International Break - June 18th/19th

[welshmagpie]

What would you like to see?

Fri: Ireland vs Scotland (Dublin)***

Sat: France vs England (Toulouse)*

Sat: Canada vs USA (Toronto)***

Sun: Wales vs Jamaica (Cardiff)**
 

* BBC coverage would be great again.

** Get S4C interested 

*** Time for IRL to launch their own YouTube page/streaming service. 

Edited November 14, 2021 by welshmagpie

[The Hallucinating Goose]

It's already been stated that England are playing the Combined Nations during the international break. 

[Whippet13]

11 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

It's already been stated that England are playing the Combined Nations during the international break. 

They are, and the BBC won't go anywhere near it.....I don't blame them either.

[Whippet13]

I'd Iike to see an International Magic-Bash style event on a single day as a World Cup promotional tool. Hold it at Headingley with Jamaica v Ireland, Wales v Scotland and England v France. Have a womens event the day before or after at the same stadium with a single ticket price covering both days. Half price to season ticket holders in any pro league as with Magic, or clubs keep the proceeds of any tickets they sell. Offer it all to the BBC for free and I'm pretty sure they'd be interested, red button at least. Call it the World Cup Skirmish, Rugby League 6 Nations or similar and ask one of the WC commercial partners if they'd like to sponsor it. Spend 6 months promoting it. Do it all again in 2023.

Edited November 14, 2021 by Whippet13

[DC77]

It occurred to me while watching the Ire vs NZ match (tbh it’s rare that I watch RU now, but as it was against NZ i did) that there really is no chance for RL to gain any traction in nations where RU is established (and vice versa with RL, namely Aus). Seeing the scenes at full time, the spot for a collision based game that involves throwing an oval ball backwards is taken. There’s not much of a crossover in interest between them, so the view that “whoever establishes itself first becomes the popular one” that Tony Collins spoke about definitely applies to the rugby codes. They are almost too similar to follow both...one cannot exist where the other exists. They are essentially eating from the same trough. There isn’t the contrast that other sports have with each other so as not to take up the same footprint. 

Eating from the same trough is what made Wales a RU nation, as they continually beat  an England team that had been weakened after the Northern Union was formed and had taken away half the England players. As Tony Collins states, the creation of English RL inadvertently strengthened Welsh RU, giving the Welsh something to celebrate. Had Wales kept losing (which they would have done), they don’t get the same foothold in Wales.

In relation to this, what really gives RL no chance is RU’s smallness in that the nations that play RU will always be competitive as so few play it. Nine nations (max) do to any real degree, so automatically your nation is in a quarterfinal of a RUWC (unless you are the odd one out), so it has a national prominence without having to do much. Scotland can just about put out a XV (and rely heavily on two clubs sides to do so), it’s the bare bones of a set up, and yet they can beat the Aussies for the third time in a row. Comparatively speaking the Scottish football team is more talented than their Union team but because they face much sterner and greater number of opposition they struggle to qualify for a tournament never mind be in the quarterfinals of one. Wales are in the same boat...from Rush to Giggs to Bale, they’ve had world class footballers who have never played in a World Cup, yet their Rugby side is in the last eight of a tournament without having to do a thing. This easy (instant) pathway for the RU teams in tournaments means their profile will always be high, it’s nigh on impossible for it to slip. They always sit at the top table in RU as it’s a small table, making it mission impossible for a code that eats from the same trough.

[Damien]

I'd be happy enough with what welshmagpie proposes. We know we won't get it though and it will be the contrived combined nations game again.

[Tom Moore]

12 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

What would you like to see?

Fri: Ireland vs Scotland (Dublin)***

Sat: France vs England (Toulouse)*

Sat: Canada vs USA (Toronto)***

Sun: Wales vs Jamaica (Cardiff)**
 

* BBC coverage would be great again.

** Get S4C interested 

*** Time for IRL to launch their own YouTube page/streaming service. 

Channel 4 have Ireland's Autumn Internationals in Union, wonder if they might be interested in picking the League games up too? 

[gingerjon]

12 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

What would you like to see?

Fri: Ireland vs Scotland (Dublin)***

Sat: France vs England (Toulouse)*

Sat: Canada vs USA (Toronto)***

Sun: Wales vs Jamaica (Cardiff)**
 

* BBC coverage would be great again.

** Get S4C interested 

*** Time for IRL to launch their own YouTube page/streaming service. 

I think a realistic aim from that list should be for Wales to have a credible match (double header with a women's international perhaps) and S4C or BBC Red Button coverage.

We already know England are playing their made up opponents.

[Phil W]

There isn't enough put on internationals in rugby league. One weekend for fixtures shows that.

A strong international game would boost rugby league without a shadow. I'd like to see England go to Cardiff, Dublin and Edinburgh as one thing that everyone likes is rivalry. Anything advertised as Wales, Ireland or Scotland against England would create a buzz.

They have to try it as a game against an all star team is more like a warm up game.

[ShropshireBull]

If England dont want to play real nations we shouldnt be surprised that they dont grow.  Autumn ru int are going to be behind the paywall forever so as long as we exploit that FTA market going forward it will be progress.  

Would rather have Eng or France take a weakened team and go batter the USA or Canada to not forget the game over there tbh. 

[Scubby]

France v England is a no brainer and the Combined Nations makes no sense at all in terms of promoting a World Cup. 

• France v England (men)
• France v England (women)
• France v England wheelchair

Live on the BBC. How bloody difficult is that? Play it in Avignon or even London. FFS we really do not know how to build an international brand and promote international sport.

