France v Tonga

[Harry Stottle]

8 hours ago, gingerjon said:

We're obviously appealing to how to put on an international tournament in the most budget way possible.

It's going so stereotypically retro that I'm expecting the entertainment at Old Trafford for the final to be some guys with giant inflatable sumo wrestlers on the backs running at each other.

No chance Ginger, it would not be the same without Stuart Hall and Eddie Waring, good idea though it's far better than that music for the hard of thinking.

[Keith989]

The fact that teams are only getting one warm up game is an issue nobody is really talking about. No real chance for teams to test squad depth and try things before the World Cup. Everyone is going in cold. 

[Harry Stottle]

8 hours ago, gingerjon said:

Tonga v Cook Islands in Middlesbrough looks like being one of the hardest sells of the whole tournament.

A smart organisation might look at a World Cup warm up game as being an opportunity to drum up interest and build some momentum.

It's a long way from Halifax to Middlesbrough.

The same two competed at Leigh in the '13 WC, 12,000 crowd.

[Harry Stottle]

8 hours ago, gingerjon said:

I agree.

It is very revealing that the whole programme is now based on reaching only existing fans.

Yes the format seemed to work in '13 going to places such as Bath why change it?

[Scubby]

9 hours ago, gingerjon said:

We're obviously appealing to how to put on an international tournament in the most budget way possible.

It's going so stereotypically retro that I'm expecting the entertainment at Old Trafford for the final to be some guys with giant inflatable sumo wrestlers on the backs running at each other.

Hey, I liked the wrestlers. I was 10 at the time though 

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

Gone native quickly.

Was important to declare my interest. I will feel a lot happier paying a fiver or whatever  and going 2 miles up the for my 4yo to only watch for the Sipi Tau and ten minutes, than drive for an hour and pay full whack.

Other opinions are legitimate though.

[Just Browny]

1 hour ago, gingerjon said:

Gone native quickly.

Was important to declare my interest. I will feel a lot happier paying a fiver or whatever  and going 2 miles up the for my 4yo to only watch for the Sipi Tau and ten minutes, than drive for an hour and pay full whack.

Other opinions are legitimate though.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

The same two competed at Leigh in the '13 WC, 12,000 crowd.

10,554 crowd, still decent never the less.

[Jughead]

1 hour ago, Keith989 said:

The fact that teams are only getting one warm up game is an issue nobody is really talking about. No real chance for teams to test squad depth and try things before the World Cup. Everyone is going in cold. 

How many games do you want them to play?

[jim_57]

1 hour ago, Just Browny said:

Guys, it is a warm up game FFS, this is not a reason for an 'international rugby league is dead' thread. No teams are going to want to add to their existing travel requirements given the World Cup proper kicks off a week later. The teams involved have their opening games in Doncaster and St Helens so Halifax is a logical mid-point for a warm up.

And it's quite near my house so I will probably go.

Don’t agree. Tonga could fly in/out in a day, France will most likely remain based in France until a few days before their opening game anyway I would imagine. Really isn’t that much of a stretch to resources or logistics.

Plus it’s further dilution to selling  tickets for the WC. Sure we could play it off as “just a warm up”, give away tickets and hope nobody chooses this instead of a World Cup game. Or it could be hosted in France, promoted as a test match, aim for 10k somewhere like Toulouse or Avignon and give France a rare chance to host a quality Souther Hemisphere opponent ahead of the 25 WC.

[Damien]

7 hours ago, jim_57 said:

Not playing this in France makes absolutely zero sense. Did everyone forget they are hosting a World Cup in 3 years?

It would have been a great opportunity to start plugging RLWC 2025. France also played the US in 2013 in a warm up in Toulouse and the US had zero matches in France.

[Mr Frisky]

7 hours ago, nadera78 said:

Not just this tournament, but the entire sport. The fishing net is getting smaller and smaller.

Having returned to England fairly recently I had thought I'd pick up some tickets for the RLWC, make a weekend of it I suppose and fit in 2 or 3 fixtures, but I can't say I'm enthused by it in any way. The whole game - on the field, in the stands, on TV, on here - looks and feels moribund and this tournament just seems to embody that.

And now your here with your positivity and enthusiasm you will really help things kick on.....

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Harry Stottle said:

The same two competed at Leigh in the '13 WC, 12,000 crowd.

