Clare Balding is fabulous, in my opinion. She is exactly what RL needs because she is everything RL isn't supposed to be. She's posh, she's female and after clearly being unimpressed with 'having' to present live RL, she's obviously taken to the sport and has a great rapport with the people in the studio with her.

And for once, the Guardian is right - BBC's RL coverage has got really good lately. Fast paced, and a bit of imagination; I particularly like the 'tale of the half' segment at half time, and even Robbie Paul is getting a lot better as an interviewer.

All the BBC need to do now, is get rid of Jonathan Davies.

Balding is a winner for me. Just need to get that senile dinosaur French packed-off to a home and most of the 'flat-capped-mushy pea munching-whippet-monkey Northerner' stereotypes will be finally gone. It can't be far off, poor old Ray commentates like he's already suffering from the onset of Altzeimers after a particuarly thorough stroke.

French is about the same age as me and I took retirement like a shot quite a few years ago when I realised that I didn't have much grip on what I was supposed to be doing (overtaken by new technology) and I was offered a good deal. I would say that French reached the same state a few years ago and should be well gone by now.

End of story - no need for gratuitous and inaccurate comments on his health.

Not a bad read - I have to say I forced myself to continue after reaching this gem of a sentence "I accept the game can seem formulaic to the untrained eye and maybe does not always flow as freely as the absolutely very best union games"... I think I may have missed those games!!

I was actually having a dig at his commentary style and general uselessness as opposed to commentating on his health. Let's face it, Stephen Hawking could provide better commentary (And with his wizard-like physics brain give you an accurate response to an iffy forward pass)

I guess it's just time for Ray to sit at home and watch it on the telly, and no offense was meant...

Balding and Dave Woods should be the presenters of a nationwide revamped 'Super League Show', shown every Sunday evening after MOTD2

Could you imagine Inverdale presenting RL to the masses,God forbid that fella is the most useless yawnion loving t00l on planet Earth.

Ray 'ooooooohhhhh!!' French / Ray 'good running' French needs to go. Robbie Paul comes across a bit fick too. Balding can stay. Preferably not on the **C who I see are only showing the CCup final build up via the red button!! The RFL should be having words about that now!!

He has form
However, as already mentioned, [i'I accept the game can seem formulaic to the untrained eye and maybe does not always flow as freely as the absolutely very best union games'[/i let the article down somewhat.

Overall it was quite a good article and reflects positively enough on the game. Clare Balding's enthusiam has been great. I remember about 8 years ago she did a semi-final between Saints and Leeds in place of Steve Rider, which I think was the first time she did RL and I thought what the hell is she doing this for, but her enjoyment of the game is clear and good to see. Thought the Brian Noble 'calibre' moment was quite amusing! Don't know what the need was for the last paragraph of the article though!

i pressume the very best union games they refer to would be the super 14's which at times is similar to league in speed and excitement compared to the drab english premiership encounters

Quote from Davies on Saturday, Leeds are at their most dangerous when they are attacking

Yet it gets to the heart of why RL isn't more popular........................we need our tv coverage to explain the intricacies of the game better (Cullen does this a bit on Boots n All).

Love them or hate them; the analysis by Gray and Hansen on the footie, or Barnes and Morris on RU; brings these games to life and educates the average viewer so that they enjoy and appreciate what they're watching.

The untrained eye (or average sports' fan) can perceive the game as formulaic. 5 drives and a kick against a defence comprising of 2 markers at the "ptb", then 10 in a line spread across the field, and a full back sweeping up behind.

If we are to spread RL to the masses, then the subtleties of what is going on need to be shown by the tv commentators.

Sorry but I'm not having that one. League is such a simple game compared to union. I've lost count of the number of 'newcomers' I've taken to watch rugby league and they've got a basic idea of what's going on within their first two games, usually by the end of the first 80 minutes. I watch union regularly and there are still refereeing decisions which I don't fully understand. Have you seen the size of the rugby union law book?

Think Balding does a grand job, just wish the BBC could put a bit extra time into the presentation.

Every side needed enforcers in that time. Davies was on the end of some shocking hits in his time - a marked man - as they say. The big boys were looking after the likes of him and Offiah. I take it you're a Wigan fan Andy? Ding Dong Bell, great player but I don't recall him making a tackle that didn't involve him coming into contact with someone elses melon. Your lot had plenty too .

I agree Jiffy is very hit and miss in the commentary box - there must be someone else out here who can summarise without sounding clueless. I've always thought Clare Balding is a fantastic presenter and her enthusiasm for the game is IMO genuine.

As for the intricacies of the game as opposed to Yawnion - Laurie Daley (who coincidentally Mr Gilder, gave Davies one of the worst high shots I've seen) summed it up perfectly - "Rugby League is a simple game played by simple people. Rugby Union is a complicated game played by s".