged off the beach to sit in the stands in Port Moresby and GB were a disgrace, Papua New Guinea are great to watch on their own patch, the Samoans are a difficult proposition and Fiji have shown vast improvement over the last couple of years. When do we play those sides? And if we’re not playing them, how do they get any better and create more nations of a similar standing? 

While I agree playing developing nations is a really important part of the international calendar, I worry less about the overkill of international fixtures. 

Assuming we met Australia in the World Cup, twice in the 4 Nations (group and final) and the Ashes series then that is 6 games in 4 years.

If we didn't meet in the World Cup, once in the 4 Nations and Ashes... that is just 4 games in 4 years.

I could live with more than that.

[Eddie]

2 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

While I agree playing developing nations is a really important part of the international calendar, I worry less about the overkill of international fixtures. 

Assuming we met Australia in the World Cup, twice in the 4 Nations (group and final) and the Ashes series then that is 6 games in 4 years.

If we didn't meet in the World Cup, once in the 4 Nations and Ashes... that is just 4 games in 4 years.

I could live with more than that.

Trouble is the international games would need to take place the same weekend as top flight club games to fit it all in, like the do in Union, and the NRL would never allow it. 

[Dunbar]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Trouble is the international games would need to take place the same weekend as top flight club games to fit it all in, like the do in Union, and the NRL would never allow it. 

Why is that, they haven't before?

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

33 minutes ago, Damien said:

It worked before, it just gets repetitive if its done every year bar a World Cup year. Other nations need a chance too.

Six Nations is every year, that does alright 

[Damien]

Just now, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Six Nations is every year, that does alright 

They play other countries every year. We didn't.

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

The Rugby Championship is played every year, that does alright 

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

Why is that, they haven't before?

When would they happen then? After a long Super League season? 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

They play other countries every year. We didn't.

It’s disappointing Super League isn’t taking a break in June, as the NRL is for an international round.

The fact we don’t play enough international games isn’t a reason to scrap a successful tournament in the Four Nations.

[Eddie]

6 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Six Nations is every year, that does alright 

It’s also far bigger than their club game, and takes precedence over it, plus travel times are vastly different. 

[Damien]

1 minute ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

It’s disappointing Super League isn’t taking a break in June, as the NRL is for an international round.

The fact we don’t play enough international games isn’t a reason to scrap a successful tournament in the Four Nations.

You are now conflating different issues and arguments. It is disappointing all round that we don't have a league structure in both the NRL and Super League that allows for 3 mid season internationals.

[Dunbar]

6 minutes ago, Eddie said:

When would they happen then? After a long Super League season? 

I'm not sure what the problem is. We have had 4 Nations, World Cups and Ashes tours in recent years, why would the scheduling be an issue now?

[Eddie]

31 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I'm not sure what the problem is. We have had 4 Nations, World Cups and Ashes tours in recent years, why would the scheduling be an issue now?

When would the games be played and how often?

[Dunbar]

4 minutes ago, Eddie said:

When would the games be played and how often?

I was quoting a post that said "a World Cup, Four Nations and Ashes series lodged into the calendar over a four year period"

[Eddie]

12 minutes ago, Dunbar said:

I was quoting a post that said "a World Cup, Four Nations and Ashes series lodged into the calendar over a four year period"

Ok so every year after the NRL/SL season players would have to fly to the other side of the world for at least 4 weeks? I think that’s too much personally, great in principle and if the 4 teams were close together then great, but they’re not. 

[Hela Wigmen]

You ultimately need any change to the International game to have a buy in from both the NRL and Super League and while there’s many here who point the finger at the Australians, we’re a competition that is run by a sock puppet to the tune of our chairmen and their “needs” for certain guarantees a year, in the shape of x amount of home games. 

 

[Hela Wigmen]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Ok so every year after the NRL/SL season players would have to fly to the other side of the world for at least 4 weeks? I think that’s too much personally, great in principle and if the 4 teams were close together then great, but they’re not. 

This is also a good point. 

[Dunbar]

6 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Ok so every year after the NRL/SL season players would have to fly to the other side of the world for at least 4 weeks? I think that’s too much personally, great in principle and if the 4 teams were close together then great, but they’re not. 

Plenty of sportspeople commit far more time to international travel than 4 weeks a year.

Personally I don't think this is a big commitment at all for the benefit of the international game.