Bollox, RL have played their International matches in October/November for the last 15 years, I dont need telling when the football WC or Euro Championships are played, to say he would have attended if he had known is rubbish

MattyB went on the Wigan forum and told the intelligentsia over there that 'RU is laughing at us' because of the game today.

So his masterplan? Let's have an international at Leigh.

God bless the RFL and the efforts they make. England's win is the headline sports item on the BBC1 international news tonight.

Ye-haw!!! Let's hope they don't show any footage with the swathes of empty seats and terracing!

10k in a 12k stadium looks better than what was seen today, a shocking crowd in a ground that has been part condemned for the last five years!

Going on the BLUE AND AMBER TERRITORY line I take it you're a Leeds fan. News of these games, especially with Sinfield becoming captain, has been plastered over the Leeds website, SouthStanders on here, and the YEP. I could imagine a bit of a not-too-fussed part time fan not knowing, but I find it impossible that a strong RL supporter missed all mention of it. Didn't you go to the GF??? McNamara and Harris were interviewed pitch side prior to kick off discussing this event and next years World Cup.

Whether there's value in playing the match is one issue, but I think its separate from the issue we have in managing the sport's PR. Spectacles like today don't belong on the main national broadcaster. If the BBC gives us so many slots a year for RL to be exposed nationally, we simply have to think of something better to offer up to them. This sport has always faced an uphill battle with the media, so we need some wise heads to come up with a plan to create the maximum synergy between what the BBC want and what helps us. I can't believe either the RFL or the BBC enjoyed today. Nor is it helpful in attracting sponsors to the sport.

You are way off. Way off.

If the RFL haven't advertised the matches well enough people wont be aware of them. Stop judging people on something so minor and cool your jets.

I am fully aware that the RFL tends to have an international programme at this stage of the season but as they hadn't sufficiently promoted it I am unashamed to admit it crept up on me too. Because my life doesn't revolve around the RFL international programme.

What we learnt is that rugby league has supporters who do its opponents bidding.

If this was England vs the aussies or NZ then there wouldn't have been a problem people remembering when and what time these games were being played.

Because we'd be looking forward to it.

Correct.
I might even have taken time off work for one of those games.

The RFL have more chance of introducing English as an official language of France, then ever building up Wales to be competitive force. And even, if there was some truth in the potential of Wales, why not wait and use [iempirical evidence[/i till we have a substantial amount of Welsh players cutting the mustard in Super League? It doesn't take a genius to understand that no quality Welsh players domestically means no quality Welsh internationals. Playing England, or Australia will not change this, nor will it make the current crop of Welsh players any better, or more experienced for it.

The days of Welsh RL being superficially pampered with Union converts such as Devereux, Gibbs, Davies, Ellis, et al is over - and the fact Wales has gone back into the dark ages suggests there was never any substance underneath it all, to give rise to future generations.

In an ideal world, it would be great to have international RL on a level which meant Ireland, Scotland, and Wales could give as good as they got, but unfortunately we're a 100 or so years too late. These matches not only make the RFL look delusional, but most tragically of all, they're not even remotely passable for lowest common denominator entertainment.

I recorded the match as I was at work, watched first half hour and turned it off. England needed to play somebody, if only to get the group together. Whether that is the Welsh, French, Exiles or St Pats under 9's.

The main problem is the gulf in the teams. You have the Auzzies and Kiwis who are so far in front of the English, who are fimly cemented the third best international team in the world. Then there is a big gap between England and the rest of them. So England will either get whipped or but up a gutsy performance against the Aussies or Kiwis, or thrash every body else.

Clive Woodward when he was in charge of England RU insisted that the team did not play the three major southern hemisphere teams, just to build a winning mentality within the squad. However this would be difficult in rugby league due to the reasons mentioned in the paragraph above.

The Welsh team will come good but only after a few more years and only if they keep playing the welsh lads. If they revert back to playing the likes of Briers or Carvell then the Welsh public would lose interest and would lose the next generation of players.

The only way I can see the Europe international scene (Welsh, Scotch, French, GErman, Irish) teams to improve, is that SL players who represent these developing nations are exempt from the SC, just to encourage the teams to play these. But this could probably lead to more problems then solutions!

It showed England have some great individual players but Wales, after just a few days together, can string a series of passes down the backline far more impressively than us. That & McIllorum is a very average SL player.

Absolutely 100% spot on.

Let's get things clear, we didn't have much of a choice of opposition. We've picked the two best sides available. We've trained as hard as we possibly could for the tournament. We've taken it seriously. And because of this, we've given them a battering. This is positive. They had the killer instinct needed by top sides and played all the way through.

Wales didn't put up the fight we needed. But they are developing, and they need these matches occasionally for us to see where they are. Lets not forget they were in the Four Nations last year.

My gripe is the complete and utter lack of organisation and marketing of the tournament itself. Nobody knows it's on. Nobody seems to care, and I don't think that's because the games aren't competitive, I think that's because of the lack of promotion. You can promote anything if done right, yet the RFL seem to have just planned this on the back of a fag packet and announced it last minute. There was zero build up in the season because we didn't know what was happening! That's why the crowds are low. That's why interest is low. If the people in charge weren't interested, how can they expect anyone else to be?

Luckily, the World Cup seems to be planned and organised well, but I just don't see why they couldn't have put just as much effort into this as well? Or even just a little? We really need to look at the direction we want to the international game to go in because there is just no consistency at all.