It's an interesting one. It's the one game I've stayed well away from as it just has no appeal at all. Surely it's a 40 point dead rubber from the kick off? Or am I doing Ireland an injustice?

How about England fans doing their bit Saddened???

This world cup is showing a whole host of people who like to watch RL and are not just assessing which games are of the theoretical quality for them to be bothered to turn up.

You know fans!

It's positive news, don't get me wrong. But the entertainment potential of games has to be a factor when money is a limiting factor. I would have thought the Hull game would have been the bigger draw in terms of the Northern group games for England as it has the potential at least to very competitive and potentially a banana skin for England. Fiji were very tidy at the last World Cup.

I get what you mean about money. But for us Lancastrians.

To see England you have a lengthy journey to South Wales. A 4-5 hour round trip to Hull.
Possible Wembley journey.

Or 1 hour to Huddersfield.

So for us, it's potentially barring quarter finals and the final, the closest England match. Add to that it's 5-20 minutes journey for most west yorkshire clubs. It's no surprise that it sold out as the most accessable English fixture in the heartlands.

Unless they went to a non-RL club, there was no where reasonably bigger to take it than Huddersfield.

I'm gonna stick a tenner on Ireland!