The air fare might just tip the expense though

Any tips on the offer codes currently available? Think I'll start purchasing some of mine now.

"100DAYS" might still be working. 50% off adult tickets
Also some buy one game get second at the same ground half price.

How about just going to watch a game of rugby league whilst supporting your country? Naah, forget it, that'll never catch on.

I'm doing a fair chunk of the other games as well. Looking forward to it, don't understand why anyone wouldn't support this tournament as much as they can.

Tonga and Damoa probably wasn't the best example use. I'd say those two teams have genuine Samoans and Tongans representing them. The passion when these two teams suggests to me they aren't second rate Aussies.

I agree that Italy, Usa etc will have second rate Aussues. The rugby league representation rules infuriate me as much as anyone, you shouldn't be allowed to change year on year. But we have to be realistic about the position we're in, RL isn't big internationally. The WC, is hopefully going to help rectify that. If a USA team full of second rate Aussues does reasonably well and gains some publicity over there and gets more American kids playing, then that will do for me.

A few years ago we had Aussue rejects playing for all
Nations, now we have a Fiji team full if Fijians, a French team full if French players. It's about bulilding.

Anyway the England cricket team have made a success from using South Africa rejects

Cannot fathom why someone wouldn't go and support their nation because the coach picks a different loose forward to who they would pick...

You know probably 90% of the squad that McNamara will pick and if the other 10% isn't your choice you wont go?

I love our game but a good proportion of our fans are lunatics.

I've just seen a picture of the upper tier of Cardiff by the way, I completely forgot how big it was. Probably half the stadium. For the organisers to boast of the lower and middle tier being sold out isn't as great as I initially thought.

I'm with you on this one William, it's really frustrating to see so called RL fans being negative and unsupportive about the sport all the time isn’t it

Spot on… it’s getting close to that time of the year when I lose all sense of perspective and common sense and start to think England will win the world cup and put the Aussie hoodoo behind them. Of course, I am lining myself up for being gutted again come November but that’s what being a supporter is all about isn’t it

Can’t wait for this competition to start but looking forward to a month of great play-off action on both sides of the world first

Union troll. Italy true - the others? Nope. You've jumped the shark GF

On Friday we were in the Queen Vic pub in LLoret the day before Catalans v Wire and it was absolutely packed with blokes wearing England soccer gear and sporting three lions tatoos watching a dull game against a country I have never heard of.

It got me thinking, England RL is undoubtledly in a better postition than the soccer version in terms of chances of winning the world cup (based on William Hill odds England RL- 6/1 England Soccer- 20/1). Most of the blokes sat there going mad over a meaningless game had probably never been to watch an international, nor will they ever be able to afford to.

Then I come home and log onto this forum, to find a plethora of reasons not to support England RL from people who have the chance to watch the World Cup on the doorstep for a great price. Then we wonder why the sport doesn't get enough sponsorship/exposure? If this competition is unsuccessful in terms of bums on seats the only people we have to blame is ourselves.

Great post that - I agree with it all. Those who don't bother going are the ones who'll sit there complaining that it wasn't all sold out !

Touche

Weird lot RL fans! When the next World Cup is on I'll be taking leave to head over to the East coast and catch as many games as I can. Some people won't travel 20 miles to see the best RL players in the world do battle. Very weird.

I will always remember getting grumpy over something in 2011 and deciding that I wouldn't be going to Wembley. A week before I changed my mind and spent the week trying to find ways to get there from Hull with a uni mate without breaking the bank but failed so we settled for watching on the telly. What excitement we missed out on! Don't make that same mistake.

I also remember after that game putting the six o'clock news on and despite there having been a full day of Premier League football, the clash at Wembley topped the sports bulletin with a lengthy feature. That there shows how important the international game is to RL in this country.

I doubt USA will have that many Aussies TBH, I don't think many qualify.

I'm genuinely worried about the USA more than any other team. They struggle to beat Canada these days, and have only a very small select group of heritage players to fall back on.

You know what your getting, your getting an England side made up of 17 players. Your not watching your club side so it doesn't matter what players are involved. As pointed out we all know about 90% of the side and the other 10% will be a close run thing but shouldn't make a jot of difference to anybody's decision to go to games or not.

Out of interest who is it or isn't it you want to see in the team before committing?

As for the game crying out for some positive news stories I surely don't have to explain that. Things have been going a bit wrong domestically for a while now.

They'll probably get flogged by Scotland but whatever, they earned their spot and it's a good experience. At least they'll be picking from the strongest possible domestic base after the USARL and AMNRL settled their differences.

Have they? That's great news.

Yeah, I agree and I wouldn't put anyone in their place, just think they will suffer some pretty heavy defeats. Don't think the differences are settled yet, are they? Think they said they should be settled over the next year.

April 20th 2013.....29 of the 34 players on show were Australian Born............there is an article on the RLWC2013 site that claims America with 10, will have the most "home grown" players outside of PNG/NZ/France and England.

Only problem with this is that currently, they can opt to play for more than one country even after they've made an initial appearance. Hayne can still play for Fiji if he doesn't get picked for the Kangaroos.....it is farcical.

Does that mean the Aussies have a load of islanders playing?

Erm... Australia and Wales will have a few more than 10, I can assure you.

It is good to see more people getting enthusiastic and hopefully as supporters club seasons are over they will start to purchase more tickets for the world cup. If we break a 300,000 aggregate attendance it will already be the most successful international RL tournament held in terms of attendance. Lets not settle for that though.

How did USA Soccer do during their first world cup in 2010? I can't remember but I doubt anybody cared. We get too hung up about this kind of thing.