I think we would see a Welsh team competitive with England before an England team winning the world cup.

Why?

That was in the day when RL players were real men not high paid moaners, just imagine the complaints if they had to spend two months overseas in the close season to play even more games than they do now. Plus with the two competitions in sync now how many teams on both sides of the world would let their players out for the two months for a tour, it just wont wash with the clubs on both sides.

Although I support England when there is a tournament, I just can't get as excited as when it was GB. There is something about seeing the red and blue V going up against the Aussies. I can't usually muster the same enthusiasm for seeing some nasty red and white strip, because the strips usually are quite nasty, worn by people who not long before professed loyalty to a different country (Chase, Carvell, Brough, et al).

The plus is that I don't have to listen to Hemmings waffling on about how Briers should be picked.

I prefer GB as it was what I was used to growing up. I suspect the kids of today will feel the opposite in a few years time.

The 'I won't watch them if they play as England' bits from this thread should be added to the 'If Mateo gets picked for England I'll never watch them again' comments (plus numerous other down the years). Cut and paste them into the "RL vs RU marketing" thread. Then realise they show that some of the most diehard defenders of tradition - RL fans through and through - are one of the biggest things holding back any attempts to make international RL into a big deal.

If we have any hope at all of making international RL into a big spectacle, we all need to start viewing it more as an event, not just a sporting contest. Get excited about it as mugwump said. Enjoy watching the best players in the world play what at its best is the best game in the world.

Oh, and make sure we have neutral refs, even if they are cr*p - and especially if they refuse to referee NRL style.

I'd love to see GB Lions tours to Australia and NZ every 4 years, between world cups. Maybe it's something the new ARL and RFL can work out.

England, Wales, etc for the rest of the time is fine by me.

It's not really an issue, pommy RL fans just like to focus on the negatives no matter what.

Spot on! I refuse to support England. My last jersey I bought is the Gillette GB jersey from a few years back. The RFL cannot even come up with e DECENT England logo ffs!

GB represents me, England doesnt. Try tell the Cornish to support England btw in any sport!

England maybe good for soccer, union, cricket etc, but in RL Great Britain [iis[/i our national identity!

I like the England logo.

I don't get how GB represents someone English, yet England don't.

What have the Cornish got to do with it?

Like someone has already stated, to recieve much needed funding from Sport England, we have to be England instead of GB.

Which players are England missing out on anyway?

Leave it as it is or just play as GB in the Ashes.

Simple as.

Because there are too many players who had previously expressed loyalty to Wales/Scotland/New Zealand, etc?

It isn't helped by the fact that England had been the second string international side recently, playing in tinpot tournaments as GB played elsewhere.

Yes you've been proving for a while now that you are, and i'm not on my own with that.

YES YES YES

why do people continue to peddle the sport england funding bull???


sport england actually said it would'nt matter if we played as england or GB cos either team was be seen as the principle "national team".........also sport england currently funds numerous "GB teams"......not just england teams


and im also pretty damn sure the last GB jerseys had sport england logos on them?