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.

I'd go something like this...
2013 - RLWC
2014 - 6 Nations (Eng, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy) & 6N (Aus, NZ, PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga)
2015 - Ashes Tests down under (GB v Aus), 3N here (Eng Knights, France, NZ), 3N PI (Fiji, Samoa, PNG) & RLWC qualifiers
2016 - 4 Nations over here (Eng, France, Aus, NZ), 4N (Eng Knights, Wales, Ireland, Scotland) & 4N PI (Fiji, Samoa, PNG, Tonga)
2017 - RLWC

Obviously other countries can arrange fixtures too as they see fit. Like Russia, Cook Islands, Jamaica, USA, Serbia, etc I've not included above. 6 Nations could be changed but its more of a concept/tournament filling the end of season internationals than a certainty.

I'd like to see a set schedule for the next 4/5 years constantly so we have something to drive for. Targets, etc and so it's easier to market.

1 GB squad should be enough every four years, gives it more presence as a rare occasion but doesn't overpower individual nations making home nation games seem pointless.

I like that idea, would also mean we would only miss out on Sports England funding once every four years, which seems to have been the driving force behind them shelving GB.

By the way for anyone wishing to go to the game on Sunday a return on the train is only £13, however there is a rail replacement bus operating between Warrington and Chester. I am hoping to find a coach going to the game from Hull, £40 for an eight hour round trip for me on the train!

Sports England funding doesn't work on an annual basis like that.

I'd be suprised if the RFL manage to get allocated much Sports England funding in the next allocation. I'd imagine funding will be massively slashed and allocated to sports the whole country can get behind once every four years like rowing and equestrian.

The sooner we move back to Great Britain the better, then we would have a competitive four nations tournament to go with it and better Welsh, Irish and Scottish teams four the world cup.

Thanks Paul, in that case I can see no logical reason for refusing to bring GB back. Hopefully it will be announced some time in the new year, would be a good way of putting these conversations behind us and moving the focus to the Cup.

You mean the World Cup that Great Britain is not taking part in, and never will?

What logical reason is there for wanting to bring GB back? I don't understand why so many English fans clamor for a return to GB when it makes no difference to them. At the moment the GB team would just be England under a different name, you would just be denying Wales, Scotland and Ireland the chance to be featured regularly on a big stage, which is ludicrous considering that Ireland and soon Scotland will be independent nations. And equally, people complain about the Irish, Scottish and Welsh teams being full of English players, but the reasoning given for returning to GB would just propagate that issue. FWIW, 7 of the Welsh team that played against France were Welsh born and raised, with a couple of other guaranteed starters like Lloyd White and Rhys Williams only missing out through injury. When GB was in existence just a couple of years ago you would be lucky to get one legitimate Welsh player. And yes, that is down to hard work and development helped in part by Crusaders (who were also lambasted on here) and also by funding from the Welsh assembly (which probably wouldn't come if Wales were denied the opportunities as some on here would like), but the point still stands. You can't expect these nations to just magically produce players from nowhere, development takes time and effort and if we go on pretending that a bunch of English or Australian players running round in a certain nation's jersey represents a legitimate international scene then the sport won't get anywhere.

I know Rhys Evans stated that playing for Wales would limit his opportunities, but the answer isn't returning to GB, that just sweeps the problems under the carpet. The answer would be giving all nations a logical, fair international schedule. Since Evans said that, Wales have featured numerous times on the BBC including a match at Wembley, led just before half-time in a home international against Australia and next year will play at the Millennium Stadium in front of a global television audience, so I think his complaints were probably a little naive and unjustified (especially given that he would have been able to switch anyway had he wanted to under the current rules). I know it's in RL fans nature to complain about anything and everything, but things are going in the right direction. We just need the RLIF to rectify the eligibility laws, which is unlikely to happen until the balance of power is shifted away from the Southern Hemisphere nations that ironically most fans on this side of the world seem to idolise.

And you Sir, are obviously an intellectual of universal repute, with that stunning response!

In answer to yuor questions.
1. When was the final last played in an empty stadium?
Er, I didnt say it was played in an empty stadium, so your question is meaningless.
2. Who are the current holders?
New Zealand, everyone knows that.
3. Do you know how many Samoan players there are in RL worldwide?
No, I dont care, and whats more life is way to short to find that out.
As to your last ststement, why would it surprise me that David Solomona played for Warrington?