That's a good question, and one I don't know the answer to.

If I had to hazard a guess, it would be that the international calender is too established and steeped in tradition to disrupt. The Six Nations (formally Five Nations, and Home Nations before that) and the British Lions tours have been a part of Rugby Union for well over a hundred years, and the governing body want to keep them. The clubs probably have little say in the matter as the RFU have complete control.

RFL have already disbanded the Ashes, which ran infrequently anyway, and will struggle to revive it now.

I can remember the RL Ashes, the Tri-Nations, the Four Nations, and the War of the Roses. Its a pity they have gone, but clubs want to keep the players fit and available for the League and Challenge Cup games only these days.

Hopefully IMG look at the Union models and emulate them to some extent. But that would need co-operation with the the Australian, New Zealand, and other countries governing bodies. Who aren't really interested anymore. Anything closer to home wouldn't make sense - there isn't enough talented players outside of England - apart from the War of the Roses/County of Origin series, but that hardly grows the sport outside the M62 corridor due to the lack of interest from anyone else.

Well there's a start. A war of the roses series. If at the moment the only interest is in the M62 corridor, then give those interested people in the M62 corridor a representative competition.

The reason there is no interest in places like Scotland Wales and Ireland is because besides a World Cup every four years, there is no incentive for youngsters to have dreams of achieving.

An annual home nations championships would be a starting block, granted England would probably win it for the first 10 - 20 years, but in time the following generations pool of kids from those nations will improve as there will be an outlet to represent their nations at elite sport. Look how many World class players Scotland used to produce in Football when there was the annual home nations championships and the decline in that number to pretty much zero since its demise.

If I had it my way there would be an annual War of the roses series. An annual home nations championships (probably include France in that) There would be a World Cup every four years. An Ashes series every two years and the other year would have a four nations tournament with the top two of the Northern hemisphere and the top two of the Southern hemisphere.

Club rugby would take a back seat in having their star players available to them when the representative competitions are being played. That would give more players the opportunity and the platform to play Super league thus creating a bigger playing pool playing top rugby league whilst at the same time getting representative games where the best players take on the best players.

Or we can just go on the way we are and look forward to Bill Arthur calling a game between Warrington and Wigan again next season and the season after that and the season after that one?

Quote: giddyupoldfella "How under strength was it? It had Lockyer, Minichiello, Gower, Kimmorley, Webcke, Buderus, Fitzgibbon, Civoniceva. That's pretty strong. We had Cunningham missing as well as Richard Horne on the wing. And Morley missing from the first tackle of the first test.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/ ... ugbyleague

Quote: giddyupoldfella "How under strength was it? It had Lockyer, Minichiello, Gower, Kimmorley, Webcke, Buderus, Fitzgibbon, Civoniceva. That's pretty strong. We had Cunningham missing as well as Richard Horne on the wing. And Morley missing from the first tackle of the first test.'" https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/ ... ugbyleague

After the disaster which was the last lions rebrand I am amazed anyone would call for that to come back.

Also the days of a kangaroo tour are well gone in the modern game. Not a chance the NRL would allow that and I genuinely don't think the players would sign up to it.

The players union in the NRL already complain about the amount of games there members play for what they get paid.

The traditional tours where they play club sides and invitational sides are definitely long gone, but no reason why we can't play them in a 3 test series every 2 years home and away. Surely it's good for both nations financially? I think we definitely get 25-30k crowds and maybe more at OT, Anfield or St James'

On a slightly separate note, Australia and NZ need to bring back the Anzac test.

I miss the tri-nations. Used be great having GB, NZ and Aus regularly playing. Throw in Tonga and Samoa you’d have a right international fixture list.

Was that the one where we didn't have a winger because Ash Handley apparently wasn't good enough to play on the wing but apparently Blake Austin was? I don't think a coach from the 1980s game was the right way to go for us in 2019.