An Ashes Tour Itinerary For A New Era

[Sports Prophet]

In 18 months the first Ashes series since 2003 is due in Australia. Just 18 months time. This is a series which really wants confirmed in the calendar urgently. These tours are not cheap for touring supporters and a set calendar I would suggest is vital in getting the highest number of travelling fans.

I would love to see SL finish two or three weeks earlier than normal to accomodate a tour to remember including non Test matches in the schedule.

WA v England: Sunday 5th Oct (tie in with an NRL GF event on the big screens afterwards) Perth

NSW Residents v England: Sat 11th Oct Newcastle

Indigenous v England: Sat 18th Oct Canberra

1st Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 25/26 Oct Melbourne

2nd Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 1/2 Nov Sydney

3rd Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 8/9 Nov Brisbane

Who else has some creative tours schedules they would love to see?

[Sports Prophet]

The reality is, there would need to be a suitable turnout for the warm up matches to make a tour of this length, with the required squad size financially viable.

Could mid week fixtures fit in? 

Could England play the full NSW or Qld side on the tour as well?

[Eddie]

Three tests against Australia would be enough for me, I wouldn’t want to see SL shortened so England could play some tin pot matches that nobody over there or here cared about. Times have changed since that used to happen (eg I saw Sheffield Eagles v Australia around 1994 or 95, it would be crazy to do that now the game is so professional). 

Edited April 18 by Eddie

[The Hallucinating Goose]

I'm with @Eddie on this. Let's just have a solid test series against Australia and see England actually play at least some games. With how the international game is on its rear end these days it would be good just to see a few well attended, solid tests, rather than a load of empty stadiums, potentially blow out scorelines in games no one is interested in that make the international game look even more of a joke. 

[Lowdesert]

Interesting to hear the views of Peter Sterling and Steve Roach on one of James Grahams videos on RL tours.  Worth a watch.

[Pulga]

Plus the real possibility of one or more of the "warm-up" matches being lost by England would do more harm than good.

[Anita Bath]

Wouldnt a warm up game provide the opportunity of getting ready for the test series as opposed to going straight into tests without the team having played together?

 

[NRLandSL]

22 minutes ago, Pulga said:

Plus the real possibility of one or more of the "warm-up" matches being lost by England would do more harm than good.

England wouldn’t lose to any of those 3 teams in a million years. Indigenous side could be somewhat competitive but will still likely be 50-60 points+. 

[sam4731]

I imagine given the time frame of the confirmation for this year's internationals, we'll get about 2 weeks notice of the first test which will serve as a curtain raiser for Ipswich Jets vs Mackay Cutters.

[NRLandSL]

2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

In 18 months the first Ashes series since 2003 is due in Australia. Just 18 months time. This is a series which really wants confirmed in the calendar urgently. These tours are not cheap for touring supporters and a set calendar I would suggest is vital in getting the highest number of travelling fans.

I would love to see SL finish two or three weeks earlier than normal to accomodate a tour to remember including non Test matches in the schedule.

WA v England: Sunday 5th Oct (tie in with an NRL GF event on the big screens afterwards) Perth

NSW Residents v England: Sat 11th Oct Newcastle

Indigenous v England: Sat 18th Oct Canberra

1st Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 25/26 Oct Melbourne

2nd Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 1/2 Nov Sydney

3rd Test Australia v England: Sat/Sun 8/9 Nov Brisbane

Who else has some creative tours schedules they would love to see?

Western Australia and even NSW residents against England, seriously? Why would you put a team of amateur players against some of the best in the world. It’s like putting Cornwall to play Penrith or Wigan. Completely pointless matches with no contest at all.

[Dave T]

I'd like to see a schedule with these games in advance of the Ashes. 

In terms of who, I think the key point is to make the fixtures as commercially viable as possible. I'm not a fan of made up teams being pulled together so ideally teams with some meaning, we do have a few international teams there so ideally the odd Test match in advance would be good. 

In terms of losing warm up games, it's not a big issue imo. In 1988 we lost 3 games in Oz and in 1992 we lost against Parramatta. Interesting to note that we started both of those tours in PNG, so maybe that is an option, it feels like PNG have earned a game, particularly after beating GB last time they played. 

[marklaspalmas]

Come on, I can't be the only one.

Burleigh Bears.

Will no-one think of the Burleigh Bears?

[RP London]

I would just like to see the 3 tests actually go ahead, at the moment I have very little faith that this "tour" will actually happen.. and it could collapse from either side.

[glossop saint]

36 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I'd like to see a schedule with these games in advance of the Ashes. 

In terms of who, I think the key point is to make the fixtures as commercially viable as possible. I'm not a fan of made up teams being pulled together so ideally teams with some meaning, we do have a few international teams there so ideally the odd Test match in advance would be good. 

In terms of losing warm up games, it's not a big issue imo. In 1988 we lost 3 games in Oz and in 1992 we lost against Parramatta. Interesting to note that we started both of those tours in PNG, so maybe that is an option, it feels like PNG have earned a game, particularly after beating GB last time they played. 

For me then the only 'warm up' game has to be against PNG. 

[Anita Bath]

34 minutes ago, marklaspalmas said:

Come on, I can't be the only one.

Burleigh Bears.

Will no-one think of the Burleigh Bears?

