Tonights game lacked skill and intensity and many of the Exiles players played like the strangers they are and couldnt care less. It was certainly no preparation for games against Australia and NZ. At the end of the day the Exiles match is a nothing game for the Exiles players and means nothing to them. It is a bit of a get together for them and a catch up with a few old mates but anyone thinks they take it seriously is kidding themselves. They are not representing their country like the England players are and it shows. Despite this England should have beaten them convincingly tonight and didnt. It was an awful game with no skill or intensity between 2 fairly mediocre teams that any top SL team would annihilate. Wigan have beaten better teams than those by over 40 points this year. McNamara or the RFL can dress it up all they like but that was dire tonight.

The Exiles concept is doomed to failure and the standard and intensity of matches is going to decrease year on year. Lets look at the Exile team going forward. From Wigan alone Lima, Carmont, Leuluai, Finch wont be available for the Exiles next year as they wont be here. They almost certainly wont be replaced by a similar calibre of import and in some cases no import at all. Other imports from other clubs are going back home and even this year the Exiles team have less quality players to choose from than last year with King, Buderus etc going home. With the new NRL TV deal and the exchange rate the Exiles team and concept cannot possibly get stronger, it cannot it can only get weaker as good quality imports will no longer come here and with tightening quota rules the number of imports declines. Even as it some players didnt even really want to play and other pulled out with 'injuries'. After Leuluai getting injured I am sure other Exiles players will think twice about playing in a nothing match.

l would like to see the Exiles concept scrapped and would much prefer an East v West series, instead of Lancashire and Yorkshire, to include all of England and use it as a real trial game for England. Players will be much more familiar with each other through the England camps and the players will really have something to play for and will be looking to outplay their opposite number. It will also double the amount of England players playing in representative matches compared to England just playing the Exiles. It certainly has a lot more potential imo.

You're kidding? Wales, Scotland and Ireland already contain a decent volume of Championship players. Think you'd struggle to mash a competitive team together out of what's left.

So having SL s second string smash them is helping them improve?

By players deciding to play for them rather than hoping to play for England in major tournaments. Only want to develop those teams is by ensuring they play in every major tournament for the time being and then limiting the rulings on people changing countries.

Not exactly hard to understand seeing as most of them were strangers.
Was it 8 changes for tonights exile team?
As an example McDonnell had less than 24 hours to prepare, he then looked like a fish out of water.
Not hard is it.
I'll say it again.
Lets have the exile squad carry a lot more depth and meet 'now and again' as the England team does then you may actually see them looking like they know each other and the tactics they are supposed to be using.

Wasn't the rationale behind this game that it would give England an intense series equivalent to Origin in Australia, and that this would somehow allow England to become more competitive at international level? Apart from the fact that such an idea is completely flawed in numerous ways, it sounds like the Exiles match unsurprisingly failed in its sole purpose. As I said last year, unless the intensity of this match is higher than SL then there isn't any point and England might as well play against Wales or France. It's a poorly thought out idea by someone who was desperate to look like a 'revolutionary' in order to try and cover up his complete ineptitude as a coach.

As for people calling for a return to War of the Roses, it's preferable to the Exiles but the original series was scrapped for a reason.

The Roses game is realistically the only way any intensity might be engineered. For it to work, the clubs have to buy into it too. The Exiles simply don't do it for me.

Get the Roses marketed properly with full buy in and give it time to develop - a few dust ups along the way will help out no end - and it might just work.

Or, even better, England could get over this ridiculous idea of 'recreating Origin' and concentrate on doing the one thing that will actually help the national side to improve, which is increasing the player pool by expanding the game.

Australia don't win because they play SOO every year. They win because they have better players.

We had origin/roses long before SOO & SL arrived on the scene and guess what, it was competitive. Pride was shown in the shirt and it meant something to the players.

I think to get the best out of English players we should play England v England Knights at least there playing for a place on 1st team which will make it more competitive game! I think we have the players to make 2 competitive teams and give all the players experience in playing in international(ish) game!

If there's one thing that the Exiles has managed with the fans, it seems to be an appetite for the other old fixtures we've had, Roses etc!

If there are fears that the Other Nations/ Exiles start to drop in quality, well then let them play the teams most appropriate? Have them play France, Wales and so on if they're at a closer ability then bring in a replacement game for potential England players: East/West (which would fit if we go down a conference route or something) or England vs Knights if not.

I don't see a problem with the Exiles (perhaps other than the name?), maybe in future years France could play them including England players in the championships, along with the Scottish/Irish/Welsh etc players. There's nothing that says the Exiles just have to be quota players is there? Just that they aren't currently a member of their National Team? ('Exiled'), at least for that weekend.

It can't have helped the Exiles that Daniel Anderson had been subbed for Murray from Flight of the Conchords.

Ultimatly the Exiles is a much harder challenge for England than the French/Welsh, yesterdays game was poor, but the conditions didnt help, like all things in RL if it doesnt work instantly, drop it, having said that I suggested the same about the meaningless Championship v French matches

But as far as giving the England team as hard a test mid season as possible it is the only current option, it wasnt a blow out scoreline as recent matches against France have been

It will probably never replicate SOO or a true International, but its all we have for the moment

If you want to increase the intensity of the club game the most likely option is ' Maurices ' 10 team SL 1 with P and R to a SL 2 , you can argue against it all you want and some of your reasoning is correct, but it would up the ' ante ' and provide very few meaningless matches, unlike now

I love how the Roses enthusiasts have all conveniently forgotten the abortive bid to bring it back in the early 2000s. There was full buy-in from the clubs, nice jerseys put together and good grounds chosen. Both sides featured the best players available, the games were decent and it was given a few years.

Why was it scrapped? Because the loudmouths who banged on about how great it would be never bothered to put a pair of pants on, leave the comfort of their Sky Sports package and attend the games. Which is exactly what would happen if it was brought back now.

It's dead - move on FFS.

Im a big fan of the Exiles concept, but I'll point out that at the last Roses match (that I attended) at Headingly there were 12,000 there - MIDWEEK - to watch the game.

If thats not well supported I dont know what is...

I would much rather the return to the Roses game - the big problem with it then, is the big problem now - that for all the hyperbole about form and performance winning selection its utter tosh. Players were and still are picked because of the club they play for and their reputation.