Thoughts on this interview?! I can see were he's coming from but I can't say I was that bothered about the result?! Is that bad? I don't know whether it was because the team they put out was more or less a second string. McBanana said it's a chance to play the youngsters but isn't that what the England Knights team is for? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/18720224 **Edited - My apologises**

Thoughts on this interview?! I can see were he's coming from but I can't say I was that bothered about the result?! Is that bad? I don't know whether it was because the team they put out was more or less a second string. McBanana said it's a chance to play the youngsters but isn't that what the England Knights team is for? www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/18720224 **Edited - My apologises**

For whatever reason there doesn't seem to be much apetite for Rugby league internationals. Its a shame really as it should be the pinnacle.

I personally think the RFL have been moving things forward with attractive ticket offers, and free shirts etc, but the punters don't seem to turn out. A wednesday night fixture won't have helped.

There is also the issue of clubs, and players call ups decimating them. Its difficult to say to clubs you can only pay 20 or so fulltime players, then take a large chunk of them away for a mid-week international, and not expect them be a bit annoyed

Suit boy Wilkin moaning again. Surprise surprise.

Maybe at club level Wilkin & Co could change their mentality about crumbling in Grand Finals. Just a thought. But he busies and distracts his mind from their own failings onto how certain players celebrate.

Leader.

Also, its John Wilkin

You mean Jon Wilkin?

Anyway I agree with him 100%. However one of the most disapointing aspect about last nights game was the half d attitude of the players. McNamara gave them a chance to prove why they should displace some of the established England players and to be honest only Carvell, Ratchford and Mossop looked like they could be bothered.

Danny Brough kicked on the last in the second half and there was no pressure what so ever applied to Menzies, he had all the time in the world to catch that ball and there was 3 maybe 4 England players stood right next to him watching.

It was at this point I turned it off.

The problem is the RFL want instant results and when they don't get them they change the format.

There used to be
Roses match
anglo french
exiles

Same with millenium magic, the chop and change every couple of years. Despite the challenge cup not attracting fans in the qualifying rounds it still manages to pull fans for Wembley despite the change in the time of year, the years of moving around whilst wembley was redeveloped etc.

None of these have been given time to bed in and get the fans on board. They just expect you to turn up and hand over your wedge. The state of origin started off slowly but look at that now, even though the qualifying criteria has gone out of the window

A half-strength England side, playing against a made up concept on a Wednesday night in a town with zero interest in rugby league? They did well to convince 7,000 it would be worth watching

Was that game an international last night?

Really?

Why should players and fans alike be bothered about meaningless joke fixtures like the one last night? If anyone had any lingering doubts about the lack of credibility of this joke fixture, they were confirmed by Peacock's joke selection in the first game the other week.

I didn't even realise it was on. Only spotted it this morning as the replay was on before Origin 3. Why am I more interested in watching Australians play each other? I'm more bothered by NSW losing to Queensland than England losing, there's summat not right there.

Same here DHM another year of hurt for the Blues!

NSW need to bribe a lot more Kiwis into turning out for them before they've any chance of beating QLD.

Go the Maroons

It was a fantastic game though!
I think they'll be pretty sore this morning after battering each other for 80 minutes.
Although I was pretty dissappointed with the amount of "Biff"

Wasn't the example above because all the same players stood watching because they were offside?

I was very unimpressed regarding the performace. No atmosphere poor attendance leaving it very flat. This is clearly a trial game which means nothing to the players and it clearly shows in the commitment and desire of the players.
I know the exiles were just playing exhibition stuff and goIng for offloads but they looked more of a team than England.
I haven't read the wilkin interview but my thoughts are if the players played like the game meant something the fans would follow suit. There was just no intensity to that game.
I know the roses games didn't improve the international scene but having attended both the roses games and the exiles game I know which by far had the better atmosphere

JJB was offside but the rest weren't and should of gone for the ball.

have

Jon Wilkin shouldn't be anywhere near an international shirt anyway.

If it was in England and one side hadn't won for 2 straight years (nevermind 7) we'd probably scrap it.

Plenty of people were willing to go to see international RL games when the meant something. They were usually always GB versus Australia Ashes matches or World Cup Finals before SL.

I was part of the record crowd at Wembley for the 92 WC Final. 70k were there. I remember being in the 46k crowd at Old Trafford in 1990 and the 50k there in 1986.

Bring the Ashes back and you revive internationals, eventually. I like the Tri Nations but it lacks the gravitas of the Ashes series.

There was a period I used to travel to every GB international. My brother in law and his mates always went as well and they were not weekly supporters - we all went to Old Trafford in '86. Summer rugby killed tours, and to be honest the difference between our "summer" and winter is now so negligable we really should consider going back to the old timetable (although Sky won't let us).

Exactly.

Until the game expands sufficiently (which it probably never will) the only internationals worth watching are [uGB[/u versus Oz or NZ.

Not many are fooled by the concept of seperate home international teams in a pretty pathetic attempt to justify a world cup competition



The Exiles was a bluddy stupid idea IMO. Never had any desire to watch a bunch of mostly second rate misfits thrown together to create a pseudo international. Barmy.

The Barbarians works because there is plenty of credible competition and this match then becomes an expected fun exhibition match with lots more risk taken to entertain. The Exiles sadly just becomes a joke.

Going off on a bit of a tangent. Does anyone else feel that it might be time stop playing these "internationals" and even the Magic Weekend at showcase stadia like The Galpharm. The performance of the England side last night was dismal enough without being constantly exposed to row upon row of empty seats - it doesn t exactly add to the atmosphere or to Rugby league's claim to be a major spectator sport and I m sure it just plays the hands of those who continue to see League as a joke sport.It would be much better to play these matches,where crowds of more than 20,000 cannot be guaranteed at smaller more compact grounds like HQ or The Stobart or St Helens new home.At least then it would look as if we have a reasonably well supported game which creates a bit of atmosphere.

I would argue that the galpharm is not a showcase stadia at all.

I think the problem is the dross turned out on the pitch that has no meaning or passion from the players or the fans. HQ hosted last year there was (or appeared to ) be a lot more in attendance at headingley and was still very flat atmosphere. As I said there is no passion in the game because it just doesn't mean anything to anyone.