The tours were longer and included games against clubs because the club seasons in England and Australia ran at different times. I went to the 1994 Australia game at Wilderspool too, and loved watching Jonathan Davies score for GB on telly. That series was in the middle of our season and after the Australian season though, so the Aussies were over on tour and the clubs here were playing league games in between the GB internationals and club team exhibitions V the Aussies.

Since 1996 the two leagues have ran concurrently, so unless you have players centrally contracted and clubs allow them to disappear on tour for two months in the middle of the season, which Super League couldn't afford and the NRL would just laugh at, then the international "season" can only ever be a tag on in October and November when most fans see the real business as being over until February and no clubs would have enough players available to be able to field a team against the touring side.

It's got a capacity of about 50,000. It will be ideal if you want 25,000 empty seats available.

I also think one of the big attractions to the tours back then was the presence of real top quality Welsh players in the GB team. I understand why they choose not to use the GB brand now because realistically it would just be England in all but name, but those Welsh players really made the GB team into a side that had a more nationwide appeal.

So your saying we can’t fill a 50,000 stadium here but we can in London

I don't think this series will fill a 50,000 stadium anywhere, but I think there's a chance of one of the games having a big crowd and if promoted properly you could maybe attract 40,000 or thereabouts to a game in London.

Having two or all three of the games at bigger than needed grounds would be self defeating in my opinion though. I'd go for a showpiece opener in London then two games up here at Super League grounds with 20/25,000 capacities.

Well we can live in hope that a series we have not had in a long time gets the marketing and media attention it deserves and draws fans to attend.

For sure, they’ll be no Nathan Clearly and alike moving to SL for some time.
Aus won’t pick any player for international duty if they aren’t playing in the NFL.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-leagu ... 2n4wr4789o

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-leagu ... 2n4wr4789o

16,068 today I would assume crowds would be much bigger for Ashes games.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/up ... comparison

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/up ... comparison

Good... We should be able to hammer them in this case. Imagine them trying to catch Matty Ashton wearing all that claptrap.

Btw, who is this Nathan Clearly fellow?

Any relation to Nathan Cleary?

Yeh it’s his cousin, clearly you didn’t know this

All evidence is that we get much bigger crowds for England games in London than in the 'heartlands'. Going back decades.

Some of the excuses you hear from northern fans for not attending international games are spectacular. Mostly they don't attend because:
(1) England will definitely win - vs France, Wales, Tonga, Samoa, etc;
(2) England will definitely lose - vs Australia, NZ;
(3) player from Team X was picked instead of their own favourite;
(4) ground is too big; or
(5) ground belongs to a rugby or football team I don't like.