Definitely isn't easy to watch a game in a pub in a non RL area.

In London I've been asked some random questions either by bar staff when asking or random people when watching or some strange statements.

"Is this the Heineken Cup?"
"Is this the Aviva Premiership?"
"Oh they showing 2nd division now I don't know these 2 teams"
"I thought rugby league was domestic and union was international, didn't know they were 2 different sports?"
"This is the council estate rugby"
"This is the rugby for guys not good enough to make union teams"
"Have they had men sent off?"
"If only England [union could play this fast" not realising it's 2 different codes.
"I prefer union it's not stop start, these league lot are not as fit"
"There are more tries in league because you can't tackle properly"
"It can't be league if you're playing a French team no one plays it outside the north"
"I wish football had a commentator like this guy [stevo"
"This is the good rugby [football fans"
"Why don't they push in the scrum?"

Love living down here :-/

You don't have to go as far as London to hear things like that. I put our match on one of the tellies at work a few weeks ago and a lad who lives walking distance from Salford's ground asked, "Are Sale Sharks in this league?" I was also asked by someone who wanted to change the channel, "Are you REALLY watching this?" because he couldn't believe anyone actually was.

Half the grounds in Super League are within about 25 miles of here!

I certainly dont envy you!

My thoughts are with you.

#PrayForYed

In fairness there's more to life than living near rugby league teams. If the cost of living in London was more affordable in relation to the wage I'd realistically expect to earn there I'd have moved down years ago.

As you've admitted to putting Wire on the telly at work, I'm surprised you've not had a call from 'that there' London with a suitable job offer to meet your salary expectations...all the screens at the LSE go to P&B on match day

Arf.

I work for Virgin Media, so tellies with TiVo boxes connected to them are everywhere.

I'm from London. It's no better than up here, just more expensive and more diverse.

A mate's just got mine from the shop and unless they've got it wrong, it's for the North Stand.

A few months ago I was in the Butchers Arms, at half time the rugby had to go off because some regular insisted that nobody ever watches SL there (until that time I often did) so on went some obscure football match.

Interestingly, I was at a conference yesterday with several top directors from a FTSE 100 PLC. A colleague mentioned RL and they all scoffed and dismissed the code. They weren't all Southerers, three were South African.

We sponsor a lot of sports, all of which are alien in the council estates of Britain. Even if it made perfect commercial sense, I could never get an RL sponsorship deal signed off.

We all know the game is its own worst enemy. Awful image and promotion.

I think maybe the main reason for the gulf between the two codes is that in terms of business, forces participation, university teams & the top end of society connections where money matters ,Union has a massive advantage.

The people in charge at the RFU have rubbed shoulders with the previously mentioned most of their lives & rightly or wrongly regard the RFL & its followers as a gang of oiks.

three words

PUBLIC SCHOOL NETWORK.

Indeed !

Back on topic.

It says on the website we've sold more than double the number of tickets than a few weeks ago. How many did we sell then ?

Got serious butterflies about tonight now !

I think we filled about half the stand or so, so it should be rammed!

Leave nothing at home tonight, sing your hearts out for the whole 80 minutes and be proud, win or lose. NTW.

If that's true you'll outnumber us (Wigan) tonight, yesterday on the e-ticket site it was showing 7/8000 sold, today it's dropped to about 4000, bitterly disappointing for what promises to be the game of the season.

Find that hard to believe. 4000 home fans for a semi final? No way.

8k of us (wigan) max. Look on our e tickets, very disappointing.

The Pies eticket website yesterday were selling grand final tickets for October 11 Sts v Wigan.

I'm getting there as early as possible and not leaving until well after the fulltime hooter sounds, win or lose.

Very proud of the team this year and I want them to know it! NTW.

Like I've said before we've exceeded expectations this year, as much as I want this badly I'm happy with everything considering the massive upheaval.

I'm happy too. I didn't think that we would still be playing in the second last week of the season. Looking forward to next year already.

Go back to that thursday night against saints back in February....after joel had scored adn we were all happy....