You are correct.

Who could possibly argue that Kevin Sinfield is a better player than Trent Hodkinson?

Oh, hang on...Steve McNamara is still the coach and selector of the England team.

We need to move on from sinfield. Hodkinson is top quality and I don't see any others at his level, him and widdop may form a top quality partnership that we've been waiting years for.

Usually when England play Australia I agree the England score is near Zero!

Can I just point out Lebanon is in Asia.

The one team I want to see in there above any other is the USA. Not only were they the success story of the last World Cup but I think that is the area we need to crack if we want international rugby league to be successful. If we can get the americans to buy into it in the same way they have with soccer then we could have another team to compete with the big 3 in 15-20 years time.

You will never crack the USA so long as there is no competitive continental European nation. That is because the USA will only embrace a new foreign sport when they think that significant other nations, especially European ones, play the game. The only candidate for that status is France. However thanks to the RFL's reactionary, insular and parochial ruling clique led by Nigel Wood, France is not being given the support necessary to become a competitive European nation. Wood apparently doesn't care whether there is a 2nd French team in Super League or no French team in Super League. So France is not given the developmental boost that having both Catalans and Toulouse in Super League would provide for the French national team.

Thus the Americans look at rugby league and consider it a boutique little game played professionally in just over half of Australia, 20% of England, and 20% of New Zealand ... plus in the rather obscure and backward nation of Papua-New Guinea. Thus the game is not something that has impressive foreign great nation credentials. Until France becomes a competitive power, and Britain manages to resuscitate professional rugby league in London and other parts of southern England, Americans will look on the game in the USA as a mere hobby for eccentrics.

Rugby union is to big in France for rugby league ever to be a success even if we had ten French teams in super league

Rugby union is to big in France for rugby league ever to be a success even if we had ten French teams in super league

So what do you suggest? Should we just close up shop and cancel all rugby league?

The fans like those posting in this thread are the reason why RL struggles. Never happy and always shouting loud to put RL down whilst claiming to be a fan of the sport.

The game would be better off without you.

I think you will find that most posters who "put the game down"

are actually people who love the game and want to suceed.

Each , intheir own way, does their bit to help the game but when the people who actually run the game at various levels, do not the have the knowledge, training or sadly the capability to run and develop the game, then people will speak out.

It isn't easy to run the great game, but surely the challange is to make it easy. Too many different factions, pulling in too many directions allied to massive egos make it extremely difficult but you have to keep chipping away.

Lets face it, any sport that wants to be truly international and develop the sport worldwide first has to playing to the same rules.

As a game from amateur to International level the game can't even agree on the rules and if the game as a whole can't get that simple situation right what chance the rest?

I love rugby league I just think international rugby is pointless as there aren't enough quality teams as was evident by last years quarter finals in the world cup I would just do the great Britain tours and that's it

I love rugby league I just think international rugby is pointless as there aren't enough quality teams as was evident by last years quarter finals in the world cup I would just do the great Britain tours and that's it

So the money the World Cup made was pointless? As was the exposure the event got, which should - if marketing people within the game had any ability whatsoever - have led to increased future revenue for the sport as a whole?

Europe Cavaliers not England Lions in my opinion. The word Britain has been hijacked by you Pommies, it now doesn't mean what it was meant to. A woman on Corrie even called it the British language!!!!!!!! Decided am going to send a letter to ITV.

The only way RL will ever grow is through internationals gaining the media exposure that the Grand Finals and Saints v Wigan derbies never will. Not with the way the media and society works these days.

What international matches are going to get media exposure England v Australia apart Wales are a poor side France are a poor side png have gone backwards Fiji Samoa and Tonga look good on paper bit are again poor sides Italy are a joke just full of Aussies USA don't even use American based players because of some dispute the other decent side new Zealand makes three good sides the same as it has been for the last 100 years

So ignore the World Cup and carry on talking about England vs minor nations then? OK.

BTW, back on topic, it seems to have escaped notice that Hodkinson was picked for the City-Country game (supposedly NSW's Origin "trial" match), which would mean he was eligible for Australia. He pulled out, but given that he was selected initially (as a replacement for Aiden Sezer, which puts him well down the list of potential Origin players) it would suggest he's not the rabid Union Jack waving British patriot James Graham made him out to be.

Unless he pulled out because he wants to play for England and hadn't told the NSWRL of course, but he was reportedly "injured". I put that in quotes because it seems that very few players want to play in City-Country - mainly because it clearly isn't a selection trial for Origin. The number of unavailable and injured players is quite remarkable.

Hodkinson has to be a target for England, since his goal kicking and field kicking and passing are superior to the talents of Sinfield and anyone else in SL.

that little grub should be banned for weeks for trying to cause injury(twisting the knee) in todays easy win against the dragons...no room in the game for actions like that

But in behaving that way Hodkinson would be in good company with internationals Isaac Luke and Paul Gallen, and Leeds enforcer Ryan Bailey.

luke should have got the same for his third man in tackle effort gainst the aussie 2-3 years ago in that intl

Just to update, Hodkinson won't be playing for England. If he stays in the NSW side, he and Cherry-Evans for Qld would both be England-qualified halfbacks but playing against England.

As an aside if I were McNamara I'd be using this stint at the Roosters to let any England-eligible young players he can find that if they want to, the route is open to play for England.

If Hodkinson fails badly in Game 1 of SoO then probably he will be dumped.

As I understand it he could then declare himself for England in 2017.

However by then I expect that Sneyd and Widdop will be well established as England's halves.

There were a couple of articles describing him as 'England reject' stating he wanted to play in the WC but McNamara didn't want him.