BRING THE CHALLENGE CUP FINAL BACK TO THE NORTH
Congratulations to both Wigan and Huddersfield for providing a wonderful advertisement for our game in the Challenge Cup Final.
It was a tremendous game for neutrals, containing all the drama that makes Rugby League the most compelling spectator sport in the world.
But a cautionary note! The RFL insists that one of the two most prestigious competitions in the game must be played somewhere in the capital. Over decades I’ve listened to the tired old arguments that, to be a truly national game, Rugby League should be played at club level and internationally in London.
Well, that went well, didn’t it? Rugby League is awash with youngsters playing the game on Hackney Marshes, and public schoolboys at Eton are always keen to get down to Castleford Lock Lane. Apparently, the butties are brilliant and very cheap.
We don’t have a national stadium like Twickenham, nor the financial resources to revamp Odsal into an arena worthy of staging our most important games.
But there are perfectly acceptable venues in the North that don’t burn a hole in the pockets of financially strapped Rugby League fans. One Mailbag correspondent, Dave Hardaker, rightly expressed his dismay at the inflated beer prices at the new White Hart Lane. This is discounting the time, the expense and inconvenience of travelling from Hull to the capital to take in what is a signal occasion in the Rugby League calendar.
It’s The Cup, the chalice of memories. Dave Hardaker went down to make memories. But instead he was ripped off at the bar by people on the make.
Aren’t there enough football grounds in the North to accommodate speccies who wish to enjoy the Challenge Cup without feeling they’ve been had?
Railway networks in the North are (even now) adequate to ensure that people get to the ground on time and get home the same day, which is a very important consideration for families travelling with small children. Food and drink is also cheaper up here and ditto accommodation for those wishing to make a weekend of it.
Most importantly, every penny spent at a Cup Final contributes to the economy of the North. And speaking personally, I’d rather put money behind a bar in Wigan than somewhere in Slough. And I certainly do not support Wigan.
Forgive me if I seem anti-southern. I’m far from that and applaud the hard work that those who love Rugby League down there are doing.
I’m all for the expansion of The Greatest Game, from Cornwall, to Wales, to London, to Ireland and beyond. But I think that it may be a while until we see The Skolars and The Pirates in a final, as heart-warming as that may be.
So why not invite those who are not from the heartlands to our territory for the finals of our competitions? They could find themselves at such fabled stadia as Elland Road, Old Trafford or even Anfield (grrr!). They’d also learn a lot about the soul of Rugby League, the working-class communities of which the game is the lifeblood and how proud we are to call it “our game”.
We don’t need to go to London and be grateful for our day in the sun. Rugby League and Rugby League people are better than that.
So let the sun come to us for a change. The beer is bound to be cheaper and those unused to Northern culture might be very pleasantly surprised. It kills me that a weekend in Perpignan to follow my hometown club is still cheaper than going to London for the Cup.
Something is very wrong and it needs to change.
Mickey Devlin, Warrington
UNLUCKY KEN
I feel so sorry for Ken Davy, the Huddersfield Chairman, who has put such a lot into Rugby League.
His dream of winning the Challenge Cup was shattered by James Child’s handling of the game, not punishing Morgan Smithies for two high tackles that subsequently saw him suspended for four matches by the RFL Disciplinary Committee.
How unlucky can you be?
Reg Jackson, Hull
LET’S HAVE A 14-TEAM SUPER LEAGUE
With two dominant teams in the Championship and Toulouse finding their feet, may I suggest that Toulouse or any other team are not relegated and that both Leigh and Featherstone are promoted.
This will provide a 14-team Super League, with 26 fixtures and one Magic match, to eliminate loop fixtures.
Although the three teams may struggle at first, they will play each other and have a good chance of winning some matches.
David Ramsden, Bournemouth
PROMOTION WOES
Two articles in last week’s League Express caught my eye, particularly in view of the future involvement of IMG in shaping the future of the game.
