I do, I did and I enjoyed it. If you had watched it you would know that you certainly couldn't have described it as a non-contest.

I'm also really looking forward to the World Cup next year.

Which part of the world cup are you looking forward to?

The Titanic clash between those Rugby League Heartland Countries, Samoa v Lebanon, or Australia picking up the cup in an empty stadium?

There certainly will be some titanic clashes. Are you too young to remember Tonga V NZ at Wilderspool in 1995? For the 8,000 people there that night, it went down as one of their most memorable matches ever. I can still remember it clearly, whearas I already have trouble recalling some bits of the season just gone. As for the final - are you forgetting that NZ are the current holders? And empty stadium? The last four finals have seen crowds of 74k, 66k, 44k and 51k. Why so negative?

As I say, some of RL's worst enemies are its own "fans". All this talk of non-contests and matches being not entertaining. Well, I refer you back to the football on Friday. 85k for an utterly unappealing match. We are supposed to love RL and be proud of our tough heroes like Paul Wood who put their bodies on the line for the game they love too. And anyone who did watch yesterday would have seen the pride in the Welsh boys singing the national anthem and the enthusiasm with which they played. Yet so many "fans" just can't be bothered.

If the core RL fans really got behind the sport, it would attract more and more casual observers and help the game grow, bringing in sponsors and better TV deals. Until they do, then the very people who moan and whinge about things being not good enough are the very ones holding RL back.

I don't disagree with your sentiment SEB and i know you're passionate, i lambaste international RL, it frustrates the hell out of me but i'll still turn up and watch.

The thing is though i can fully understand our fickle fans, if the governing body can be fickle and the players can be fickle then surely you can understand why the fans are such?

You're an idiot. Go and watch a different sport.

This shows your complete and absolute lack of knowledge of RL. When was the final last played in an empty stadium? Who are the current holders? Do you know how many Samoan players there are in RL worldwide? It will probably surprise you to know that we've had one at the HJ for the past 3 years.

I was there at the NZ-Tonga match and it was one of the best atmospheres ever at Wilderspool.

We should support or chosen sport. End of.

Finally, some common sense on a thread about international RL! We are set for what could be the best world cup since the concept was introduced in 1954, and I have confidence that the team based in Media City working alongside the top marketing firm Fast Track can put together a competition that will be enjoyed by both traditional fans and people new to the sport.

Look at the game in Lens on Saturday, it wasn't the best game you will ever see and 99% of the crowd were new to the sport. They clearly didn't always understand what was going on, but they absolutely loved it. Why should the USA v Cook Islands in Bristol be any different?

We all know that rugby league is the greatest game of all and a pleasure to watch, whether it is State of Origin or Warrington Wizards v British Police on a cold afternoon at Wilderspool. So why is it that when we are presented with a brilliant opportunity to showcase our sport the people who claim to support it are first at the table to declare it is a sham and they want nothing to do with it?

We have seen what success on an international scale can do with the Olympics, Union World Cup and the Cricket Ashes. People become gripped by this new sport that isn't soccer, and suddenly you see kids on the park throwing a rugby ball about or going out and buying a cricket set. This event has such great potential, as the first major post Olympics legacy event to be held in the UK. With no international soccer this summer and the memory of Borismania fresh in everyone's mind we couldn't ask for a better time to host the contest.

Tickets are cheap, and there are some great venues. As other posters have said, seeing international football played at our own stadium is a special occasion. It looks like some of the Pacific nations could pull off a couple of surprises- take PNG for example who narrowly lost to the Prime Minister's XIII in front of a big, passionate crowd last month. They absolutely love their rugby league over there and can't wait for the world cup to get started and neither can I.

People should take their negativity to soccer where it is actually needed and leave the rest of us to enjoy the pinnacle of the greatest game of all.

Good post. These people who claim to support the game and then constantly deride it should be ashamed. I shall certainly be at several of the games next year and I also fully intend to see at least one game at Hemel too.

I agree with you, to an extent. I certainly don't want to see a repeat of the situation from the last world cup when NZ named a player in their squad, only for him then to end up in the Aus squad when another player pulled out injured. That is absolutely farcical. I am currently trying to get clarity on the eligibility rules.

Posts from Ian 77 Redux, Teessidewire, mark_m, Ganson's Optician, well said - great stuff!

I also agree GB should come back, but only for Four Nations Down Under. I'd see the calendar being something like:

Year 1: Home Nations tournament and/or Euro tournaments that can allow future expansion using different levels, maybe even including promotion / relegation! Players should be encouraged to want to represent non-Eng nations so they can shine and go on to play for GB;

Year 2: Four Nations down under. Aus / NZ / PNG and GB;

Year 3: Home / Euro nations again. Aus / NZ / Pacific Nations down under;

Year 4: Four Nations over here. Top 2 from down under (i.e. Aus/NZ) plus top 2 from Euro (i.e. Eng and France or Wales);

Year 5: World Cup, with home nations.

I don't mind players having multiple choices of nations (but would like to see it restricted to parents birthplaces rather than grandparents and residency should be much. much longer than 3 years). BUT, you should not be allowed to change your mind once you've played for a nation.

I am behind the international game also. We need it to be big for our game to grow.

I would also like to see a return of Great Britain because since they were disbanded all the prestige has disappeared from international RL.

SEB, isn't the World Cup moving to every 4 years from now on? Or have I made that up? Thought I'd heard NZ put in a bid to host it in 2017?

I'd like to see us playing the Aussies and Kiwis every 2 years so Tri-Nations GB tour of Aus/NZ, World Cup, Tri-Nations GB over here, WC, etc. We'd see GB once every 4 years and get a bi-annual chance to see some Aussie bashing. In between, home nations tournaments every other year.

Bringing back GB might stop the 17 best British players all choosing England regardless.

It would certainly add substance to choosing to play for your home nation. At the moment, you play for Scotland/Wales/Ireland you have a World Cup then three years of having a kick about on a council park.

The best way would be a GB tour/test series every four years, and a World Cup every four years, with a year in between for home/5 nations or gimmick games such as the Belfast/Lens games played this weekend.

Very refreshing to see some informed and articulate views on the international game. My idea for some time now has been to have a four year cycle as follows.

Year 1- World Cup, England.
Year 2- Tour, GB (it looks like we will be going to Australia in 2014, possibly as GB).
Year 3- Four Nations, England.
Year 4- ASHES SERIES, GB.

I think this would get the balance right between giving the speccies what they want and allowing the individual nations to develop. I couldn't help but wonder at the weekend whether Rhys Evans wished he had been playing alongside his brother in the Wales squad. At the fans forum in April he said he had elected to play for England because he wanted to be a part of the big games and play at the highest international level. If the Lions were bought back he would have the opportunity to potentially do that whilst also representing the country he was born in. You only need to look at the Ireland squad on Saturday and compare the number of recognisable names to the team that played in 2000 to see that shelving GB hasn't helped the international game.