2018 Pacific Tests ....Are they scheduled to return ?

[The Partisan]

Realise the Oz / NZ game is gone......but are other games still happening mid year ish ?

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Not scheduled but they will almost certainly happen on the State of Origin / Rep weekend. There is no more city / country so the networks will need content. There was also talk of a NZ v Eng fixture that weekend.

 

[Clarkent]

I hope the Samoa vs Tonga game still continues... Especially with all the Tongan players turning to Tonga now... I really don't think the kiwis will take them back after they turned there backs against them... And Samoa hopefully will be back to full strength by then... These two teams at full strength will be one hell of a match... England should come over and play the kiwis... That's would be a cracker of match

 

[roughyedspud]

http://www.rlwc2017.com/news/england-and-nz-set-play-annual-mid-season-test

2018 mid season test weekend,June 22-23,venues tbc

NZ v England
Tonga v Samoa
Fiji v PNG

more to be arranged...

The England knights are set too return, probably v france,expect the other euro teams to pair off also

 

[The Partisan]

http://www.rlwc2017.com/news/england-and-nz-set-play-annual-mid-season-test

2018 mid season test weekend,June 22-23,venues tbc

NZ v England
Tonga v Samoa
Fiji v PNG

more to be arranged...

The England knights are set too return, probably v france,expect the other euro teams to pair off also

Thanks Spud !

 

[Clarkent]

http://www.rlwc2017.com/news/england-and-nz-set-play-annual-mid-season-test

2018 mid season test weekend,June 22-23,venues tbc

NZ v England
Tonga v Samoa
Fiji v PNG

more to be arranged...

The England knights are set too return, probably v france,expect the other euro teams to pair off also

In a dream world they should cut the NRL short and make more international games at the end of the year...

 

[siv]

I hope broadcasters pay the RLIF to broadcast these internationals

So that the money can be distributed to the actual RL nations playing rather than to the ARLC and the NRL clubs

 

[roughyedspud]

Its part of the NRL TV deal..i don't know how the ticket money is split though other than to say the RLIF gets 10% of it via the gate levy..

That's why it's important to get every single nation playing a test during the mid season weekend cos the RLIF gets 10% of all the ticket money

 

[IntRLEnthusiast]

I would like to see more international exposure during the domestic competitions and i think one of the ways to do this is to move to two or three stand alone origin weekends and play tests over the same time. It means Australia play less tests then other nations because they only play at the end of the year but realistically we can't expect better from Australia for now. Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, PNG, NZ, Eng and France can then get to a place where it is viable for players to commit to that country because they play at least 3-6 tests per year, rather then 1.

 

[siv]

I would like to see more international exposure during the domestic competitions and i think one of the ways to do this is to move to two or three stand alone origin weekends and play tests over the same time. It means Australia play less tests then other nations because they only play at the end of the year but realistically we can't expect better from Australia for now. Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, PNG, NZ, Eng and France can then get to a place where it is viable for players to commit to that country because they play at least 3-6 tests per year, rather then 1.

I agree - but I would have 2 international fortnight windows

Allows players time to travel and play 2 games

Last 2 weeks of May
First 2 weeks of July

 

[titoelcolombiano]

If the experiment works, Origin will shift to three stand-alone weekends from the next TV deal onwards. Hopefully they are played on consecutive weekends so that there is a mid-season international window carved out.

This could give rise to an annual Pacific Cup, Euro Cup, England v New Zealand annual three test series plus various other tournaments. Three week tournaments are pretty simple (four nations, round-robin with no final).

We then will have the four to five week international window at the end of the season and teams can start planning a yearly schedule and build the national team brand.

 

[jim_57]

I don't think having 3 NZ V England games mid-season would be a good idea. A bit much travelling mid-season unless club seasons are suspended for 3 straight weeks which is no chance.

Have NZ mix it with Pacific teams if we ever go to more than 1 stand alone weekend.

 

[siv]

I don't think having 3 NZ V England games mid-season would be a good idea. A bit much travelling mid-season unless club seasons are suspended for 3 straight weeks which is no chance.

Have NZ mix it with Pacific teams if we ever go to more than 1 stand alone weekend.

