We don't play Australia mid season.
On a side note, I'm really looking forward to the European Cup.

Attendance 5,698.

Thought it was announced just short of 8k?

I think on TV they showed it as nearly 9k, but they've got 5,698 on their website. Sporting life shows 7,951.

Anyone who was there got a "guesstimate"? Certainly looked on TV as if 6k would be more accurate - about half full?

That figure is from Sporting Life.

They show two different figures.



[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/reports/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=rleague/10/06/12/RUGBYL_England.html[/url

England (34) 60 France (6) 6
Tries: Bridge, Briscoe, Ellis 2, Widdop, Shenton 2, S Tomkins 4 Bentley
Goals: Widdop 2, Sinfield 6 Mounis
Attend: 5,698

[urlhttp://www.sportinglife.com/rugbyleague/results/[/url

Can we add the two figures together?

I think that's over capacity, innit?

So? The only time we play France is mid season and then every other year in the Four Nations, assuming they qualify. What that has to do with what was said I don't know as the point being made was about competitiveness, and that was - and is - as big an issue between Australia and us that between us and France, whether we play mid season or end of season.

Having been to the match I'd say somewhere around the 8k mark sounds about right.

MM needs to be on the blower to Widdops agent, what a talent that lad is.

That, to me, is why we should be playing a more competitive match than today's was always going to be, to better prepare us for the intensity of the games v Aus & NZ .

I'd like to see both Widdop and Brown at Wigan next year...

Brown was poor for me, dont think hes good enough

I have to disagree , i thought he was good tonight...but i suppose it's all down to personal opinions

Personally, I think we should stick with France, to help France get to where they need to be so that at some point in the future we can have a competitive international again. What we probably need to do is add another international but have it as Tony Smith suggested, with a team made up of other nations. If we have the France international in June and the other nations international in July (since CC cup final, playoffs and grand final are then around the corner) that provides England with two matches in increasing intensity towards the Four Nations or World Cup, whichever.

But I don't think we should abandon France.

This may stick in the throat a little, but I agree with you?

However, just as I argue about academy/ U18 games, a game like that tonight does no good to either side.

As a suggestion, maybe the French game should be against an U21/U23 English side, but the full England side should play against an English based Anzak team.

Two competitive games, with the added advantage of giving some of our youngsters more international experience.

I have been saying this for years. I even wrote to the RFL and got some flimsy response regarding the financial viability/fan interest in an England v SL based Overseas select team.

I am certain there would be more fan interest than a walk over against France.

I'd love to think so too, but the number of 'club not country' fans on here over the past week or so doesn't fill me with confidence.

Well Catalans/France playing our own academy sides (they start playing Under 20s on Tuesday and Under 18s next month) can only be start towards a better French team. You need to build from youth up not just expecting Catalans to produce a national side as well.

Also 5,698 attendance? I think the RFL made a big error going up against the England football match. Also having us all forking out for league games this weekend doesn't help the test match either.

Figure was closer to 8,000 announced at the game apparently (didn't hear it myself) so god knows where Sporting Life etc have got their figure from.

I dont think you get it tbh. I for one am not 'club over country' at all, its just stupid to play an international friendy and still have the Super League games going ahead. In the long run I would much see Wigan lift the league leaders shield then see England win a meaningless friendly. Add to that the fact its on the same day as England's WC opener. I still managed to watch both but its such a poor spectacle.

I know the calender is crowded, but really think if the RFL are serious about internationals, they should have a SL free weekend to play a series of internationals. Full international, under 20's & under 18's.

As regards who we play, think we need to stay with France to help them develop, after all apart from UK based aussies/kiwis, who else is there to play?

No idea where they got that figure from. The number announced at the game was 7,900 and something. I [idid[/i hear the announcement. I was surprised that there were as many people there as there were because I had been anticipating a half full stadium at best.

While I appreciate what people say about the match not being competitive, it would have been more competitive had Bobby had more players available to him of Superleague standard. If Bosc had been available, for instance, then there would have been more flair play. Thinking back to the Four Nations and France looked like they were developing, but that was because he had a decent team rather than a back row made up of Championship and below level players.

If we want to have a northern hemisphere challenge then we have to stick with France to encourage their development in the sport. After all, they once were dominant and if they can rediscover that level of interest in the sport - which will be helped by Catalans getting a better coach next season who will make them more competitive again - then there is no reason why over time they shouldn't compete with us again. We just need to be patient.

I don't see why we can't have both a France international and an Anzac style test. We can't have a three-way test though because of the reliance upon the Catalans side for the French team. Well, we would have to shorten the regular season to facilitate that anyway.