As a long time follower of our sport I enjoyed a very good English & NZ defense & a tight game, but you are right that the casual viewer today would be underwhelmed to say the least. this would not be such a big problem if this was one of six or seven international games this year but it is 3 games in two years it tests the faithfull let alone new fans. We need to rebuild a tradition of international games but unless the Aussies loose thier love afair with their club & origin games we are stuffed.

If you went to the Olympics in 2012 the place was rocking.
Desperately poor advert for RL. This of us who live in south and act as evangelists for the game have been badly let down by this

Nope, not attended either game, due to work / been in Dublin. Wouldn't of minded going to 1 but at the same time wasn't overly fussed. Wanted us to win yesterday, wasn't overly bothered we didn't. Wanted us to win last week, wasn't overly bothered we did. Additionally you can still attend games and be apathetic.

I absolutely do not blame anyone for not showing enthusiasm. I rewatched yesterdays game and struggled to concentrate on the dross served up.

It has been very quiet when watching the England team for some time now. I remember going to a few of the Exiles game and it was silent in the stands for long periods. Even in the WC games in 2013 it was very quiet in the crowds.

It hasn't helped for this series because between England's last home game (WC semi in 2013) and this series (with the warm-up game v France) the following national teams in various sports have played at home:
Football 8 times
Rugby Union 13 times
Cricket 14 times
England Rugby League have played no home games in that time.

You could argue that we've had too long between home fixtures to be pumped up about this series because our interest has waned too much. In fact, since 2010 there have been the following home games for the various sports:
Football 31 games
Rugby Union 37 games
Cricket 39 games
Rugby League will have had 22 home games by the end of this series.

And then number of games home and away altogether since 2010:
Football 67 games
Rugby Union 70 games
Cricket 72 games
Rugby League 30 games.

I don't think we have enough games, we aren't interested and involved with the national team often enough to build the intensity of supporting them. But that is also a circumstance at the state of the international game as we don't have enough different teams to play. I don't think hammering the current level of Wales or France mid season would get the fire burning with the atmosphere neither. What we need is for Wales and France to have decent sides to put up decent fights against us to build mid season excitement for the England side and then build towards an Autumn series/Four Nations/World Cup.

A supporters group would help (i'd rather stay away from a drummer/band). but even then we'd only have the Four Nations next Autumn to get together and we wouldn't play at home again until 2018 after that. But again, what can we do about that? who do we play in between?

It's only going to be when the international game improves that we will see better atmospheres, for me. I think we have the numbers to make a decent racket, just not the continued interest in the team through lack of fixtures with no big mid season games.

That's a poor comparison. Of course it was. It was the Olympics FFS. You're really comparing the pinnacle of sport with one game in a three match series?

It's a shame it has to be this way round, but if England go ahead a couple of tries in the 2nd half, it will be a rocking stadium this Saturday.