About as farcical as wanting your team to lose to Salford so they didn't have to play Saints in the GF oops

If we can pick the Aussies, we might as well. Although I'm strongly against it.

I don't see why we can't make a blanket rule.


To qualify you either have to:

Have been born there

or

Lived there for 10 years consecutively



Surely this rule makes clear sense and can't upset many?

We’ve always had a massive downer on it in rugby league but it’s part and parcel of international sport now whether we like it or not. The Aussies have had a huge player pool to choose from for as long as I’ve watched the game, yet that’s never stopped them picking Fijians, Samoans and nipping in to get the odd player in front of the Kiwis.

The only thing I’d ask is that when we pick players of heritage then they’re in absolute top form and they’re definitely better then what we have. I’ve said above I think that applies to Hastings without doubt and Coote also (although I guess this will be a one off if we go back to England next year) but I’m not sure it does with Austin. Is he better than Lomax or Williams? Debatable IMO (and he’s got no form behind him) and I don’t think we need to overload the squad with heritage players.

No idea why Austin is in when he's been injured, has no form and we are covered for quality in the half backs already.

On the subject of people moaning about non GB or english born players being picked and how badly it reflects on RL. Take your head out of the sand and look around at every other inter ational sport,. Every england team has kiwi, south african, pacific islanders and has done for years. Almost half the cricet team were south african at one point.

This isn't a reason to knock RL. Same as criticising refs isnt a resaon to knock RL, every sport has problems justifying why a ref or video ref gets a decision wrong. Just look at the amount of umpiring decisions incorrectly called in the Ashes - and also those incorrectly called by the Aussie captain too!

I don't know why people are so he'll bent on moaning first instead of being positive. It's a big reason why as a sport we are shrinking.

I’ve been waiting a lifetime to see us beat the Aussies in a series or World Cup , if and when we do I don’t want them saying we only did it because we had Australians in our team. I’d rather keep losing to be honest

A little luckier than you as I have seen GB win 2 Ashes series, once in England(1952) and the other in Aus.(1970).

Cannot see any more series wins in my remaining lifetime!

I’m not sure you know. They’ll always be favourites but if we had a three match series over here with them at the moment, I don’t think we’re that far behind. I cannot remember a time where we’ve been able to pick 6 quality halfbacks in a squad and not know which two will start. I also don’t remember a time that our squad looks as strong as it does even though top class players like Sam Burgess, Sean O’Loughlin, Tommy Makinson etc have had to pull out.

We’ve an Ashes series scheduled for next season. I’d love to think they’ll be played on cold November nights and even though the Aussies always have class coming through, they may just feel the retirements of the likes of Slater, Thurston, Cronk and Smith more than we’d imagine. Clearly Tedesco, Keary, Cherry-Evans and Cook are no mugs but are they up to that level or do they hold that same fear factor? I’m not sure they do. We’ve said it all before mind.

Yep - Darren Lockyer retiring was once meant to be the start of our glory years . . . . .

We have. And we’ve also said exactly what I’m about to say too; we are getting closer to Australia, I’d even argue in the forwards we’re streets ahead and have been for quite some time.

Yes, and there were those on here bemoaning our purchasing of players, which has been far from perfect, and saying we should be more like Leeds.

I think the Australians will get weaker over time due to the amount of Polynesians playing in the juniors and reserve grades who will pick New Zealand or one of the Island nations over Australia.

South Sea Islanders have been playing in the NRL and their children born in Australia will elect to play for the Kangaroos.
Some now do and others play for their island of Origin. The numbers playing Rugby League in Aus is so massive that I can't see them becoming weaker anytime in the near future.

How on earth is Jackson Hastings British? answers on a postcard