Changed my mind, I do care. I don't want any Saints player playing especially Roby.
Changed my mind, I do care. I don't want any Saints player playing especially Roby.
He will have Tomkins Full Back and Captain.
Stand Off he will go for Williams
Scrum Half I can see him plumping for Lomax but I am not sure he will! Lomax will play a Theo type game if selected
Hooker he will go Clark (but if fit Robes will be on the bench no doubt) despite who the starting hooker is "injuries" etc etc.
St Helens Rugby League Football Club
No Dave its not your fault, blame Rogues he wouldn't listen to Ian Millward and now look what has happened. Saints back to back Champions.
It’s not just your fault. The fact is that that opinion, on the international game, is held by a large proportion of RL fans. As a consequence our international game is a joke and hence the opportunities for real growth are limited, since it makes it difficult to sell the sport outside of the heartlands.
But it’s difficult for fans to get excited about the international game when those in charge treat it as a joke themselves, look at the Lions tour in 2019, Bennett picked a squad so unbalanced it was ridiculous, because of that we ended up with and Australian stand off playing on the wing, he ignored players from the other nations in favour of using the tour as a warm up for the World Cup, add to that the failure to properly market it, how can fans be expected to feel positive about the international game?
The trouble is, when you compare what we have to:
1. Tedesco
6. Munster
7. Cleary
9. Cook
and
1. RTS * if he's going to make himself available before switching codes
6. Johnson
7. Hughes
9. Smith
Our forward pack isn't as formidable as it was a few years back now, either.
Regards,
STEVO
Let's be honest, it's like Wales playing Anglesey. Sydney and Brisbane are big Cities and RL is everything. Warrington one of our bigger towns dont even produce players. I think the only way forward internationally is for NSW and Queensland to take part as entities in the World Cup, that may give us and NZ a chance, and bring Tonga, PNG and maybe France even a bit of a shot, even change France to Catalonia.
I wasn't apologising, I was being sarcastic.
The international game isn't taken seriously because there's only 5 countries that take it anything like serious, 2 of those don't have a pot to •••• in and are miles from anywhere, 2 compete against the 2 biggest International RU sides in the world, 1 also against the best football league in the world and the other is so far ahead of everyone else it's pointless. Also, we play internationals maybe twice a year, Saints play 9-10 months of the year so why would anyone spend their time creaming themselves over players they spend most of the year hating to see us get beaten yet again in some after season after thought? And I feel exactly the same about England football team, I'll watch them and want them to win but ultimately I don't really care because club rivalries and domestic competitions mean a lot more. If you want to try and change English sporting culture then fire away.
Matty English, Jake Wardle, Mikolaj Oledzki and Kruise Leeming all added to the England squad for today’s training session/photo op.
Going back to the original point I think Tomkins, Lomax and Williams are our best options at 1, 6 & 7. At hooker for me Roby starts every time. Then a Clark or McShane off the bench to offer more of a running threat against tired defences.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
And here lies the problem Webbo. Let's not kid ourselves GB Lions was a force when reinforced by the Welsh. Now we have no Welsh so have a very small gene pool. Romantics like Rogues, I get it, I do and will support it. BUT. The gap can't close it will just get wider.
We can usually put out a strong 17 (or at least 13), although we sometimes squash players into weaker positions just to get then in the team. But seeing players like those 4 in an England squad just rams home a) how we lack real depth; and b) how very workmanlike players are the norm these days.
Still, I remember when the first names on the GB teamsheet were all eligible piescum players, then they'd sift through the piescum reserves, then move onto other clubs.
I think there’s probably an element of those 4 just being nearby and not injured as to why they got called up. There’s certainly better players they could have called up but having to call up 4 players at the last minute after picking a 35 man squad that had 7 overseas players and 6 injured players in it to begin with is great planning.
Forwards win games. The backs decide by how much.
I agree, but it is a circular argument, why should fans treat the international games with respect when the governing bodies don’t, why should the governing bodies waste time and effort promoting the international game when the fans can’t be bothered with it.
How you break that circle I don’t know.
Bennett did a lot of damage in more ways than one to our game, his image was a PR disaster, he showed very little excitement and enthusiasm to convey to the fans. He had no respect for Superleague, if he had 13 england players playing in the NRL he would have selected all those for the international team. I reckon he put Percival international career back 2 years with his insistence of backrower Bateman to be played at centre.
We did come close to winning an international title but I don't think that wouldn't have given Bennett rights to break out in a smile for a coulpe of nanoseconds.