The 4 nations is a real success story isn't it.

4 sides.

2 are woeful.


Hardly caught the publics imagination when it was held over here last year... Ordinary crowds, France got flogged by everyone, England got flogged by Australia (twice) and NZ were shown to be one of the most inconsistent sides on the planet.

If thats your idea of a successful tournament god help us.

Socceroos were woeful in the World Cup, doesn't mean there wasn't a point in them being there!

The only way Int RL will ever improve and get respect is

1. Consistent scheduling
2. Regular games for the mid tier teams (ie France and PNG)
3. Some goal for the lower tier teams to aim for
4. A meaningful tournament for the top 3 to test themselves against each other annually
5. Plenty of games for TV to show and media to cover

If the Kangaroos were winning EVERY game by 60 points you might have a point but they aren't and I for one have enjoyed watching the 4 nations and will be spending $000's travelling over East later in the year to watch it live. If there were more RL fans with my attitude and less with yours Int RL would be a lot heathier! Then again maybe its just a NSW thing as Q'land and even Vic seem to enjoy their Int RL?

I know its not exactly the most successful tournement as yet, but its something to build on and its the only way we can improve international RL. Scrapping it would just be giving up on international league. Its something we should continue and hopefully one day included more teams. Try and build up the European and pacific nations tournements aswell. This is the only way international RL will grow.

You cant scrap it simpley because you think only 2 out of 4 teams can win it, exactly how many have a chance of winning the football or rugby union world cup?

You're exactly right. I think the goal has to be that we have a group of internationals that are competitive. Australia, England and NZ already are and with pro rugby in France and Wales they will improve in time and if PNG get a franchise so will they. Then Ireland and Scotland will have pro players who qualify for them. And the NRL and SL make up a lot of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. And the Pacific cup will help improve these teams develop. I'm for the first time in decades, quite happy with the International RL setup.

if by "lions" you mean england touring NZ or NZ touring here to play england then you can rub out the pencil and permanent marker that sucker down

Where has this been confirmed???

australia have already confirmed they are'nt playing any tests after the 2012 season....so a 4nations is out..a tri nations with ENG,NZ & a.n.other would'nt work

forming a GB team would be pointless...12months before a world cup,where we compete as england,scotland & wales,we should be building the hype of england,scotland & wales.....not 17 englishmen playing as GB..

which only leaves england & NZ to contest a series between each other...like i said whether its up here or down there...it's going to happen

A tri nations featuring PNG, NZ and England would be great with some games in PNG. We should use int RL to grow the game as well as raise money. In fact a GB tour of the South pacific would be great with two test against PNG, two against NZ and games in Fiji and Samoa. You can but dream!

I think that the game has moved on now and that Kangaroo, Kiwi and Lions tours are a thing of the past. It can't be underestimated how important it is to have a structured international programme to raise the games profile and attract sponsors and advertisers to the game, and to help to persuade players to not switch codes.

In order to give the travelling teams a warm up game before the 4 Nations starts they could be given a game against the Grand Final winners, e.g. Australia and New Zealand could have played Leeds last year. It's a nice reward for being champions and will bring some publicity, as well as being a throwback for older fans.

Bazza, I disagree about the 4 nations thingy.....it's good that the top 3 nations and 1 other meet regularly.....and anything is possible as the current RL World Champions will tell you
As for the supposed Union wanting League gone......I couldn't agree more. I too watch both codes and freely admit to watching less and less union these days, but also to enjoying the current tri-nations. For me to admit thios on the NRL boards would result in 2 particular posters calling me a union troll, asking me over to woolong (or something like that) for a fist fight.
It is a simple fact that Union has no interest in League apart from picking up a couple of players here and there.......and so what? Izzy is off to AFL.......and according to the gang of 2 on the NRL boards he should be flayed at the stake...whenall he is doing is earning more money. League will survive without him......
Union have gone froma standing start as shamateur to a massive global event in their world cup. They will attract major sponsors (no offence to engage....but I'd rate Guinness as a much bigger brand) and get TV audiences on a global scale that League can only dream of.
Why in gods name would union give a flying one about league
I watched the Crim v NZ game last weekend with 2 fumbleball fans....they had no idea of the rules, asked whether it was union or league and then asked what the difference was......AFL fans don't care either, but don't tell that to the siamese twins over on the NRL board...they'll run to the mods trying to get you banned.

League is a sport in its own right and needs to make decisions on what is best for itself....not worry about other codes. They all have issues of their won to deal with.

But...I say, keep the 4 nations.......Australia are not as good as they have been and the others are catching up.

Seem to hear this every year. Not as good as when? We just won the last tournament by 30 points in the final.

but they only won it in the last 15mins with pretty much every try coming down that left flank from which our left had just been knocked out the game...people only see the scoreline...look at the game..england where unlucky

they are'nt ask good as they used to be...and if it was'nt inglis or slater digging them out the crap so often in recent years you'd all see it

No, that's how you Poms like to recall it. Fact is we had just scored 2 tries down Shenton's side in the space of about 7 minutes. After he went off, we just continued and thus the scoreline. Watch the game again. No 30 point loss is "unlucky".

[i"Spud..
they are'nt ask good as they used to be...and if it was'nt inglis or slater digging them out the crap so often in recent years you'd all see it"[/i





If not Slater it would be Hayne or Boyd etc etc.
If its not Inglis its Gasnier or Jennings, it does not matter.
You must think Michael Shenton is a Gun Centre that contained the Oz backline single handed.
He knocked himself out with poor tackling technique.
The fact that Oz put the foot down at in the last 20 minutes of the game has little or nothing to do with Shenton leaving the field.
The same as they tore England a new date in the first half of the first game then dropped off.

They just do what they have to.
Should they go full bore all game and win by a Cricket score? that will help sell tickets in half empty small stadiums.


Oldham

Forgive him board for he knoweth not what he says.

I will pray for your pitiful soul once it has been cast into the depths of Hades for all eternity.