Not trying to pick a fight, Yed, but I quite like the prospect of a England v Knights "battle"
It'll be the equivalent of a rah-rah Probables v Possibles game, and give the chance for some of the "less fancied/fashionable" players to put one over their more illustrious counterparts.

I mean, apart from Roby and Graham (and possibly Rat Boy), who are the England players that are "nailed-on" for a Test match jersey for the World Cup, in 16 months time. Not many, I'd wager.

Just imagine the motivation for some-one to put one over on an International non-aciever like Sinfield, in this context, and hopefully put his International "career" in the bin.

We've had several "big name" players in the past couple of decades (Sinfield, Connolly, Radlinski to name just 3), who've had oustanding SL/Championship careers, but their International "contributions" have been "unacceptable" (just to escape the swear filter).

This concept could be the making of a young lad, and consign the career of a non-achiever, to history.


Let's take the chance.
If we're embarrassed by the concept, play it behind closed doors. BUT, WE NEED A CHANGE. We're just stagnating, picking the usual faces

Lefty:

That'd be fine except for two big points, 1) that's not how the Exiles was marketed and not what it's designed to do. It's meant to be a trial for the England team, to toughen them up to face Australia and make them a competitive side, not to try out youngsters to see who should be selected. I too support the idea of the Knights, but as the rah rahs use the Saxons, they're clearly a B team, where a few can be promoted to the first team, but not a group who should have a raft of players promoted as we did today.

2) Do you really think McBanana is going to surprise us with his selections? Until the RFL selects a real coach, and invests in proper coaching set up, rather than promoting never-has-beens directly into the head job and actually puts pressure on the English set up to pick the BEST players then we won't see any improvement. The fact that there are so many Leeds players in the first team, when they've been so awful this season, and someone like Ryan Atkins was overlooked which promoted almost no comment, shows how amateur the international set up is in England.

Add to that the influence Sky and the clueless buggers there have on our game and you can see why this concept (which I think's a good one in principle) is falling flat on its backside.

I hear what your saying, WITB, but unfortunately, the England on show tonight, clearly couldn't give a ####. It was obvious that some of them treated it as a glorified training session. The non-attempt to put any pressure on that up'n'under, with 10 mins to go, was laughable, and showed the game for what it was...non commital. Even Kear said England players weren't prepared to "bend their backs". They obviously couldn't be ar5ed, tonight

If, for example, a half decent Knights player, outshone Sinfield, in an England v Knights, it puts pressure on that useless plop MacBanana to drop a "golden-boy", and play the Knights player in future England games.

The Knights DO have good players, and it's time they were blooded. A surprise could easily happen. As I've said previously, bar Roby, Graham and RatBoy, we're not exactly over-run with "assured" quality

TBH, we have a "DEAD-DUCK" international series, at the end of this season (England, France and Wales) WHAT A WASTE. This could have been the time for a
England v Exiles series (and not break up the regular SL season), or
England v Knights series, and we get to see some established players, get their "cumuppence"

I have some suggestions.

End of season
Four year cycleMid-season
Have an England v England game. That could be England first team v England Knights, or a proper trial game where you pit a mixture of experience/name/reputation with inexperience on either side. There could be two games. One around the same time as the ANZAC test, one around the same time as SoO2 or SoO3.


I think the England v Exiles concept is a good idea, but it needs to be taken much more seriously than it was this year. It was a glorified training game for many of the England players. It needs more of a prestigious feel to it, so make it a proper series. Exiles will always be able to field a good team, and making it and end of season series players will look ahead to that over the course of two seasons and play towards it.

Our game needs a good international game for it to succeed. I personally think a lot of prestige has disappeared from our international game with the disappearance of Great Britain. I've lost count of the amount of times I've heard someone say, either our lads or the Aussies, on Super League's Super Men that either playing [ifor[/i or [iagainst[/i Great Britain was the pinnacle of their career.
For me I'd love to see a three game test tour to Australia where Great Britain play Queensland in week 1, New South Wales in week 2 and Australia in week 3. but I don't think there's ever going to be anything like that.