Or maybe the Helensvale Hornets

[Lowdesert]

2 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

England wouldn’t lose to any of those 3 teams in a million years. Indigenous side could be somewhat competitive but will still likely be 50-60 points+. 

Toowomba have beaten GB a few times.  

[Lowdesert]

1 hour ago, RP London said:

I would just like to see the 3 tests actually go ahead, at the moment I have very little faith that this "tour" will actually happen.. and it could collapse from either side.

It makes you wonder how we managed touring nearly 3 months!

[Sports Prophet]

3 hours ago, Anita Bath said:

Wouldnt a warm up game provide the opportunity of getting ready for the test series as opposed to going straight into tests without the team having played together?

 

Yeah, I thought some warm up matches would be valuable for the team to get prepared. Certainly against those opponents.

2 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

Western Australia and even NSW residents against England, seriously? Why would you put a team of amateur players against some of the best in the world. It’s like putting Cornwall to play Penrith or Wigan. Completely pointless matches with no contest at all.

WA may be a stretch, but you could look to expand it to be a rep team with a mix of ex-residents (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRL_Western_Australia shows there are a few names who could drop in). The date I suggested for this match may even mean that England set off same weekend as say SL GF is on and as such England would be missing some of their best players for that opening tour match.

NSW Residents would be the best of the NSW Cup. A team which probably would have beaten at least half of the teams which competed in the 2022 RLWC. They would be easy good enough to give the English team a good challenge, without challenging for the win.

The way I see it also, a few warm up matches for England to not only prepare themselves, but also get some good strong wins on the board and warm up the public about an England team looking ready to take it to the Kangaroos after a few impressive warm up victories.

If anything, I feel like a simple three match series isn’t telling enough of a story and will struggle to capture the imagination to get a bursting crowd for game 1.

Edited April 18 by Sports Prophet

[Sports Prophet]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I'd like to see a schedule with these games in advance of the Ashes. 

In terms of who, I think the key point is to make the fixtures as commercially viable as possible. I'm not a fan of made up teams being pulled together so ideally teams with some meaning, we do have a few international teams there so ideally the odd Test match in advance would be good. 

In terms of losing warm up games, it's not a big issue imo. In 1988 we lost 3 games in Oz and in 1992 we lost against Parramatta. Interesting to note that we started both of those tours in PNG, so maybe that is an option, it feels like PNG have earned a game, particularly after beating GB last time they played. 

I did consider other internationals, but then I thought that sits outside the definition of an Ashes Tour. I think the theme needs to remain Australian.

Tours against various nations can perhaps be fore the GB brand, which I still feel can regain some relevence. In fact, it should still be very much the objective of NH RL to have a team like GB&I including players of an elite standard from Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as England. If not now, certainly a future objective.

[Dave T]

1 hour ago, glossop saint said:

For me then the only 'warm up' game has to be against PNG. 

I think at least one additional game in Oz to further acclimatise would be helpful. 

[Dave T]

17 minutes ago, Sports Prophet said:

I did consider other internationals, but then I thought that sits outside the definition of an Ashes Tour. I think the theme needs to remain Australian.

Tours against various nations can perhaps be fore the GB brand, which I still feel can regain some relevence. In fact, it should still be very much the objective of NH RL to have a team like GB&I including players of an elite standard from Ireland, Scotland and Wales as well as England. If not now, certainly a future objective.

I'm OK with it because Ashes tours have always had games against other nations (PNG and NZ). I think if we were going to persist with GB Lions then it is them who should be partaking in this tour. 

[NRLandSL]

1 hour ago, Lowdesert said:

Toowomba have beaten GB a few times.  

Hunslet, Albi, Workington and many many more bottom teams in Europe have defeated Australia plenty times aswell. Times have changed though and the gap between the best professional players in the world and amateur and semi pro players is incredibly large now.

[NRLandSL]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

Yeah, I thought some warm up matches would be valuable for the team to get prepared. Certainly against those opponents.

WA may be a stretch, but you could look to expand it to be a rep team with a mix of ex-residents (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NRL_Western_Australia shows there are a few names who could drop in). The date I suggested for this match may even mean that England set off same weekend as say SL GF is on and as such England would be missing some of their best players for that opening tour match.

NSW Residents would be the best of the NSW Cup. A team which probably would have beaten at least half of the teams which competed in the 2022 RLWC. They would be easy good enough to give the English team a good challenge, without challenging for the win.

The way I see it also, a few warm up matches for England to not only prepare themselves, but also get some good strong wins on the board and warm up the public about an England team looking ready to take it to the Kangaroos after a few impressive warm up victories.

If anything, I feel like a simple three match series isn’t telling enough of a story and will struggle to capture the imagination to get a bursting crowd for game 1.

A test against PNG or Fiji as a warm up match would be much better than those fixtures.

[17 stone giant]

3 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

A test against PNG or Fiji as a warm up match would be much better than those fixtures.

I agree.

So, PNG in Port Moresby, Fiji in Perth?

Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne for the ashes tests?

Personally I would also play a home game against France before touring, similar to what the RU Lions now do. I think it's a great way of publicising the forthcoming tour.

 

 

 

[Sports Prophet]

3 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

A test against PNG or Fiji as a warm up match would be much better than those fixtures.

See my earlier comments. I believe that would better suit the realm of a B&I Lions tour (Aus, NZ, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and PNG).

I believe an Ashes Tour should be an Australian tour against Australian sides.