Apparently it would have been a bigger crowd that day but there were train strikes on.

[gingerjon]

26 minutes ago, Damien said:

10,554 crowd, still decent never the less.

Genuinely impressive. We had some excellent crowds in 2013.

A repeat of that crowd in Middlesbrough would represent a massive failure though.

[Scubby]

24 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Genuinely impressive. We had some excellent crowds in 2013.

A repeat of that crowd in Middlesbrough would represent a massive failure though.

Not likely, the RFL is retreating into its cost saving bunker as it did during the 2016 4N. It is the default behaviour and will result in some disappointments that could have been triumphs.

[Damien]

27 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Genuinely impressive. We had some excellent crowds in 2013.

A repeat of that crowd in Middlesbrough would represent a massive failure though.

It's just the fact it's a 35k stadium in Middlesborough for one of the less appetising fixtures. It would be an hard sell anywhere but even a 10k crowd in a 35k stadium doesn't look great.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Damien said:

It's just the fact it's a 35k stadium in Middlesborough for one of the less appetising fixtures. It would be an hard sell anywhere but even a 10k crowd in a 35k stadium doesn't look great.

I think Browny hit on something when talking about taking his four year old to see the Sipi Tau. That's absolutely the way to sell a fixture like that - on the basis of atmosphere, vibrancy and novelty.

[Harry Stottle]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

10,554 crowd, still decent never the less.

Aye but you are missing the 1,446 who got the freebies

[Keith989]

1 hour ago, Jughead said:

How many games do you want them to play?

Ideally at least three like in Union, its not like the teams have been together much since the last World cup either. I know that's not feasible, we're lucky to be getting one in neutral grounds. 

[Jughead]

49 minutes ago, Damien said:

It's just the fact it's a 35k stadium in Middlesborough for one of the less appetising fixtures. It would be an hard sell anywhere but even a 10k crowd in a 35k stadium doesn't look great.

A 10k attendance for that game in Middlesbrough would be pretty impressive but I get the point around the crowd size vs overall capacity. 

I don’t think anyone would begrudge freebies for kids and schools for this kind of game. The game at Doncaster that was supposed to be £1 and played in the middle of the afternoon wasn’t a bad idea but I don’t think it’s being carried into this year’s tournament. 

[Damien]

2 minutes ago, Jughead said:

A 10k attendance for that game in Middlesbrough would be pretty impressive but I get the point around the crowd size vs overall capacity. 

I don’t think anyone would begrudge freebies for kids and schools for this kind of game. The game at Doncaster that was supposed to be £1 and played in the middle of the afternoon wasn’t a bad idea but I don’t think it’s being carried into this year’s tournament. 

I agree and that was my point, and gingerjons, really. 10k in Leigh and a packed ground will be lauded. 10k in a 35k stadium wont be.

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

I agree and that was my point, and gingerjons, really. 10k in Leigh and a packed ground will be lauded. 10k in a 35k stadium wont be.

Middlesbrough in general seemed a strange choice of venue to me from the start, with no RL there and no plans for there to be (that I’ve heard about anyway). Cook Islands v PNG could have been held at a packed Workington and would have been great. 

Edited August 12, 2022 by Eddie

[crashmon]

Words fail me

Again, the RFL once again show us as a tinpot sport.  You would not see this in any other sport. Lebanon vs Tonga yes have it in England, but France ???????????

Again a mockery of International RL

Will be England be playing warm up games vs Wales and NZ in France when France host the WC I wonder?

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Might have a look at getting to this. Would love to see Tonga and there is a direct train from Hull to Halifax these days so won't be a problem getting across. 

[Eddie]

6 hours ago, jim_57 said:

Don’t agree. Tonga could fly in/out in a day, France will most likely remain based in France until a few days before their opening game anyway I would imagine. Really isn’t that much of a stretch to resources or logistics.

Plus it’s further dilution to selling  tickets for the WC. Sure we could play it off as “just a warm up”, give away tickets and hope nobody chooses this instead of a World Cup game. Or it could be hosted in France, promoted as a test match, aim for 10k somewhere like Toulouse or Avignon and give France a rare chance to host a quality Souther Hemisphere opponent ahead of the 25 WC.

I agree with your sentiment but Adam Pearson recently said it costs £40k for Hull to go to an away game in France, that would be an awful lot of money for the Tongan RL federation and is maybe the reason that they are playing it here.