My lord, much as I wish you were right (and you are regarding the better spectacle) I am afraid that you are living on another planet......

We could imagine but action actually needs to be taken.

League needs a full time board running the international scene. Not just people giving up some hours every now and then from working in the NRL, ARL, RFL,etc. (I'm sure some of them wouldn't mind a break.)

A full time organization would have the time to get the international scene in order and they could stop some of the things which makes internationals a joke (Nation swapping) Then maybe Stephen Jones won't have as much material to take a pop at!

You been reading someone's blog?

I suspect there isn't enough money in the game to expand aggressively.
Full time requires cash. League is a relatively poor sport - mainly down to a poorly supported international scene. A vicious circle....

Hmm...i would say some of that world cup profit would be useful for this but a lot of that has probably been spent! (on useful things of course)

It'll still be peanuts compared to what Twickenham churns in every 6 Nations tournament/Autumn internationals.

Plus the RFU own the stadium, so it's all clear profit. NRL/RFL have to borrow stadia....

The IRB is substantially wealthier than the RLIF.

And let's not forget what the 2000 world cup did (or didn't....)

Rugby Union is rich? Strange, you never mentioned it.

X-Factor has unrivalled media coverage and generates millions. This makes it the best music show on tv.

'The mighty Lebanon' are indeed not in this competition Mr Jones. Are the mighty Namibia, Portugal, Canada or the Ivory Coast (have all played in RU World Cups) taking part in any games this Autumn?

73,000 + in 1992 at Wembley is what we need to get back to...

Not that far at all really. Just treating the international game with respect.

It is about exposure and correcting the misinformation spread by the likes of Jones.

Just to expand, only someone with no idea whatsoever would claim only Australia - GB matters in rugby league after that superb World Cup Final before a sell-out crowd last year...

The RLWC resides in Auckland after all.

Something union certainly ain't crowing about.

The likes of Jones fear rugby league because they realise it has massive implications for the structure of their sport. We have evolved as a code of rugby, they haven't but realise they need to.

Read between the lines some of you people.

some of the people talking up union on this thread are simply hilarious.

union lies or exaggerates its level of popularity.

its a minor sport in every nation it is played in bar NZ, small bits of england, SA and the south of france.

it relies upon hooray henry fans that turn out 3 or 4 times a year to go to internationals to cover apathy for club games.

with all the media the game gets in england, the collapse in crowds for many GP clubs is really funny.

the game is on its deathbead in australia, declining in NZ too.

the way NZ many NZ commentators have all said the NRL is a far better product tells you the dire future for the game

do they stick with the status quo and become more a marginal sport or admit they were wrong all along and copy RL.

Union is bigger and has more money. This has always been the case.

Jones is paid handsomely to write about the sport 'he loves'.

Yet for decades he writes sneery, nasty & bile filled articles about RL. Our game is an itch that poor old Jones cannot scratch. Our existence irritates the hell out of Jones and his like. RL will not go away, it will not lie down.

Our game will out live Jones, poor boke.

He'll be fertilising the grass while the great game marches on.

114 years this year...

How old is the moron Jones?

Bigger and more money? Bull. More exposure and more misinformation is closer to the point.

How many 90,000+ crowds has union had in London?

Rugby league has had many...

See - we can marginalise as well.