But it is.

Like it or not the NRL is a different class to super league.

You find rolling eyes because you making a sweeping general statement and qualify it as 'the simple truth'. Where are the facts, or even anecdotal evidence to back up your confident opinion?

It is my opinion, based on being a northerner living in London and having worked for several large companies populated by mostly football and RU supporting colleagues, that there is a high level of SOO outside of general RL fans. Many people I know are aware of the legend of that particular game, and I would bargin are more aware of it than international RL outside of the RL World Cup.

It's my opinion that this would build on the WC, and continue the work of building a southern audience which is essential for the game to survive and attract sponsors.

But of course you must be right and it's not worth trying, because you present your factless based opinion as THE TRUTH...

I just cannot believe the stupidly of some of the "rent a northern chip on your shoulder brigade". SOO at WEMBLEY and HEAVILY MARKETED would sell out in minutes. I don't give a love if people up north can't be ar$ed, and I could not give a fig if you feel it takes £ out of our game, because I think it will drag in more long term £'s than we could ever hope to pull in on our own.

Why is it so few people associated with our game can see long term? From fans to chairman, to administrators... Never more than a week or two ahead. Short term solutions of the past are why the game is in the SHoneT. Not the NRL being better than us, they play the long game, they do not chop and change, they are consistent ... Like every other wealthy and world wide sport. We chuck the baby out of the bath every year or two. Licensing...no good. World Cup now ever 3 years, back to P&R. For goodness sake make your minds up and bloody stick with it for years and years.

As for making it a double header, love off! Again some idiots feel they have a better idea, well you don't. Enough said, rant over.

SOO, BRING IT ON. We Wealthy Southerners with more money then sense can pay top £'s and the miserable rent a moaners north of Watford can go and stew, but bemoaning for years how they missed a chance.

By the way I am exiled from Hull, an avid LB fan but most off all cut me in half and it is says RUGBY LEAGUE BORN AND RAISED, AND PROUD! I want our game to grows not stagnate as it would if people with the blinkers who come on here with no vision and no wish for change were in charge.


Going for a nap now.

If Origin was at Wembley I would be happy as Danny Kirmond in a snapchat photo

I consider myself a "sports fan"...I held a ST at Celtic for many years, played rahgby for London Irish in the 80's and would quite happily watch any sport on TV....Before I started watching the Broncos in 2002, I was aware that Sky showed a RL comp and that the BBC had the CCup on Saturday afternoons......I knew British Gas (or was it steel) sponsored GB in the 80's and they played Aussie for the Ashes.........I had no knowledge of SoO or the Aussie domestic comp.....as for SoO being "legend"



...Kiwis love their RL, but even here they struggle to get 100k tuned in for it.....it's legend in 2 states of Australia.....Melbourne delivers about 10% of the audience.....85% comes from NSW/QLND.....when it was on UK SKY it drew 100k viewers......it's big in Australia, but then again, so is the Melbourne cup



SoO would fill Wembley......even on a Wednesday, but would the NRL clubs release their players for the extended trip???

Well said sir and I am exiled from hull Hull KR AND I live down south now I say bring it on

Yep your right. I do like the idea of a state f origin game though. But if the Aussies can be bothered to come over why not a full test series

OK, here is my anecdotal evidence. I also hail from the North and I have been working in the city of London for nearly 15 years and currently live in West London. I am a Rugby league man and I have colleagues who are also sports fans and I discuss sport with them pretty regularly. When the end of the Super League season comes along they sometimes ask who I fancy for the Grand Final etc and in the same way I discuss the latest round of Premier League games and cricket during the ashes and RU during the six nations

In the last 6 weeks, I have had more conversations about Rugby League with my colleagues than I have in the last 5 years – because of the World Cup. This isn’t me starting the conversations, it is people asking me if I fancy England against the Aussies or Kiwi’s or how the world cup is going in general. It shows what we all should be well aware of, that International sport is the single most important and probably only way in which we can raise the national consciousness of our sport

