To explain the advantage of finishing higher up the league I've used last seasons play off games for Wigan and Leeds.

Round 1.
Both Wigan and Leeds win their respective home ties.

Round 2.
Wigan - Because Wigan finished higher up the league than Leeds, they have a bye into the semi - final.

Leeds - away tie at Catalans

Semi Final
Because Wigan finished higher up the league than Leeds Wigan have home advantage.

Wigan just didn't capitalise on their obvious advantage.

Now where is that 6 pack. I need a lie down.

Unbelievable.

The only thing enthralling about it was how static it was compared to the match on Friday night. I think I watched it in a pall of disbelief, while sitting inert on our couch.

I mean we all know that RU is essentially a different game, but even by normal RU standards, nothing seemed to be happening. Conditions were poor, I'd agree, but how can those two teams justify a game in which neither side appeared to have any kind of visible attack strategy. In RL, you commence your assault upon your opponents' line the moment you gain possession. You can't always make it from one end of the field to the other in six tackles, but the tactics are overtly offensive. In RU - certainly at international level, and definitely in that game - vast swathes of the match seem to get bound up in tedious midfield rucking and mauling, tit-for-tat kicking for touch and of course a fog of technical penalties, which are the only thing that ever seem to be a deciding factor.

Mind you, 10 out of 10 to their marketing people for managing to brainwash people like your mate into thinking they are watching something exciting.

And you seem to be intent on ignoring the fact they got two bites at the cherry. Yes playing Wigan would be harder than playing Wakefield, but the advantage of winning that game is greater and the negative of losing it is lesser. Les Catalans win the progress to the elimination semi-final, Leeds win they progress to the preliminary semi-final. Les Catalans lose they go through to the preliminary semi-final, Leeds lose they are out. A game they lost. Les Catalans lost and still got the home advantage, leeds won and didn’t. Why you are insisting on pretending that getting an opportunity to progress directly to the elimination semi-final is worse than not getting that opportunity, getting two bites of the cherry is worse than getting only one, and home advantage having lost game is worse than not getting home advantage even after winning a game I don’t know.


No it isnt.

A top 5/6 system puts the team finishing top straight into a home semi with a 2nd home semi if they lose. The top 8 system doesn't even guarentee the team finishing top a semi final never mind 2 home semi finals