Garry Schofield’s often-quoted views on Toulouse’s inability to attract new Super League standard players, which just echoes the problems of all other promoted teams such as Leigh and London.
Following that, the always interesting interviews by Richard de la Riviere, specifically that with Neil Turley. I’m particularly referring to Neil’s reply to the question, “Why did Leigh fail to make an impression on Super League in 2005?”
In reply, Neil quoted, amongst other things, the very limited timescale between being certain they are being promoted and the start of the next season. Given that they are competing against clubs that have in some cases spent many years building up their squads. All decent players, in both hemispheres, are contracted and not available to be transferred.
As Leigh subsequently found twice, being promoted is a poisoned chalice. Maybe Featherstone and Leigh might be in with a chance of surviving as they seem to be building strong Super League standard squads, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Garry, if you have a cunning plan of how to get over this problem, I’m sure Toulouse would be very interested in hearing it. I have never been sold on the idea that promotion and relegation is the be all and end all of Rugby League’s problems. It sounds great in principle, but not in practice.
Of course, the other Super League clubs love the idea, especially the weaker ones.
As they see it, they have four points in the bag and the promoted team will continue to be their whipping boys.
So the RFL and IMG have a very fundamental issue to resolve, one that hasn’t improved things since the days of the franchise system.
Mike Bardill, Warrington
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Some comments and ideas about the future structure of Rugby League were talked about in last week’s League Express, none of which made all that much sense.
Simplicity is the best way to go.
For example, make Super League a 14-team league, the Championship a 14-team league, and then promote some amateur teams to make up 14 teams in League One.
Having done that, all the teams in all the leagues would play each team in their league home and away (26 matches) with the Challenge Cup being the only extra games.
Then, at the end of the season, the team at the top of each league will be the champions of that league, while the bottom two in each league will be relegated and the top two in the Championship and League One to be promoted.
It is long past the time we had some stability and consistency in the game, instead of the chaos that we have had in the last few years, with Sky TV changing the fixtures to suit themselves with no thought given to the fans.
What’s simple and easy is the best. Take note, IMG!
Graham Dawson, Castleford
ORIGIN DELIGHT
I was very pleased to see Queensland win the opening State of Origin game in front of a full house at Sydney’s Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.
I was particularly pleased for Queensland’s new coach Billy Slater, who was probably my favourite player when he played the game.
Apart from the game itself, which was magnificent, I thought the presentation of the match, with a superb light show, was outstanding. It made it seem like a very big event indeed.
I am sure the World Cup administrators will have been watching and, I hope, taking notes on how to present a big game.
Ian Smith, Darlington
DODGY TIPPING
As much as I look forward to reading Garry Schofield’s column every week, he must be the world’s worst tipster.
Last week, he got one out of six correct and that was top against bottom. Hardly a surprise, and even that was by only half the margin he predicted. I hope he doesn’t bet on his own tips.
Graham Wordsworth, Leeds
MAURICE AND WIGAN
How come none of the media has mentioned that when Wigan were flirting with relegation in 2006, Maurice Lindsay cheated and bust the salary cap with mid-season signings from Bradford, which later they were fined for?
Dave Whelan gave up his ownership of the club and Maurice resigned.
Michael Leather, Warrington
RHINOS AND TIGERS – DOES PHIL KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?
Yet again we heard some remarkable comments made by Phil Clarke about the Rhinos, who (he stated during their game against Warrington), other Super League teams would now be “wary of playing.” And let’s be fair, they did destroy Warrington. But with all due respect, I could find a team from my local club to beat them (given the way they are performing at present).
And yet, although all the other teams Leeds have beaten have been in the bottom six (as are my team Castleford), last week on Sky Sports, Phil Clarke said we (Castleford) were “fortunate to be where we are”.
Considering the teams we have played and beaten, in what way are Leeds are now “becoming a team to be wary of”, while my team is just “fortunate”? No bias there at all, is there?
Mark Holmes, Castleford
