Let's not forget that both Union and League started out as the same game. League is the game that has changed and evolved to suit the needs of players, supporters and professionalism. If it suited, then league would have 15 players, line outs and loads of kicking - but changes were made not to be different to Union but to improve the game. Meanwhile, for 100 years Union virtually remained the same. Rugby Union was definitely not a game to be considered either as a spectator sport or professional. During this time and especially in England, there was a prejudice against rugby league that kept working class people away from the toffs and that suited them fine.

Today Union is running around in circles trying to deal with the professional era and England is in the biggest mess, despite having by far the largest playing numbers and the richest Union. The biggest concern in Union is not to improve the game but to not look like or do anything that can be construed as League, and so long as that carries on they will have the only game where the main strategy involves wellying the ball off the pitch as often as they can.

I live in Bath from the moment and £38 will buy me a seat in a temporary scaffold stand without a cover at the Recreation Ground and 80 minutes of boredom, not to mention no atmosphere and a crowd more intent on yacking back Blackthorn Cider than taking any interest in the rugby. And Bath play an entertaining brand of rugby! Locally, rugby clubs in this city find it virtually impossible to raise teams at 14s 16s and 18s because the boarding schools have the monopoly (plenty of them round here) and whilst there are some exceptions in England, it is fair to say that Union is still a game for the rich and "privileged".

As for merging or hybrid versions? League is genetically too far from Union. There is no point going back into the dark ages to meet up with an unwilling and incompatible ancestor! I get the feeling that whilst they consider it fine to raid the rugby league larder for talent now and again, I don't think the Union lot are ready for the Brigantes calling in for coffee and cakes in Bath just yet!

Agreed, and this really made me giggle.....

How would the brigantes go down at Twickers during a Rah Rah international ?

That is what I was on about Dave..if we want the team feeding to get the ball to speed things up..then as I said before just award a tap penalty.

Badly.

There's one glaring fault with the idea of a hybrid game, Union can call the shots, they can adapt their game to make it more entertaining and say join us or take the high road.

Can you really see the RFL having any negotiating power if high level talks took place, we've already seen with Sam how Wigan and the governing body have to put a positive spin on something that seemed absolutely inconceivable only a few weeks back.