Yes a good few years ago but I think its worth another look

it was tried a few years back...we played hudds at w.spool on a saturday to give players the necessary time to prepare for the game...sure cullen was coach and lancs got walloped....sure only 6 people turned and they all left at h.t

Problem wasn't with the fans it was with the players dropping out "injured" left, right and centre.

To me it could work but it would have to be done cast iron 100% that selection for the England team for the end of season Four (Tri) Nations tournament would be 90% based upon performances in the "War of the Roses" games.

Also make players withdraw from the weekend before set of fixtures if selected and play the game on a Wednesday.

If fans thought/knew they were to see a full-blooded contest there would be no problem pulling a crowd. I went a couple when they re-ignited it not long back but soon gave up on it in the face of player apathy.

I don't think the 90% thing would work, fella.

I remember the last game that was played at Origin level, I'm sure the Sky team said something about there being only one extra place available for the GB train on squad so there were about 10-15 guys all vying for a single place.

better idea


Get the 2 best coaches


Coach 1 picks any full back he wants
coach 2 then picks another full back

Coach 2 then picks a winger
coach 1 then follows

so on and so on.


The picks would be like picking a team at school in a P.E. lesson
it could be shown live at sky in a really cool program


No idea how you'd work out allegiances
don't care either because it's just as pointless as Lancs v Yorks
Would be a good game but pointless

maybe the next two candidates for the England job. Winner gets the job.

so it would be saints vs leeds?

oi, do you want david kidwell to knock you out?

This could, quite comfortablt be replaced by an England probables v possibles. Truly a Test trial that would guarantee intensity and players keen to play, not like the drab affair that Origin degenerated into. In fact, on reflection, that last series was nothing short of pathetic.

Its a non starter under the present system we have in this country due to the shear amount of games that we play, we have just added 2 more teams to super league which means we now have a 26 game competition plus the play off games, we also have the challenge cup and we have the 4 nations cup at the end of the year.

We are struggling to fit international games into the season so you have no chance of fitting in a 3 game Origin type series into the schedule.

We have had a lot more injuries to players in recent times and a lot of them niggling injuries will be down to shear wear and tear on the body due to the number of games played by our top players in this country, in the NRL they play nowhere near the amount of games that our players have to play and they don`t have a domestic first grade cup competition like the challenge cup.

Where would the London based players like Louie Mccarthy Scarsbrook and Tony Clubb fit into the equasion of a Lancashire v Yorkshire game if your saying this game is a trial for the England team ?

Anyway it aint going to happen under the present structure, our top players play too many games as it is.

let's have a one off over the Christmas period West v East

England v SL Based Antipodeans would be a far greater draw than a 'Roses' clash. Play the game on the Wednesday night before the Spring Bank Holiday (the second Bank Holiday in May). The full round of SL games should be played on the Friday and Saturday the weekend before, and every game should be played on the Bank Holiday Monday the weekend after. Perhaps the Crusaders/Dragons fixture could remain on a Saturday.

English players who declare themselves unavailable for the fixture, yet play both weekends before and after the 'international' should not be considered for selection for the full internationals at the end of the season.

You've lost me here. League games are almost identical and the CC will be a maximum of four games. The playoffs are the same, the only real difference is the four nations, but surely that is countered by the Origin and Anzac tests.

It is for the fixture planners to sort out, but there is a requirement to match up and truly test our present test incumbents.

I was referring to our top players and how many games they play, in the NRL they will play 2 rounds less than SL and more often than not a lot of our top players will go all the way to Wembley, thats potentially 6 games more for quite a few of our top players which is a lot given the nature of this sport.

Should be based on the alphabet

Surnames begining with A-M vs Surnames begining with N-Z