As long as they were scheduled sensibly and taken seriously by the clubs then I don't see why a Lancashire-Yorkshire game couldn't achieve 15,000+ crowds sooner rather than later.

The only other alternative would be a mid-season England-Wales international alongside playing the Frogs.

Call it the Reds vs the Whites, like the Blues and the Maroons. Get all fans involved, else look at getting the Magic weekend moved and free on your season ticket to ensure a full stadium. At least then you are promoting the game to the British public instead of defending the sp crowds at the big stadia.

Leave English players to get better on their own, they may win tests against the Kiwis but it will take at least another generation to beat the Aussies in a test series with our current game-plan (I'm not seeing a logical one beyond me promoting what the coaches have been calling for)

The cold hard facts are that Rugby League in the UK is neither strong enough or well supported enough to successfully have any 'Origin' type competition.

It is simply not popular enough.

Sorry... but its true.

And this was reflected in the performance of the GB team in those years?

Close result does not equal intense. I'd describe those games as glorified friendlies/ exhibition games, with all players involved doing their best not to get injured and with one eye on the clock. That's the most you could hope for from such games.

I have an idea, how about a hog-roast where you're the guest speaker, and then we have a showing of Gareth Thomas: The Movie.

How about charging full price to all, with all money raised going to the benevolent fund?

4 way tournament

West England
East England
Celtic Nations
Rest of Europe

East
West
Overseas super league players
France

This way we have France playing in (hopefully) intense competitive gamesthus aiding both ours and their progression in international rugby. A sister tournament could run along side this involving Wales Scotland and Ireland plus one guest nation which could change year on year (ie Lebanon Greece USA etc)

If the concept of Yorks v Lancs didnt catch on then why oh why oh WHY waste time trying to organise a team who were born inbetween Hull and Gateshead v a team whose immediate family once had a Big Mac meal in St Helens?

Its nonsense.

Yorkshire and Lancashire are the 2 biggest RL playing areas in the UK...and if rumours are to be believed... they dont like one another much.

If Yorks v Lancs cant get a healthy crowd then no 'origin' type thing will.

this guy has the right idea.......oh look its me!

I love the way the naysayers conveniently forget that the last time these fixtures were played they [idid[/i get healthy crowds, even more so because they were midweek & zero marketed games.

England vs Rest of the UK would of been a better shout. They are never going to get anything like the state of origin games. In OZ they veiw those games more importantly than playing for the green and gold

Thats because they are stupid though.

but the players never really fancied it...

Correct