[ShropshireBull]

1 hour ago, Scubby said:

France v England is a no brainer and the Combined Nations makes no sense at all in terms of promoting a World Cup. 

• France v England (men)
• France v England (women)
• France v England wheelchair

Live on the BBC. How bloody difficult is that? Play it in Avignon or even London. FFS we really do not know how to build an international brand and promote international sport.

It why I hate us sometimes, we do the crappiest version of something possible and then say "Internationals don´t work". Much easier than admitting some people aren´t good enough for their position. 

[wilsontown]

I don't personally have any problem with England playing a combined nations team, but it absolutely should not be happening instead of us playing France.

[Pipedream]

We should be playing France and Wales every year same time of year every year, drop the loop fixturs and make it happen. 

 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

On 14/11/2021 at 20:06, welshmagpie said:

What would you like to see?

Fri: Ireland vs Scotland (Dublin)***

Sat: France vs England (Toulouse)*

Sat: Canada vs USA (Toronto)***

Sun: Wales vs Jamaica (Cardiff)**

Presuming England v All Stars is already fixed in, the main thing for me is for all  European World Cup Teams to play a game. England Knights should play France imo, it’d be a close game and France would actually have a chance of beating an English Rep side which could really get the country behind the National Team in a World Cup year.

Engalnd v All Stars Totally Wicked Stadium St Helens

France v England Knights Toulouse 

Wales v Ireland Eirias Stadium Colwyn Bay

Jamaica v Scotland Headingley Stadium Leeds

Serbia v Greece Belgrade 

[Barley Mow]

15 minutes ago, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Presuming England v All Stars is already fixed in, the main thing for me is for all  European World Cup Teams to play a game. England Knights should play France imo, it’d be a close game and France would actually have a chance of beating an English Rep side which could really get the country behind the National Team in a World Cup year.

Engalnd v All Stars Totally Wicked Stadium St Helens

France v England Knights Toulouse 

Wales v Ireland Eirias Stadium Colwyn Bay

Jamaica v Scotland Headingley Stadium Leeds

Serbia v Greece Belgrade 

If you're giving all the European WC teams a match, Serbia didn't qualify, Italy did.

[fearnowt]

On 14/11/2021 at 20:06, welshmagpie said:

What would you like to see?

Wales v anyone, anywhere in Wales.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Barley Mow said:

If you're giving all the European WC teams a match, Serbia didn't qualify, Italy did.

The Serbian team is made up of Serbs rather than Aussies, much more worthy of the IRL’s support. 

[Eddie]

If England were playing the combined nations in the park near us I still wouldn’t bother going. Can’t understand why it’s not France. 

[Barley Mow]

52 minutes ago, Eddie said:

The Serbian team is made up of Serbs rather than Aussies, much more worthy of the IRL’s support. 

Yes, I had assumed that was the reason for the suggested fixture, it just didn't fit in with the premise of "all  European World Cup Teams to play a game".

Aren't a lot of the Greek team based in Australia as well?

Edited November 16, 2021 by Barley Mow

[Saint Toppy]

21 hours ago, wilsontown said:

I don't personally have any problem with England playing a combined nations team, but it absolutely should not be happening instead of us playing France.

Why ???

Even though the England team will be a weakened one with no NRL players available for selection its Wane's last chance to play a game and get an understanding of his WC squad. The friendly just before the tournament starts will be too late for that. Having a free weekend at least removes any restrictions on player selection in terms of player numbers from individual clubs and also stops players pulling out

Like it or not the All-stars team will provide a much sterner challenge for England than France would and allow Wane to see who is likely to be able to step up for a WC spot and who isn't. Its more than likely that Wane asked the RFL to play the all-stars again and not France as opposition.

France isn't going to progress out of the group stages in the WC so they should focus on playing a team much nearer their level like Wales or Ireland. A hard fought game where they're likely to pick up a win will give them a much bigger boost than another loss to England.

 

[Eddie]

29 minutes ago, Barley Mow said:

Yes, I had assumed that was the reason for the suggested fixture, it just didn't fit in with the premise of "all  European World Cup Teams to play a game".

Aren't a lot of the Greek team based in Australia as well?

At the WC maybe, but they do have domestic players in the squad too, and a domestic comp, Italy don’t. 

[welshmagpie]

2 hours ago, fearnowt said:

Wales v anyone, anywhere in Wales.

And multiply that by at least 2 or 3 

[Sir Kevin Sinfield]

3 hours ago, Barley Mow said:

If you're giving all the European WC teams a match, Serbia didn't qualify, Italy did.

Yes but I imagine the vast majority of their World Cup squad will be based down under. 

[ShropshireBull]

On 16/11/2021 at 10:10, Sir Kevin Sinfield said:

Presuming England v All Stars is already fixed in, the main thing for me is for all  European World Cup Teams to play a game. England Knights should play France imo, it’d be a close game and France would actually have a chance of beating an English Rep side which could really get the country behind the National Team in a World Cup year.

Engalnd v All Stars Totally Wicked Stadium St Helens

France v England Knights Toulouse 

Wales v Ireland Eirias Stadium Colwyn Bay

Jamaica v Scotland Headingley Stadium Leeds

Serbia v Greece Belgrade 

Noone is going to watch England´s b team play France. We need to give it a rest with putting out the worst product possible then criticising people for not watching. England vs France in France would have been ideal. After the World Cup I hope that France vs England in France is the annual fixture, at a minimum.