mid season test with France next year

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Think the best bet to get France competitive in a mid season game would be to have a a couple of blank weekends in the calendar. One week for a the fixture and another week for a rearranged game featuring Catalans and Toulouse (not necessarily against each other) so that they get a 2 week lead-up to the international and reduce potential dropouts.

That 2nd weekend could also be used for the team that competed in the WCC.

You could also have another international for England (v Wales?) or York's v Lancs (don't kill me!).

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Think the best bet to get France competitive in a mid season game would be to have a a couple of blank weekends in the calendar. One week for a the fixture and another week for a rearranged game featuring Catalans and Toulouse (not necessarily against each other) so that they get a 2 week lead-up to the international and reduce potential dropouts.

That 2nd weekend could also be used for the team that competed in the WCC.

You could also have another international for England (v Wales?) or York's v Lancs (don't kill me!).

I'd make Cumbria v England XIII (in Cumbria) an annual fixture. Decent crowd pretty much guaranteed, and a profile (and money) raiser for RL in an area that will almost certainly never again have an SL team.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

6 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

I'd make Cumbria v England XIII (in Cumbria) an annual fixture. Decent crowd pretty much guaranteed, and a profile (and money) raiser for RL in an area that will almost certainly never again have an SL team.

End of season?

What about a 4-way between Cumbria, Yorks, Lancs and South? Get 3 games then, and 2 with majority SL players.

[Archie Gordon]

6 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

End of season?

What about a 4-way between Cumbria, Yorks, Lancs and South? Get 3 games then, and 2 with majority SL players.

Not for this thread but I do think we need to explore some form of regional rugby as a means of supporting those regions that have RL going on but don't have a SL club - Cumbria, South Wales, North East, London (from 2025).

[gingerjon]

11 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

End of season?

Don't mind. And just a one-off.

Cumbria can then do what they like of course but it's worked in the past when we've done it and Cumbria seems to pull in a decent enough crowd to justify it.

[Odsal Outlaw]

I think France vs Wales mid season would be a good competitive annual fixture. But leaves the issue of who do England play. 

Personally I’d have a Euro Champ B competition at the end of each season for countries excluding England. Then the winner plays England the following mid season for the Euro Champ. It would at least give Euro countries a competitive comp and regular games and then ensures they test themselves against the best each summer - then gives England a game together before end of season vs SH team.

Edited November 1, 2023 by Odsal Outlaw

[JM2010]

8 minutes ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I think France vs Wales mid season would be a good competitive annual fixture. But leaves the issue of who do England play. 

Personally I’d have a Euro Champ B competition at the end of each season for countries excluding England. Then the winner plays England the following mid season for the Euro Champ. It would at least give Euro countries a competitive comp and regular games and then ensures they test themselves against the best each summer - then gives England a game together before end of season vs SH team.

I like this idea. Gives a the European nations in Euro B something to play for and also gives England a mid season game

[Big Picture]

3 hours ago, Odsal Outlaw said:

I think France vs Wales mid season would be a good competitive annual fixture. But leaves the issue of who do England play. 

Personally I’d have a Euro Champ B competition at the end of each season for countries excluding England. Then the winner plays England the following mid season for the Euro Champ. It would at least give Euro countries a competitive comp and regular games and then ensures they test themselves against the best each summer - then gives England a game together before end of season vs SH team.

When they did that last year, France won 34-10 and at that a Welsh score made the result closer than it would have been otherwise.