What's wrong with East vs West and use the fixture(s) as a selection game for England ( or GB) Jerseys.

On of the reasons for the Yorks/Lancs fixture struggling was the scheduling of the matches (midweek IIRC)

This type of game would be excellent for up and coming players to show the old timers that they are ready to step up.

The only way we're going to improve international RL in the Northern Hemisphere is to play more international matches. Get back to playing matches against actual National teams. Personally I would add an extra game on each day of the Magic Weekend, Wales vs Ireland on the Saturday, England vs France on the Sunday.

I don't like the idea, make the game look like it's stuck in the M62 - I'm not saying it isn't but we shouldn't broadcast that.

It works in Australia as they have 5 main states is it? and we have 30+ counties I think. Not for me.

A three game series, in my opinion, is the way to go, and has to help towards picking the squad for internationals. If players realised that this was the main way of putting themselves in the frame for international call up then it certainly wouldn't be a non event. Don't think Lanks and Yorks would work [ too many eligability problems there War of the roses would be more all embracing and a three game series spread out over the season would allow for players who come into form to be incuded in the teams and others dropped if not performing at the time. All good for the international situation, especially if, as it has been muted, a return to Great Britain instead of England, Wales etc. actually happened. With the proposed reduction in the number of super league teams this alone would free up three weekends for the tri series to be accomodated.........just my opinion of course !

Lets have a service area tournament mid season

How is War of the Roses any different to Lancashire v Yorkshire?

To be fair I dont think the event was that poorly supported, the attendances for the last time they revived it were

2001 Lancashire 36–24 10,253 Leeds
2002 Lancashire 22–18 10,000 Wigan
2002 Lancashire 36–28 9,283 Leeds
2003 Yorkshire 56–6 8,258 Bradford

2013 Exiles game - 7926.

Fair enough the crowds were going down, but again - proper promotion and marketing of the fixture could have mitigated that. I went to both the last 2 games and I remember enjoying both (particularly 2002) games.

War of the Roses covers all of England (and Wales), Lancashire and Yorkshire doesn't?

I'd rather watch a natural rivalry game like the Roses match than some made up gimmick like the Exiles game anyday.

We say its 'been tried before', yeah it was - 3 times i think before the RFL decided it wasnt working .....we hae to give it time to grow.
The SOO in Aus grew from being a low attended representitive match (or matches) to the most intense game in World Rugby League - it didnt happen in 3 years. Give it time to naturally grown and see what happens.

How is a rugby league match between teams representing The historic counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire iany more parochial than the Oxford / Cambridge boat race?
Just asking!

Does it? I've honestly only ever heard of it in reference to Lancashire v Yorkshire.


Same here.
In my opinion there's only 2 possible options that have potential for crowds/success. Either England v France/Wales or Yorkshire v Lancashire. I don't think anything else will draw in crowds. I really didnt care if England beat the Exiles, and I wouldn't care if the "probables" beat the "possibles". But if Yorkshire is playing Lancashire I'd want Yorkshire to win. If England is playing a competitive France or Wales I'd want England to win. There's the potential for rivalry that doesn't exist in the other options. Obviously France & Wales aren't competitive enough at the moment.

Like you say, give it time, make it a 3-game series, make it the basis for England selection and I think it'd work.

Yorks v Lancs is pointless. It really is. If we are looking to build the international game, build the international game, if we are looking for an income stream outside of domestic RL build the international game, if we are looking for a warm up for international games, a chance to test combinations and a higher profile, higher intensity opposed training session then have a possibles v probables but play it somewhere different and forget about it as a money making exercise, play it at horse guards parade or in hyde park, play it at London Zoo, anywhere you could fit a pitch.