[url=http://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/06/11/RUGBYL_England_Nightlead.htmlCould this be the last England v France mid season international?[/url

I hope not. France need the games and the competition and Rugby League desperately needs to do all it can to get a 4th major RL playing nation. France are always going to struggle with one Super League club and if they get any injuries they are always going to struggle. They need a 2nd Super League team to get any better internationally because as things stand they cant even put together a fully professional 1-17 never mind have any depth to choose from.

Schedule the Catalans v Crusaders game for this weekend and have France v Wales instead. The rest of Super League can carry on as normal and all the folk moaning about the game at Leigh this Saturday wil be happy.

Which is pretty much what Tony Smith suggests in the article linked above, and I tend to agree.

You have to agree it woukld be more competitive. I'd say France and Wales are on a similar level and it could be alternated every year, Perpignan/Toulouse-Wrexham-Perpignan/Toulouse.

And who'd attend this match?

About 500/600 max.

Sure, but the main aim wouldn't be to draw the crowds, but to improve the second-tier teams.

Meanwhile, England are freed up to play a "rest of SL" side, which would be both more competitive, and, I'm confident, would draw a much bigger crowd than we'll see tomorrow.

If France, featuring 10 or 11 Catalans Dragons players, played at Gilbert Brutus and Catalans had the week off I reckon more than 600 would turn up, but hey! maybe you're right.

Crowds may not be the main aim but the French or Welsh Rugby League couldnt afford to lose thousands on such a game either, which they would with such small crowds. It is hardly going to improve French RL either playing against a poor Welsh team and never getting the chance to play against any of the bigger nations.

England against GB based New Zealand team a couple of years ago was as big a walkever as any England V French game and the crowd wasnt much better. I doubt throwing in a few Aussies is going to improve things too much. I also dont see how Englands only competitive Northern Hemisphere fixture being against a made up rest of SL side is going to improve international RL.

How poor are Wales exactly?

France v Wales and if England really do need to play a mid season game they could do worse than playing a Super League side including players who didn't make the England team.