Thats because the RFU pays the clubs handsomely for the privilege, out of the proceeds of packed out international stadiums.

Having said that the biggest obstacle to this would be lack of interest for the Aussies.

What is in it for them? The NRL is going from strength to strength and they have the best league in the world. If you take players out of that, what is the prize on offer? To test themselves against the might of GB/England and see if they can win the Ashes?

It would be the equivalent of telling the SL clubs they had to lose England players for a few weeks of the season to play an international series in France. Would the benefits of proving ourselves best in Europe against the French, be worth sacrificing players from the domestic competition? Because thats how the Aussies will see playing us.

Warrington players having a great game in this afternoon's match. France seem to be kicking a lead ball.

Nice of Hock to get MOM just so the BBC can ask him about his alleged move to Parramatta.

He had a poor game and was nowhere near the best player on the pitch.

The pitiful crowd did not prove you right to not go - expecting the crowd to be poor should not be a reason not to go. However you do have a point about the mis-matches - sadly these games are not doing much to improve international RL credibility.



They didn't. They went to SA as part of the preperations for RLWC2013. The team needs to spend as much time together as it can so that when the big games against Aus and/or NZ come round, they are ready. It was interesting to see the Warrington players comment on how things they did in Aus in January were still in their mind before and during the Grand Final in October. These intensive training camps can do so much to prepare players individually and as a team for big events.

It is a great shame that the otherwise successful inclusion in SL of Catalans has not helped (yet) produce a more competitive France team and obviously it's extremely dissapointing we don't currently have a Welsh team at all in SL. But I still don't see the current and recent weaknesses as reasons to give up. International RL does have a place and it can be successful with a bit of tweaking. And I'm convinced RLWC2013 is going to be a good event with mostly competitive matches.

hmmm, I see England hammered Fiji today in that other type of rugby. A one-sided, meaningless game - surely no-one bothered to turn up, right? Er, hang on, this must be wrong. I've just looked it up and apparently 81,000+ were at Twickers! If only RL had fans like that! Then we'd get more attention, more money, more sponsors, more attention, more money, more players, better facilities, more money, more attention etc. Many RL fans moan about what is provided for them and about how the game is run - if only they'd turn up to games then perhaps they'd have less to moan about?

Maybe the fact that one-sided meaningless games are very infrequent in RU leads to more people caring about the national side, and therefore turning up like we would for a wire match against a team (I know we don't get 81k but you see my point).