Good article. However, even hardcore RL fans are choosing to watch the soccer on TV rather than pootle along to Leigh, which is no great distance from any of the rugby league towns on this side of the Pennines. So while the RFL have behaved in the amateurish way I for one would expect them to behave, the lack of support for the game is still down to the RL fans themselves.

Too true and to be honest it's something I can't get my head around. The number of people moaning about the game, the RFL and who go on about the state of rugby league will choose to go to the pub and watch a bunch of overpaid prima donnas battling it out for a ridiculous winning bonus before going back to their mind boggling salaries, 5-bedroom detached houses and Aston Martins.

That's a fair point, but still, why put the game up against such competition, when there's really no need for it? The Wigan & Saints boards, along with SKY, were quick enough to change our fixture because it was coming up against some footy game or other.

It's not as if the SL programme has been put on hold for the international, so why couldn't it have been held, say, a week or two earlier?

Did anyone hear the RFL media manager on GMR last night? He got some stick but his points were quite valid.

The game was arranged well before the world cup was sorted. The RFL get stick for throwing the games in at short notice so they planned this one in advance! (Personally thing that hosting it during the world cup dates was silly tho!!

They tried to move the kick off to the afternoon but sky schedules wouldnt allow(Presume its the Yawnion on then!!)He then said that if we cant get 10,000 people from Wigan, leigh, Warrington, St Helens, Salford, Widnes etc wanting to watch the national team knowing they have a good 45mins to get home to watch the football then somethings wrong! (In a way I think hes right but thats relying on the die hards to turn up. I think We should be making it easy for everyone to get to by removing excuses/barriers!)

He also pointed out that all the clubs playing friday had the choice to move their game at the start of the season knowing the fixtures would mean players being missing!

On a side, wish I could have got odds on no Bradford player being in the 17!! Hes not as daft as we all think that McNamara!!

I have to simply admit that this game does not in any way excite me.

It’s the main reason I won’t be attending but other factors such as the Wigan playing the following day and it being showed live on TV have all contributed to my apathy.

I just can’t get excited to see England pummel a very poor French side.

Now if it would have been England vs a SL select team at a half decent stadium i'd be all over it.

Just listening to it on listen again and he was spot on. Shame more 'fans' don't know the exact situation and circumstances.

Ive said that!! Bridge isnt and never will be international class!!

Bridge is by far Englands most gifted centre.

He's having a stormer for Wire this season.

Wonder who the British players are that Sam Burgess was talking about. Moves to the NRL in the not too distant future according to him on GMR.

My thoughts exactly. The football is nothing to do with my decision not to go, in fact it would make me more likely to go just to avoid the footy.

If the teams had been more equally matched (either, as you suggest, by playing a stronger side than a weakened France, or by McNamara including more "prospects" instead of the usual suspects), I'd probably have gone.

If we drew Whitehaven or Leigh in the cup would you go?

Yes.

I'm quite happy to admit to being a Wigan supporter first, and England second.

Even though the teams wouldn't be equally matched?

It’s not the same situation.

The cup serves a purpose this game doesn’t.

There is nothing riding on this game at all and we won’t learn anything from it.