It's a good idea in concept but it just doesn't work, it doesn't stir up anything in me at all, dull dull dull.

Low partisan crowds watching a glorified training session, and i must also say embarrassing that a load of 2nd rate and ex test players are better than our best.

One problem with end of season games is that most of the exiles take trips down under as soon as their club fixtures are completed

Well if i had wanted to watch paint dry i could have just repainted my bathroom. Sky will do anything to try and fill a spare tv slot mid week

One word to describe that game last night...

Embarrasing.

I'll be honest and say I haven't watched any of the games this year (not through lack of interest just the way it turned out.)

But looking from afar I fear this is another idea that will be binned in true RL style before it has had a chance to develop or even be given a chance. I think what the Exiles approach highlights is the lack a strategy at the RFL - is there actually a plan around the Exiles how to develop the concept etc?

Given, Australia and NZ didn't want to play us this year I'm not sure what other alternative there was. It should also be remembered that it is one of the few opportunities for the RFL to generate some revenue.

I think the Exiles games should be marketed on Sky as Super League All Star week - with an Exiles game being the crescendo - you could have a series of magazine style programmes to find who is the best goalkicker, quickest, strongest etc. Base it in London and play the Exiles game there - have an open training camp with the England and Exiles squads in Hyde Park. Hype the thing and it also feeds your expansion strategy.

Do that for Years 1,2 and 3. Years 4 and 5 the aim should be to expand into a 3 game series.

The fact that it isn't as good as the Australian SOO should have no impact on whether people go - my favourite sport is motor racing, the BTCC is the best supported national series in this country by a mile but the overall standard of drivers and teams is poor to very average especially when compared to DTM, V8 Supercars or even WTCC - it doesn't stop 30k people going to watch every other weekend.

I think the international game needs Great Britain to make a comeback.

It would strenghten the home nations.

You coluld still play for Ireland, Scotland and Wales but also still have the opportunity to play for GB against the Aussies and Kiwis.

who thought of the bright idea to put it on the same day as SOO3 really made it look even duller especially as i watched the full match of SOO3 before the exiles match and probably made a dull game even duller!

one bright point was ratch got the opportunity to show what he can do shame he shares the position with ratboy! however from the showing he gave last night he deserves a shot in his more comfortable position in the halves.

and i must say i am intrigued by the elite vs knights concept could be similar to what NSW use the city vs country game for and would have at least a little competition IF they knew it was genuinely used to pick players for the world cups 4nations etc

It doesn’t work! There’s no passion for the players or the fans. Ditch it, as a bad idea, for a start it’s a crap time to have the games, just before the CC semi-finals, and at a critical time for the play-off standings. Why not have the games after the GF, it could be the battle of the coaches, The winning coach from the GF gets to pick a side from all SL players available, Steve Smacknamara picks his England side, and the other chooses his from what’s left. The GF coach’s team gets the support from that coach’s following plus the ones who don’t like McNamara. It also puts pressure on McNamara to prove what a great coach he is!

Rock 'n' Roll.

I am here on holidays from Australia and I actually enjoyed the experience. No the standard was not good but I am glad I went for several reasons. It was good to see Beaver go around one more time even if he is 38 and well past it.

Joel Monhagan is still a quality winger and would make it into most NRL sides.

I don't understand why, after promoting the game as a serious competition, the English Rugby League then fiddled around with selections instead of picking their best team and going all out to win. Surely that sent sent the message to the English players that it was more of a selection trial.

IMO the only way this thing will work is if the fans know it is going to be a fair dinkum game and not an exhibition match. That would have to start with picking the most competetive English team possible and making this series a priority over club matches. If that can't be done then it won't work.

I would have thought losing that game was worse for English rugby league than any benifits in blooding young players. Surely it is a game England could have won with their best players totally motivated.

It took an Australian to state the problem with this. Everything MeatyMeaty says is true. It is marketed as a big deal but England play a second rate side. It is the second game of a 2 game series. Whats the point? Surely you need to have a 1 or 3 game series? Then you can guarantee that someone will actually bloody win the thing.

Jackpot. Can we get you to write a letter to the RFL?