I agree that cricket has always had a county structure whereas RL has been like football and RU and been based around Cities and Towns etc. Having said that, Lancashire v Yorkshire has a fair bit of history in RL. It's not a recent invention like the Exiles team or the sometimes suggested Celtic Nations team. It's a fixture that has been played over 80 times since 1895. That shouldn't be forgotten or sneered at.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Lea ... _the_Roses

I was also interested to see that Yorkshire and Lancashire used to play against the touring Australia and New Zealand teams. Maybe that's something that could be brought back given that full length Kangaroo tours probably aren't going to happen again.

I take your point about the international calendar, but for me the problem is the lack of good quality opposition and, more importantly, attractive opposition. Apart from PNG, teams like Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are basically tiny places in terms of population. It almost feels like you're being a big bully if you want England to thrash such teams. Would you really get big crowds turning out to watch such matches? I have to be honest and say that I probably wouldn't bother travelling to watch games against those teams, whereas I would do to watch England against Australia or New Zealand, for example.

I'm not criticising RL by the way. It's just how the game is internationally. Plenty of other sports are in the same boat. I'm just trying to be realistic because for years I've read about RL trying and hoping to expand and develop, but I'm not sure that it's really made much ground. And given the money now in RU I tend to feel like the best players in a lot of the so called lesser nations will be attracted away from RL. For example, supposing Scotland or Wales does produce a fantastic RL player - I would imagine they would be offered a lot of money to join RU and the lure of playing international RU for those countries would be hard to turn down. With that in mind are the Wales and Scotland RL teams ever going to reach a good standard in terms of having talented genuine Welsh and Scots in their teams - as opposed to just filling the teams with heritage Aussies or English.

I agree that cricket has always had a county structure whereas RL has been like football and RU and been based around Cities and Towns etc. Having said that, Lancashire v Yorkshire has a fair bit of history in RL. It's not a recent invention like the Exiles team or the sometimes suggested Celtic Nations team. It's a fixture that has been played over 80 times since 1895. That shouldn't be forgotten or sneered at.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_Lea ... _the_Roses

I was also interested to see that Yorkshire and Lancashire used to play against the touring Australia and New Zealand teams. Maybe that's something that could be brought back given that full length Kangaroo tours probably aren't going to happen again.

I take your point about the international calendar, but for me the problem is the lack of good quality opposition and, more importantly, attractive opposition. Apart from PNG, teams like Tonga, Fiji and Samoa are basically tiny places in terms of population. It almost feels like you're being a big bully if you want England to thrash such teams. Would you really get big crowds turning out to watch such matches? I have to be honest and say that I probably wouldn't bother travelling to watch games against those teams, whereas I would do to watch England against Australia or New Zealand, for example.

I'm not criticising RL by the way. It's just how the game is internationally. Plenty of other sports are in the same boat. I'm just trying to be realistic because for years I've read about RL trying and hoping to expand and develop, but I'm not sure that it's really made much ground. And given the money now in RU I tend to feel like the best players in a lot of the so called lesser nations will be attracted away from RL. For example, supposing Scotland or Wales does produce a fantastic RL player - I would imagine they would be offered a lot of money to join RU and the lure of playing international RU for those countries would be hard to turn down. With that in mind are the Wales and Scotland RL teams ever going to reach a good standard in terms of having talented genuine Welsh and Scots in their teams - as opposed to just filling the teams with heritage Aussies or English.

I know that Lancashire and Yorkshire (as have Cumbria ),been around a while. And you could argue that if they built it up then as the Australians did with soo It would be more better thought off. But in letting it die they also killed any chance of a return, by saying it was not important enough then, to bring it back now would not bring the fans in. And for it to become big the fans have to buy into the concept.

I sort of agree with what you say about international RL. But my argument is that unless these teams are playing more than the odd game. Or against the bigger nations, they are never going to improve enough to make International RL more than a 3 team competition. Scotland will have learned more from last year's 4 nations, than most of there European cup games. Yes there might be some big scores at first, but if you're only playing sides that are simular to you, your only ever going to stay the same.
I also think that to improve press coverage you need an international game bigger than just club games. RU & Cricket are not bigger games in my opinion, but because they have such a great international programme. They get more coverage, as even there club games the reports and conversations (in the paper), are about who's ready for the international games, what we need to do to beat so & so, if x is injured who can step up etc.

I sort of think we are developing the game. If you think Serbia, Holland, Spain, Jamacia all have international sides. Sussex, London have thriving amateur scene. What we're not doing is enough to push it I'd agree.
Your example I think is more down to Scotland not having a RL club anymore, and the 2 Welsh sides being semi professional with some amateur sides. Compared to the number of RU clubs, the RU international calender, and the fact that RU is far more dominant in these areas, mean that the player would go to RU. In my opinion we can't just have odd clubs here and there in those countries (I'd include Ireland as well), but a plan to get a thriving amateur scene/clubs going, with a league. And to keep giving the support and help to keep it going.

I know that Lancashire and Yorkshire (as have Cumbria ),been around a while. And you could argue that if they built it up then as the Australians did with soo It would be more better thought off. But in letting it die they also killed any chance of a return, by saying it was not important enough then, to bring it back now would not bring the fans in. And for it to become big the fans have to buy into the concept.

I sort of agree with what you say about international RL. But my argument is that unless these teams are playing more than the odd game. Or against the bigger nations, they are never going to improve enough to make International RL more than a 3 team competition. Scotland will have learned more from last year's 4 nations, than most of there European cup games. Yes there might be some big scores at first, but if you're only playing sides that are simular to you, your only ever going to stay the same.
I also think that to improve press coverage you need an international game bigger than just club games. RU & Cricket are not bigger games in my opinion, but because they have such a great international programme. They get more coverage, as even there club games the reports and conversations (in the paper), are about who's ready for the international games, what we need to do to beat so & so, if x is injured who can step up etc.

I sort of think we are developing the game. If you think Serbia, Holland, Spain, Jamacia all have international sides. Sussex, London have thriving amateur scene. What we're not doing is enough to push it I'd agree.
Your example I think is more down to Scotland not having a RL club anymore, and the 2 Welsh sides being semi professional with some amateur sides. Compared to the number of RU clubs, the RU international calender, and the fact that RU is far more dominant in these areas, mean that the player would go to RU. In my opinion we can't just have odd clubs here and there in those countries (I'd include Ireland as well), but a plan to get a thriving amateur scene/clubs going, with a league. And to keep giving the support and help to keep it going.