Why would the RFL pump so much money into a 40,000 capacity stadium for Salford?

Sure, the other stuff you mentioned might get close to full capacity from time to time, but Salford would make the stadium - and by extension the whole sport - a joke.

Why would Salford make the stadium and the sport a joke?

Well...if Salford's the answer, I'd have to say it was a pretty stupid question in the first place.

Did you miss the words "joint venture"?

Fact is, the RFL don't have the cash to build an RL stadium on their own, nor would it be a good idea. So, a joint venture with those building the Salford stadium would have been a possibility. For me, it would have been an opportunity to build a true home of British RL, not just a stadium, but a hub for the game in the UK where the best people involved in the game - from RFL Head Office and administrators to conditioners to officials to youth programmes, etc - can be based or come for the best facilities. Not a stadium 'for Salford' - a stadium built in conjunction with Salford that they use for home games.

And so what if Salford wouldn't fill it? How many clubs fill their grounds every week? How many stadiums fill regularly at all?

Geographically it's well positioned for RL and in a great (and high profile) position just off the M60, although the current transport improvements are much needed. Football and RU seem to do ok having all home internationals at their home stadiums, I see no reason we couldn't do the same rather than flitting around trying out stadiums all over the place, often away from the fan base, which does nothing for the image of our sport but makes us appear groundless.

Look, it will never happen, I accept that, but a bit of big thinking could have delivered us something great for the entire game.

I'd have the first game of the series at Ashton Gate Stadium in Bristol. Might be too small for some people here but 21k should mean a sell out and it builds on the world cup match there (7k for USA vs Cook Islands) - Bristol is a fantastic place to visit too.

You're all forgetting that the RFL already own an iconic stadium....

21k at a game in Bristol for England v NZ cant see that happening.

the 7k was great though, but the world cup was well run and tickets sold cheap

Game 1 has to be at Wembley.

The "game" is simply not big enough to warrant such a stadium.
And where would you site such a thing and what capacity would it have.

If it were 60,000 capacity, it would be used 2/3 times per year and if it were smaller that this, it wouldn't be suitable for the Grand Final or Challenge Cup Final.

Nonsense! RL deserves to win spoty every year, should be front page news every day and is a truly national game.......the national stadium would be rammed every week if only they'd build it

just the one game though, last few games there have been double headers and big games like the world cup semi... think it would be too hard to fill the stadium for the first test v NZ , shame but true... unless the RFL can market it and sell tickets at the right price!

£2.50 for adults.
£1.00 for juniors/retired.
£5.00 family ticket for 4.
With additional discounts via Groupon or Wowcher where they end up paying you to attend?
A pricing structure like that you mean?
Plus free beanie hats and replica shirts for everyone of course.

And the media interest would still be minimal.

That's the fault of the game itself.

Still no announcement on tickets and dates for the Kiwi Test Series, rldespite a promise to release such details in mid-Novemberrl.

If the game cannot generate any of its own interest in internationals and instead treats it as an afterthought, why would anyone else's interest in it be anything other than minimal?

Nail absolutely on head here sadly. Most of the big UK media platforms will be publishing their Sporting Calendar of 2015 this week. Exactly what do we expect them to publish about this series when we have given them pretty much nothing?