That's the problem, we need to push for the clubs to take internationals seriously. NRL clubs already release players for their own international weekend (Samoans, Tongans, PNG, Fiji) would it be a stretch to get the ones eligible for home nations released?

I agree on the championship players BTW, they all gave the Catalans SL players a game in the European cup last year.

Yep. Firstly, even if the intensity in SL were very high, unfortunately very few people really care about the clubs in SL. They're not relevant to them, they have no affinity to them and no real reason to support or follow one or the other. Yorks & Lancs is much more easily identified with. As for those who say people won't follow Lancashire, take a look at recent Lancashire v Yorkshire T20 games and their attendances, people the other side of the Pennines don't seem to have a problem following Lancashire in the right circumstances.

As said, it has to be done properly or there's no point, but then that could be said of any initiative.

I tend to agree with the Roses concept being a bit old fashioned.

What I'd prefer to see, is a complete three weekend mid-season break for both the NRL and SL.

This three week break would become the 'Summer International Break'. The Aussies would play their 3-game SOO series. NZ/PNG/Tonga/Samoa/Fiji would all play three tests against each other, and have full access to their NRL/SL players. England/Scotland/France/Wales/Ireland would play three tests, with the NRL based players and coach able to travel.

Other sports have dedicated International weekends where the domestic competitions take a break. Every country with a representative RL side should be playing matches these weekends and have full access to players.

I don't have a problem with the league continuing whilst the internationals or Roses comp is on, just that all players have to be made available. If they're not then they won't be picked for end of season internationals.

This would be great except I highly doubt the NRL would agree to a 3 week break. They are more likley to agree to release Aus internationals for 1 week and NZ internationals another week. Super League could take a break and Eng go down under and play a mid season game against each.

Sadly Eng playing and beating other home nations with ease isn't going to achieve much, those nations need to play competitive games against each other.

So questions.

What's the format: Yorks v Lancs, East v West?
When do we fit it in: Mid season break, during the weekly rounds?
What's the purpose: Growing the sport, a way of selecting for England/GB, money maker for RFL?
Will the clubs buy into it?
Will the players buy into it?

Let's be realistic, it's dead in the water, we can't promote it, we can't sell it and not enough people that matter will buy into it.

Would i go? East v West i would.
Yorks v Lancs.....I'm from Cheshire i couldn't give a monkeys about Lancs.

I thought if it was over the same weekends at SOO a three week NRL break would stand a better chance.

I think the other home nations still need exposure to a higher level of competition (playing England). If 'tier 2' nations only ever play other tier 2 nations, then where is the challenge to test yourself against the very best? Would a Welsh youngster be more inspored by a game vs Scotland at Workington in front of a couple of Cumbrians, or a game vs the old enemy England?

We need to make International RL the pinnacle of our sport. We need to give the emerging/Tier 2 Nations the chance to test themselves, improve, create that pathway for them to compete at the highest levels.

England will dish out a fair few drubbings of course, but so what? We have to think longer term for a change. Some will say England need a bigger mid-season test to compete with the Aussies, well if that's the view taken - prioritising the England team to be competitive then all we'll ever have is a three-team International game.

The same goes for Fiji, Tonga, PNG, Samoa. Maybe Fiji playing more test matches would help convince Radradra to represent Fiji instead of pledge to Australia? (maybe he's only bothered about money, who knows?)

Football & RU set the standard for International competition & we're massively lagging behind, mainly due to our own insular nature and poor governance.

Been saying for years RL needs some sort of 5 nations sell it to BBC or ITV and market the hell out of it take it too Ireland Wales Scotland and France and let the home fans get behind them and build from there,

I would love the NRL and Super League to both take a mid season break, I just don't think the NRL will ever agree to it. If it was to happen though with State of Origin on 3 consecutive weekends, a mid season test series against NZ would be the best thing for England. This could alternate between hemispheres so both sides have internationals on home soil every year.

I'm afraid most those teams aren't in a fit state to take part in a comp like that.
The players and fans killed the War of The Roses, who's to say they wouldn't kill it off again.
To create room in the calendar, we should start by ditching two teams from Super League. There just isn't enough quality in the comp to spread around.

It probably would be. But what's best for the game? I think we have to get out of the mind set of placing England's (or any other nation's) needs above the needs of the International game as a whole.

Don't blame ya mate. It's a foul place

But seriously, War of the Roses, Yorks v Lancs...anyone who thinks that that's the basis for a decent marketing campaign needs to think again. It might get a bit of lukewarm backing along part of the M62 but nationally??

Didn't the RFL come up with some stat showing that a high proportion of tickets for London games were purchased by folk living outside the heartlands? If we're going to run with some sort of sub-international concept it should appeal to them too (as well as others from all other parts of the country). That Yorks-Lancs county rivalry thing looks faintly ridiculous from any sort of distance.

People in Yorkshire are no different to people , say, in Wales or Scotland, in that we are proud of our "nation" and heritage, we just haven't proclaimed independence yet.
I often get asked by outsiders just why we are so proud of our county, more so, than say, someone from Dorset, my answer is simple, Yorkshire isn't just a county, it's our culture, our way of life, our heritage.