Not once has anybody mentioned State of Origin to me in this time and, in the same way, I don’t mention an Australian state tournament in cricket or a provincial RU tournament in South Africa. Because it is outside of the sphere of consciousness for most casual sports fans and only relevant to the people who passionately follow that sport

As a Rugby League fan I love the State of Origin games (I think they have become a little sanitised recently but that is another debate) but I also recognise that I love them because I am a Rugby League fan. A game between New South Wales and Queensland only appeals to the Australian public and hard core Rugby league fans

If SOO came to Wembley, I would love it to be a success and I would no doubt be there myself but surely it is clear that the focus should be on International League and not an inter-state Australian game to raise the profile of our sport. Maybe before the world cup we could have had this debate but surely not now – it has got to be Internationals all the way (and again, whether we like it or not, it really is about the International element rather than the quality of the game itself)

I just don’t think it is the right call to carry forward the momentum of the World Cup

Here is an idea for promoting our game and to offset the moaners re the NRL bringing SOO to Wembley and do our comp a disservice.

July 2015 SOO Game 1 - Wembley. 2 and 3 on their home territory. This way you avoid one State Being one up when they arrive or 2 up and the series dead with game 3.

August 2015 during our school holidays SL takes Magic Weekend to Brisbane Suncorp or SYDNEY FS. 45 to 50K grounds, plenty of expats who would like to see a local Derby and maybe takes kids and grand kids who may have only heard the folk lore. Let us face it the august games usually draw some of our lowest crowds. Sky would bite our hand off, sponsors both home and in Aussie. New market for our SL clubs, as well as reconnecting with long lost supporters who have emigrated to Oz. The games would be meaningful as two comp points would be up for grabs.

But before somebody chips in with we could piggy back a double head comp with an expanded WCC, then do not bother. Yes this might mean a two or three week break in terms of games in the UK but everyone can take a holiday, the players get a unique experience, the game raises is profile.

And before people moan they couldn't afford to go ... This is not about you but how to grow the game, raise the profile, drag in blue chip sponsors and not the local chip shop.

If you feel you want to go on a holiday of a lifetime you can get saving and the clubs can organise tours.


Finally repeat, repeat, repeat year after year and make it an EVENT! Play the long game for once.

S.O.O could really work at Wembley but it would have to be one of the three actual matches in the series rather than a one off fixture , Rugby League really has to up it's game and showcase the best our game has to offer nationally showing this event on free to air TV.

We must bring back the big tours and the only way i think it could happen would be a gap in the domestic season, the 2 x 12 then 3 x 8 split season could create that natural break.

start the season earlier for the 2 x 12 in December and cash in on the boxing day new years day blockbusters with the 3 x 8 comp being played in Summer with a six week break in between.

And i would love to see the NRL buy the London Bronco's and use their experience power money and influence to really market the game in London and sign some top players and make them competitive.

I do agree with this, but I think you will find that a well run TV campaign, 18 months marketing and build up and SOO will work. I am 100% for increasing international RL and I actually think SOO at Wembley will complement increasing international exposure. I am certain the BBC would love to show the game live, and if Wembley was not full to the rafters for the first ever game I am sure it would be by the second or third year.

Look how the NFL build up the marketing in and around London. They do not market outside of London that much. We do not need to tell the heartlands fans because they will know anyway a game is happening. What we do is target to 30 or 40k of fans who came to Wembley from the south east, and build on that.

But I also want more internationals versus the Kiwis and Aussies in big stadia as events. Why not England Knights v France as a warm up, but then that just devalues the French. We need to big up the French, the Welsh, Scots and Irish. We to stop doing down the so called lesser nations. Our Union cousins big up all playing nations because this encourages participation. We do down our lesser nations, so why would they bother continuing?

Plenty for us all to think about and wait in the administrators to probably love it up yet again. Although with each new dawn I wake up wishing for the big breakthrough.