Think people might have to get use to it over the next few years if Leeds keep making Cup semi finals. Think I read something about the RFL wanting to avoid using the football/rugby grounds like Hudds and Wigan for the semis and just use the RL grounds like Langtree and the HJ for example.

This is the first time Hudds ground has gone 2 years without hosting at least one of the semis and both semis this year and last year were East vs West clashes and Headingley has gotten the nod this year ahead of Hudds for the first semi here since '99 I believe when London beat Cas. We obviously can't play at Headingley then it leaves very little options apart from travelling west if Hudds is a no-go. An all-Yorkshire tie might get Odsal or back down to Doncaster like a few years back but any East vs West clashes wouldn't really see those venues be top choice.

Good job the game wasn't tonight.
Tail back from Junction 29 to Junction 26 at 6.30.
Probably an hour delay before you even get to Ainley top and then into Lancashire.

Why did you go a day early?

Agree with you ref the Venue, some one has to travel and its luck of the draw as to who. I'm sure that the venues are chosen a long time before the semi-finalists are known, so again luck of the draw. But the timing is or should be completely in the control of the RFL. Too much influence given to the broadcasters IMO. Presumably the BBC are looking at whether Fridays yield better viewing figures than Saturday or Sunday, not sure they will in a meaningful way but it will ensure there are less people in the ground, tackling the M62 in either direction on a Friday evening is not for the faint hearted

Hudds wasn't used last year because it is sponsored by John Smiths while the cup was sponsored by Tetleys. I believe that neither sponsors wanted their respective brands to be associated with each other.

In 20 years of heading to Leeds away games leaving Leeds at between 1700 and 1800 to various Lancastrian venues only twice have I been significantly delayed, once in 2000 or so at Saints and then again heading to the same place in 2013. It is extremely rare and is no real excuse for all but a few Leeds fans not to turn out. Interestingly the club maintain that more tickets have been sold for tomorrow night to Leeds fans than were sold for last year's semi at Langtree Park which was a conventional Saturday afternoon kick off.

The BBC are one of the game's biggest sponsors and playing in prime time, even on a secondary channel, should ensure a larger than usual audience, which is good for the sport as a whole.

Couldn't remember which day it was to be honest.

Could not agree more with this. I have been travelling over from Manchester leaving at between 5.30 and 6.00 for most Leeds home games for nearly 10 years and I have never missed kick off or been close to missing kick off. Traffic on a Friday generally seems to be quieter plus it is School holidays so there is less rush hour traffic.

People always moan that the sport is not marketed properly. We then get an opportunity to play on terrestrial TV at prime time on a Friday night and guess what..... people moan!

I had a right old moan when the fixture date and venue was announced but in reality it is not that bad, if you really wanted to go then most people can make it possible.
A couple of weeks ago when we played Wigan I actually decided to go to the game at 6:15pm on the day of the game, I made it...
We need to make that Warrington South Stand like our HQ South Stand tonight. the lads need us.

Can't agree more with this.
Seems the Seats have sold reasonable well so we might be even more spread out in that Stand.

Lets get behind the lads tonight from the minute they step foot on that Pitch...I want another day out at Wembley!!

Where does this assumption come from that Friday night is "prime time TV"?

Look at the ratings that anything other than the big soaps (Emmerdale, Corrie, Eastenders) gets on a Friday night. They're down around the 1 million mark, for established shows that are on every week and have a regular audience.

Saturday and Sunday afternoons - when generally there's sod all else on particularly in summer - are your best chance of picking up casual viewers who aren't already fans of the sport. Isn't that what TV coverage is supposed to be about, attracting new fans to the game?

RL fans are used to watching it on TV on a friday night. ON a saturday / sunday afternoon there is a large proportion of people interested in RL who get involved with an amateur team, and would therefore not be watching

Hoping that Leeds can get the win and make it to Wembley for the final! Good luck lads www.nothingbutleague.com/2015/07 ... st-helens/

Hoping that Leeds can get the win and make it to Wembley for the final! Good luck lads www.nothingbutleague.com/2015/07 ... st-helens/

Every person involved in television, ever?

Maybe you should get in touch with the organisers of Children in Need and Red Nose Day and inform them that they're onto a loser having it in the graveyard slot of Friday night. Tell them to get it switched to Saturday afternoon at 3pm and I'm sure they'll make a ton more money.