Amen brother..!
On the VT some Oldham fan thinks the Challenge Cup is dying..Funny that as they got 80 odd stuck on them...!

I actually think the BBC coverage is good these days, apart from John Kear inventing the name Carl Hall on the wing and saying it about twenty times.

Balding, Morgan, Noble, Hunter-Paul, Davies are a good blend, although I'm still bitter that Davies gets well paid but clearly doesn't watch any RL other than the games he is a pundit on.

Dave Woods did his best to correct him, but gave up in the end.

Indeed I agree, however when the BBC shows RL a lot of people watch it who rarely (or never) watch the sport, so it makes sense to want the BBC to do a good job of it. I'm at uni and watched the game with two lads I live with, both of whom are southern softies used to watching kick and clap. They both pointed out that John Kear sounded like a stereotypical Yorkshireman, and commented on the fact that we had to change channels make it pretty clear the BBC isn't interested in sport.

Surely we should all agree that the BBC should do a good job of their coverage to help change folk's stereotypical view of the sport?

how do u know he does`nt watch any rugby league...and i `d like to bet he knows more about any rugby than you

come on now, be fair, it was john kear who kept referring to the former leeds, bradford and donny winger, not dave woods

Exactly mate. Only the Beeb have the coverage to do that.

Apart from having to change channels, I thought it wasn't bad. The studio analysis was far better than Sky & Claire Balding is really enthusiastic about the game - good interview with Alfie Thomas @ the end as well.

What is intrinsically wrong with John Kear being a Yorkshireman, though? Like them or not, many people involved in rugby league are from Yorkshire, I don't think it's something we should be a shamed of. If that offends some people down south, that's their own problem. Considering there was Robbie Paul, Jonathan Davies, Clare Balding, Justin Morgan covering the game as well, you can hardly say there wasn't a range of people from different backgrounds.

I find it sad when RL fans consider being Northern something to be ashamed of, it certainly isn't something we can get away from.

I blame the broadband advert.

I think the BBC have really improved their coverage over the last few years and Clare Balding has been a great addition to the team as she appears to be genuinely enthusiastic about the sport and has picked up a decent appreciation of the game itself, enough to ask some good questions and provoke interesting conversation. It was a refreshing change to have an aerial shot of the pitch too - a very small thing but it showed a bit of extra effort. Given that the change in channels allowed the discussion to be shown in full rather than on the red button as in previous years, it wasn't all negative.

We very much need exposure by the BBC. So many people have come into the game by watching the Challenge Cup that it is vitally important the RFL don't act like idiots and walk away from the BBC but instead negotiate good terms for future coverage.

Does anyone know if brian noble might possibly have a job in the pipeline?

Something to do with halifax and consultancy?

i don't think claire balding mentioned it yesterday, or today for that matter.