As Great Britain, or as England I don't really care which, but let's have a 3 test series against Australia. Plan it early, market it right, play one down south, one at the etihad, and another one elsewhere in a 35.000+ stadium.

I don't think spreading them around works. Either have them all down south, somewhere foreign like West Brom, or up north.

I believe there are already plans for bringing Great Britain back as a touring side, 2019 I think (?).

Either first game in London and then two in the north, or all three in the north. Should only play in stadiums that you can be sure will sell out or be close to a sell out.

A game against Australia at the etihad we should easily sell out imo

Why ?


Scotland have been the story of this competition. England have gone through the motions and sparked very little entertainment.

I'd be very tempted to try all 3 at the Olympic Stadium. Try and make it England RL's international home ground.

You ARE being sarcastic, right?

All I am gonna say is with a 4 nations in 2016, and a world cup in 2017 you have more chance seeing Bradford bulls in super league then getting the Australian team agreeing to a tour in 2018.

I doubt we will see a 4 nations in 2018. Australia will call for a break

But England played Australia there on Sunday and only 35000 people turned up, and I'd bet a fair few of those travelled down from the north. I honestly can't see how playing three games in London in the space of a month or so is ever going to be a realistic proposition.

Genuine Ashes tours have been impossible since the English and Australian seasons started running concurrently in 1996. You can't have GB or Australia touring the other during their season and playing clubs as well as three tests anymore, so you don't get the same interest. The 1997 "Super League" series wasn't a patch on the tours that had gone before, and by 2003 everyone knew it was finished. The current set up with games against both Australia and New Zealand is a better option now the classic tours can't be recreated in the way they used to be.

I do think series like the Tri/Four Nations should be contested by GB rather than England though. The GB team is a bigger part of RL heritage. Have a European Nations tournament with Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and a young England team run separately with games at smaller grounds. If the big tournament is in this country have double/triple headers with those games as warm ups for the main event - eg a Saturday at Wembley featuring Wales V Ireland at noon, England V Scotland at 2.30pm and GB V Australia at 5pm. Make the England team and u23s or brand them as "England A" or whatever if you like. Just make it clear that those teams are all development sides and the ultimate aim of all players from the individual home nations sides is to make it into the Great Britain test team.

Play the other European Nations games at realistic (small RL heartland) venues, and obviously keep them up here in the years when the test side are down under.

In my opinion that's the best way to go.

GB V Aus didn't sell out there in 2004 and the capacity was lower than it is now.

Elland Road is the one.