Tomkins and Lomax offer a bit more creativity, can operate at both full back and half back positions and perhaps have a better vision than what Myler can offer. That is one of the reasons the Tomkins and Lomax teams have done pretty well for the majority of the 2018 season I reckon we won't see any change in the backs for the next game, the newcomers Makinson and Connor to keep there shirts.

So if ticket prices were the same, same level of marketing, same players (yeah it would be the exact same) but instead it was GB vs NZ rather than England. Some people think there would have been a bigger crowd. Sorry but I am not buying that.

Unless bigger crowd is an extra few people as that is all it would be.

Agreed

The answer is that we'll never know, in reality. But if I think of a GB test series, I think of something more special somehow. England? Not as much. Maybe it's because there was a time when England was the second-string internationals. I was fairly ambivalent about yesterday. Wanted to watch it, but that's about it. It wasn't a must-see event.

The blame for that has little to do with England/GB and more to do with:
A/ Your perception of what constitutes top class sport.
B/ The RFL's utter inability to market the game at a national level.

The first issue is nothing more than a thin smokescreen, as regardless of if they were called GB, England or the British Isles XIII, the same 17 players would have pulled on shirts. Laziness and apathy towards attending matches is in-bedded in the psyche of RL fans across the board and it's hard to find a logical reason for it, given the rabid fervour on here when describing it as TGG. Without naming names of clubs, it is illogical that some owners can't see the benefit of fans and attracting more......the 2018 SL champions attracted on average 2,000 fewer fans to games than the previous year....15% drop. "FANS" need to stop whining and get back to attending games and owners need to make attracting fans their #1 priority.

The second issue is harder to fix, because self preservation rules the corridors of Red Hall. 25,400 tickets were available for Saturday's game......51,408 was the average weekend attendance in SL........how flippin' hard is it to get half your weekly fan-base to an afternoon game? Pound shop pricing at the end only devalues the event....the minute the series was announced the aim should have been to sell out all three games and Hull was the perfect choice for game 1 as they usually turn up......12 SL clubs, each getting 2k tickets to sell, or 10 clubs less London and Catalan getting 2,500 each......it really in't rocket surgery

So let's gets this straight. The answer to creating big crowds and interest for rugby league internationals in this country is simple as replacing England with GB.

Come on dude. You can't seriously believe that

Are you really saying that if England was replaced by GB it would have became a must see event for you?

It would have been much more so than it was. It's perhaps a personal thing, but when I think of GB and all the Test series of yore, it makes my blood stir. England just never has in the same way. It may well have been the same players, but the occasion would have had more history behind it.

And I'm not the only who thinks that. That's why the RFL is doing a GB tour of Australia, not England, even if it would be the same players. It has the heritage Down Under.

I don't understand the obsession with GB. I used to prefer it but I've got used to England. The fact is as someone else said, a GB team would be identical to England in terms of players - we'll never see a lot of Welsh again, and never had that many Scots.

As for the game, I'm not sure how England playing dourly is Bennett's fault. On paper that backline is dire, and our halfbacks are dire on the pitch as well as on paper. Being honest any result against that Kiwi team should be worth a lot of praise. Oh, hang on, this is RL, where we damn GB/England for beating a 'weak' NZ and damn them if they beat a strong team.

I think Bennett has had a bigger effect on confidence than a lot of people expect, and he has at least got SL players putting in pretty solid defensive efforts against some class players. If he could just get them to show that confidence vs Aus.....

...yeah, heritage


This time next year the team will already be down there.....any chance of a schedule, or are the Aussies still deciding if they'd rather play Samoa?
[urlhttps://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/rugby-league-news/wayne-bennett-england-hull-fc-2115655[/url

How much in love with yourself are you in percentage terms?

I did not see the game but reading this thread it seems to start of with predictions of defeat for England, go through negativity with regard to marketing, the crowd (despite those moaning seemingly not going themselves), the atmosphere, the play and end up with criticising team selection notwithstanding we are coached by one of the most successful coaches in the game's history, who coached a winning side on the day. All the thread shows is what's really wrong with the British game - the total lack of insight / stupidity of the 'fans'. That of course assumes those on here are representative of supporters in general (which i very much doubt is the case).

He doesn't play in the NRL. NRL = good, SL = bad. You should know that by now.

Connor had a reletively quiet game with not too many opportunites to show his talent, but he certainly never looked like he was being found out. In fact he looks completely at home at this level to me. I think maybe Zelezniak got on the outside of him once early on but there were plenty of number to cover it. He had more impact on the game than his much vaunted opposite number anyway.

Whitehead, Bateman and Makinson the England nominations put forward for the Golden Boot Award.

Whitehead absolutely. Wouldn't argue against Bateman either. But Makinson is a left field pick. I mean, he's had a good year, but really?

I think its just based on international games and not domestic ones. Whitehead has been consistently good so far.

Yeah it’s getting a bit thin now old love, I didn’t mind your little one man fan club for Makinson but now it’s truly boring - he’s ok and deserves his spot but that’s as far as it goes.

If you read my posts correctly you will find me a big fan of Whitehead, I purely quoted Bennet and the RLIF appraisal of Makinson, as they are probably more astute on this kind of entity I take your opinion as very insignificant. Do you own a KIA by any chance!

eh

Watched the game on iplayer last night. Thought it was a very good match with a great winning try. Can't understand some of the negativity on here.It's the sort of game non-RL supporters will have enjoyed.

Anyone know if Zelezniak picked up a ban for the knees?

It wasn't a bad game at all considering it was the first test. Both teams should improve plenty and i'm really looking forward to the last two.

Flanders out of the second test. Saving himself for next season with Leeds.

Does anyone know if you can buy the blue and red England training tops anywhere? They’re not on the England website shop

Strange statement to make as it has already been announced he has signed a 1 year extension at Wigan.

Should retire (or not be picked) frrom internationals. Talent wise no question he’s good enough but he’s not going to make it to the next World Cup and others could be getting that experience and game time (obviously they will this week due to injury but shouldn’t take an injury for it to happen).

Not a knock on the guy talent wise, if we were playing a World Cup Final this weekend and he was fit he’d be the first name on the team sheet, but if he’s retired by 2021 which seems likely then why play him now? Yes we want to win before then but the WC is the big one and decisions should be made with that in mind.