Hope and pray its true! Was brought up on wanting to beat the Aussies for the Ashes

Superb news if true, thought it was strange there was no scheduled tournament pencilled in for 2015.

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... on-as-2015

www1.skysports.com/rugby-league/ ... on-as-2015

This is all smoke and mirrors. It is highly unlikely that a single non-England player will be in any Great Britain side.

Not even Scotland's Danny Brough?

[iScotland's[/i Danny Brough?

While that is probably true at present (though some of the Welsh lads playing in SL might appear in the squad by then) the reintroduction of GB would mean that players who had represented Wales, Scotland and Ireland via grandparents rule and then jumped ship to England to play the Aussies and NZ wouldn't need to do that anymore. They could qualify to play for GB by playing for their adopted nation and so would have less incentive to switch to England. They could stick with their adopted country and still get a chance to play against the big teams under the GB banner.

To use an example James Roby and Rob Burrow have only played for England/GB (when it existed). Both are hookers and squad regulars. Michael McIlorum played for Ireland, Daryl Clark played for Scotland. Ireland and Scotand never play the Antipodean nations except in World Cups. England play them most years. McIlorum and Clark will now not play for Ireland or Scotland and will instead compete with Roby and Burrow for an England place so they can play the top nations. Two of those four won't get a game for England, Clark is probably number 4 in the pecking order so he won't play in the World Cup as he would rather miss out now in hope of getting a Four Nations game next year or in 2016. So without GB to qualify for Clark doesn't play in a World Cup (his choice, I know) as England are his only option for top level RL. Scotland (and Ireland) are weaker as the likes of Clark, Brough etc would rather miss out now for England in the hope of playing v Aus next year.

If by playing for Scotland (or Ireland or Wales) a player can stake their place for an Ashes series squad without having to get past the likes of Roby, Sam Tomkins or Ryan Hall to do it then they will stick with and strengthen the other home nations teams. Maybe then Scotland and Ireland, like Wales did, can earn themselves a spot in the Four Nations when it is up here, then as well as making a claim for a GB place the likes of Clark could get a game against the very best for their adopted nation too without having to displace the England regulars in order to play in that game.

Could this finally be the return of Great Britain! Please please please please!

The international pinnacle of the game to return? Let's hope so.

It was barmy to get rid of it in the first place. Would Union get rid of Lions Tours? Not on your nelly.

If they announce an Ashes Series to be held down under in 2015 I will be cracking open the piggy bank!

if it goes ahead it will be in the southern hemisphere.

It's exactly what is needed and shouldn't have been got rid of in the first place. It should have run alongside the Tri/4 Nations comps

I know im in the minority but Ashes tour once every 4/5 years and the rest of time keep the home nations. So pretty much what RU do. Keep GB as something special

Agreed. I'd like to see a 4 year schedule of:
2013 - World Cup
2014 - 4 Nations (as England in NH)
2015 - Ashes (as GB obviously)
2016 - 4 Nations (as England in SH)
2017 - World Cup

Plus I'd like a mid-season 5 Nations of England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland & France based on the RU 6 Nations format. I know it's more games for the top players but if the Exiles games are done away with that saves 2. So a mid-season 5 Nations would only actually add 2 games to the schedule. I also understand the gap between England and the rest but that should narrow a bit with the return of GB and the only way it'll narrow further is for the teams to play each other.