Got to hand it to the yawnion lot, they certainly know how to organise a proper tour.

Its got me feeling that I would love to see the GB Lions on a similar tour with a decent amount of warm up games before hitting Aus & NZ in a proper test environment - especially with the level of coverage that they are currently receiving.

Wouldn't it be fantastic if the RL could sort out a full itinary instead of the truncated one warm up and off you go shambles that seems to be the norm these days?

1992 was the last time we did it. The good old days.

Problem is in league that our 'midweek' side would be slaughtered by the provincial Australian sides. Our first team would then lose all the tests and we'd be wondering why we've spent two months messing about in Australia.

My memory was telling me that the "Midweek" team won all of their matches in 1992.
Not by many, but a win's a win!

A quick scout of t'internet confirms that and also a £244,000 profit!
rlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1992_Great_Britain_Lions_tour_of_Australasiarl

We did lose to Parramatta, but that was the first choice selection!

Blimey, 21 years ago. Feels like, well, not 21 years ago.

The 1992 tour was without doubt a terrific tour we did 5weeks and the test win at Melbourne was something else it was just great mixing with all the rugby fans we met people from Hull and still meet up with them at Finals etc

The Melbourne test win in 1992 was the highlight of ALL my years of watching Rugby League. The Wigan six pack, the conga around the stadium, beer on the cornflakes in the morning after the game , the bleary eyed flight up to the Gold Coast.

If we are going to be serious about International Rugby League we should have a four or five week window in the season and do tours every four year (alternate two years with the aussies coming over here). We could ditch the Magic and Exiles games, that gets rid of two weekends, and the clubs would be forced to use their younger players on the other two.

The play off system would then have some substance for keeping it.

Sadly we have many fans who don't want to or can't see the value of International RL.

It would also give fans four years to save for the tours.

i would go for this option rogues too

Yeah the buildup on BBC and Sky for the RU tour has been pretty impressive, proffessionally organised
and very careful not to make the UK public aware that RU in Oz is a pretty small sport. I'm sure most people here
think it has the same depth and coverage over there as it does here. Thats clever marketing.

Talking about marketing, the Saints boss was on tv a few months ago saying that people at Red Hall had to be held responsible for the marketing fiasco of our game (no sponsers, Cash-free sponsering last season etc). Then the new replacement for Lewis said very similar things, and it had to be sorted out.

Maybe I've missed something but I can't recall ever hearing about anything happening.

I had a brief look at the new BT Sport currently running previews on Sky channel 413. It seems to cover every sport
known to man except, yep, RL.

Has BT really started a brand new sports channel with no RL involvment ?

As I said previously, I may have missed something, I've only just returned from overseas, please, someone tell me
I Have missed something.

I'd be quite happy with this although see no reason to ditch the magic weekend although I'd guess the NRL teams would only release the likes of Graham, Burgess and Cooper for the test matches but I'd live with this to see it happen.

The problem would be / is getting the Aussies to buy into it, and I don't know how we solve that. I've spent so much time and a fortune on beer discussing it. However if a "normal" fan like me can see what needs to be done (and yes there are problems / issues) why oh why can't the likes of Nigel Wood see it. Oh for a Maurice Lindsay.

I love this game, and am one of the lucky ones who have seen us beat the Aussies in a series. Before I go to that great Central Park in the sky I want to see us do it at least one more time.

Even better get the Kangaroos to tour over here.

They would hang draw and quarter our SL teams but imagine the attraction of having the Kangaroos, even their 'midweek' team, playing in our stadiums.

I would pay handsomely for the privilege of watching the Green and Gold stick 50 points past Warrington at the HJ.

A

It's easily done every four years the season ends earlier to allow the touring team to have warm up games before a three test series, playing a combined team first up from those not involved in the play offs with the first test two weeks after the GF