2 x 2 fortnights

 

[Pommy]

http://www.rlwc2017.com/news/england-and-nz-set-play-annual-mid-season-test

2018 mid season test weekend,June 22-23,venues tbc

NZ v England
Tonga v Samoa
Fiji v PNG

more to be arranged...

The England knights are set too return, probably v france,expect the other euro teams to pair off also

Where did you hear about the knights? That’s a very good idea. Allows the A team to play a top draw side but also gets fringe players in the loop and helps France to play more meaningful games.

 

[Coastbloke]

I've seen enough tonight to want France given every opportunity to play Tests and to have more of their Jnrs being in the professional English system. There is def some real skill coming out of France and they need 1st class opposition and they need it regularly..

Would love to see them in Oz too but there seems to be a systemic attitude to Frenchmen when they come here. Casty and Garcia had ibvious talent. Isn't there a French jnr in the Storm system..

Given this is a thread about Pacific Tests, I guess I'm trying to say that if there is a window for Pacific Tests then England don't need to play mid year games here. They need to be in the NH playing France..

 

[Irish-bulldog]

I've seen enough tonight to want France given every opportunity to play Tests and to have more of their Jnrs being in the professional English system. There is def some real skill coming out of France and they need 1st class opposition and they need it regularly..

Would love to see them in Oz too but there seems to be a systemic attitude to Frenchmen when they come here. Casty and Garcia had ibvious talent. Isn't there a French jnr in the Storm system..

Given this is a thread about Pacific Tests, I guess I'm trying to say that if there is a window for Pacific Tests then England don't need to play mid year games here. They need to be in the NH playing France..

Great post.

It needs to be England, France, wales, Ireland and in time Serbia and others with demostic comps and jouniors at all levels.

Then in the SH ...it needs to be Nz against the islands including png. If origin moves to 3 Sunday's. It's the perfect chance for internationals to develop these countries. It will create more money and sponsorships and so on.

 

[KokoRugbyLeague]

I've seen enough tonight to want France given every opportunity to play Tests and to have more of their Jnrs being in the professional English system. There is def some real skill coming out of France and they need 1st class opposition and they need it regularly..

Would love to see them in Oz too but there seems to be a systemic attitude to Frenchmen when they come here. Casty and Garcia had ibvious talent. Isn't there a French jnr in the Storm system..

Given this is a thread about Pacific Tests, I guess I'm trying to say that if there is a window for Pacific Tests then England don't need to play mid year games here. They need to be in the NH playing France..

England should be playing home tests against european sides and not travel halfway across the world to play against Pacific teams building the concept to rival origin. England could make alot of revenue in Europe with the irish welsh and french.

 

[Pommy]

England should be playing home tests against european sides and not travel halfway across the world to play against Pacific teams building the concept to rival origin. England could make alot of revenue in Europe with the irish welsh and french.

They really couldn’t. Nobody is interested in watching England put 60 on France. It’s not good for anybody it doesn’t help England develop and it won’t make money.
What should happen is every time England play a test the English Knights should play a game also to develop our fringe players and give a meaningful game to a smaller side hopefully without making it totally lop sided.

 

[Coastbloke]

England should be playing home tests against european sides and not travel halfway across the world to play against Pacific teams building the concept to rival origin. England could make alot of revenue in Europe with the irish welsh and french.

They really couldn’t. Nobody is interested in watching England put 60 on France. It’s not good for anybody it doesn’t help England develop and it won’t make money.
What should happen is every time England play a test the English Knights should play a game also to develop our fringe players and give a meaningful game to a smaller side hopefully without making it totally lop sided.

I guess that was one of the points I was trying to make, although even Australia didn't put 60 on France last night despite France missing, what? 6 players?

IMHO with Catalan, Toulouse (particularly if they reach SL) increased professionialism in Elite 1 and more French players joining SL, the French could and would compete with England in regular Tests. Personally I would love to have seen last night's France play last week's England..!!

I think also if PNG was given the same opportunities as the Kiwis, they would also improve immensley to the point where I can envision (at some stage in the near future lol) 45,000 packing into the SFS to watch a Test against the Kangaroos. A breath of fresh air in a world of kiwis v Oz..

 

[Pommy]

The 2016 game was 40-6 and the 2015 game was 84-4.
I don’t think you are givibg England the credit they deserve.

They got beat by Lebanon last week and last night had an Australian score a great try.