Yup.

But there's absolutely zero evidence that the RWC scheduling was done in any way to damage or detract from the GF.

Convenient though eh.

But so what.

I'd be amazed if the SL Grand Final even featured in the thinking of the organising committee when allocating venues. They would have wanted one England game in the north so they can give the impression of it being a "national" tournament, which immediately limits your choice of potential venues on size grounds. The Uruguay game is the only one you could conceivably take "on the road", so you're looking for a 50,000-plus capacity stadium in the north of England available on the second week of October and with a playing area big enough to accommodate a full size rugby pitch.

Realistically, once Old Trafford was available either the Etihad or St James's Park become the only two viable options.

Just playing devils advocate.......

I'm sorry but the RWC schedule wasn't dreamt up one afternoon in the members bar a Twickers. There would have been draft schedules with alternative proposals for key dates. All these would have been submitted to the various statutory consultants and, at which point, it would have become very clear that there was a clear clash with the GF. Your point about the size of the stadiums is very valid, the timing of the game is something more interesting. Personally, I think they were forced down that route due to other fixture conundrums but to suggest that they would be unaware of the RL GF is simply not believable.

You're right. It's not like they approached Old Trafford first and were told it wasn't available due to the SL Grand Final taking place...
A game that's been held in that stadium, around this time of the month for the last 17 years.

The RWC committee wouldn't have given it a second thought

Well it would obviously have been one of the first things to be apparent when Old Trafford pulled out. And with the planning and police involvement, travel, etc etc etc it's not like they could be planned on the same day on accident.

Personally I think it might backfire a little a better attended, closely fought GF up against an at best boring one sided game and as a game we should look at it as a challenge to make it the biggest and best grand final ever. This year should have been a big one. If anything it should have been THE big one. No cheap tickets, all premium tickets. 1 year where we really really go for it, massive pyrotechnics, a really big band massive fan park etc. Even if we made a loss on it this year it was a chance to change the paradigm.

As it is we are left with knock down Nigel wondering why his new wonder structure hadn't had them flocking and dusting off his £5 ticket and a free beanie hat offers.

Just one kn*b head writing a few lines in the Wail online. I hardly think that's something to be surprised at, imagine it was written on the VT, just one more psychiatric patient with access to the internet and a keyboard.

So we're agreed that they wanted a game that weekend in one of the biggest cities in England outside London, and having been rebuffed for their first choice of venue found another one which suited their needs?

I am glad.

The first they would have been made aware of the GF date is when Old Trafford turned them down. AFAIK the 2015 SL Grand Final date wouldn't have been public knowledge in early 2014.

So having decided they quite fancied a game in the north only to find their first choice unavailable, why wouldn't they go to the next best alternative?

The question posed is whether or not they had sufficient knowledge to avoid the GF. I think they did and took a calculated risk that they could get using the Etihad on the same day past the police. That they took that decision is, in my opinion, a demonstration of their lack of foresight. It COULD also be argued that they made that decision with some malice.

It could, but you'd have to be an idiot to think that the IRB organised one of the biggest sporting tournaments in the world in such a way as to "damage" an insignificant (in both national and global terms) sport such as RL.

I don't see anyone suggesting that the Ireland-Italy game on Sunday has been scheduled for the Olympic Stadium specifically to clash with the NFL game at Wembley.

Dead Rubber at the Etihad Stadium it is then. That was an England build up followed by an epic collapse and exit that our Footballers would be pushed to beat. I have to admit that I'm gutted, didn't think we'd win, but didn't expect us to be dumped out of our home World Cup at the first cut. Big Sam Come back to where your phenomenal talent would be both appreciated and used, turn away from the dark side.