2010 Four Nations - New Zealand
2009 Four Nations - Australia
2008 World Cup - New Zealand
2007 NZ/ENG - England
2006 Tri Nations - Australia
2005 Tri Nations - New Zealand
2004 Tri Nations - Australia

So, what would an all-star/other nationalities/all-golds/Cadbury's Smash RFL 13 look like then, player wise?

But you seem to be missing the point that everyone else is making. It is the get-together that is important. It is the players being around each other.

The game itself wont help a bit. And by staging it they are removing tests v wales and france, and limiting the get together to a very small number of people.

there are negative things in staging the game.

The game itself will be a waste of time. You'll end up with a host of players "picking up niggles" the round before and an England team playing a largely uninterested "Overseas XIII" in front of a largely apathetic crowd.

I agree with the above poster that exposing British players to a more intense Super League is the way forward. In the NRL, if you don't play at 100%, you get beat - that's the attitude we need. Personally, I would cut SL back to 12 teams (including a French and Welsh franchise), bring in a harsher quota system to weed out "journeymen" players and actively encourage better use of the limited talent pool that we have (ie, get players playing quality, rather than quantity). It's not healthy to have a competition where teams can win matches whilst playing in third gear, simply because the league is trying to stretch too few players across too many teams.

Longer term, we need to look at improving standards in the "home nations". At the moment, the Aussies are too good for us but we're too good for France, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Logistically internationals against the southern hemisphere teams in mid-season aren't workable so, IMO, getting a worthwhile "five nations" style comp should be the long-term aim.

Any Five Nations competition needs to be stuck with and funded well if it is going to work. The RFL cannot simply do it for 5 years, then think it isn't working and start something else. It needs proper commitment, there needs to be a break in SL play, and players who used to play for Scotland, Wales and Ireland in World Cups long ago need to be asked (and paid) to return to give the teams a little quality. If Ireland field a team of Plastic Paddy's and Aussies, they're fine to do so, if it means them teaching the youngsters of Ireland, and giving England a good game.

Very much agree with this

Rather than playing an ‘other Nations’ – which on paper would be a tough match but I feel would suffer through player and club apathy – we should concentrate on building competitive Home Nations fixtures, initially with Wales and France and then with Ireland and Scotland

Of course England will win these games comfortably at this point in time but the England squad will benefit through additional time together and it will raise the profile of the sport in the other nations

Australia have State of Origin – we don’t... so what! Neither do New Zealand but they don’t seem to have any problems beating Australia in high pressure matches

Continually increase the standard of Super League and allow the elite players time together as a squad with the right resources and England RL will improve

Talks of a Five Nations are laughable. France and Wales are miles behind England, and Scotland and Ireland are even further. Scotland and Ireland can barely muster a crowd of 1,000 (if at all). Stick with the European Cup and the Four Nations for this. Wales and France will be best served playing each other to aid their development as they are a similar standard. France have proven they can draw in the crowds. Having England flog them will do for little for anyone.

You could say it would expose them to 'higher intensity competition'

the reason we play Wales and France is because its international competition. Its what we are 'building' for.


Of course France and Wales should play each other and the teams of a similar level more for competitive purposes. And they do. But they need games against us, Australia and NZ and expose them to a high level of competition. Not as some kind of bridging game like playing an England B side.

if we want international competetion England have to play Wales,France etc but not mid-season

why not something like a Yorks v Lancs or similar mid-season if we have to play anything at that time ?

Except we're not teaching children, we're talking about international RL and it doesn't work that way.

Couldn't see a thread on it anyway so please do correct me if there is... Came across these articles today about England having a summer game against a selected Super League Allstars team. www.rugbyleaguetoday.co.uk/engla ... all-stars/ & here... www.loverugbyleague.com/news_474 ... -test.html Good idea, bad idea? Personally it sounds like a promising project!

Couldn't see a thread on it anyway so please do correct me if there is... Came across these articles today about England having a summer game against a selected Super League Allstars team. www.rugbyleaguetoday.co.uk/engla ... all-stars/ & here... www.loverugbyleague.com/news_474 ... -test.html Good idea, bad idea? Personally it sounds like a promising project!

We've been far too busy talking about finances, shares, overseas players, quotas etc to keep a rugby league topic on the front page