2018 RLIF Calender

[siv]

Ok sorry for the typo

Whats the 2018 RL confirmed matches

 

[Springs09]

Confirmed:

Samoa v Tonga - Campbelltown, June 23

England v New Zealand - Hull, October 27
England v New Zealand - Liverpool, November 3
England v New Zealand - Leeds, November 11

And that's it so far

Probable:
PNG v Lebanon - Campbelltown, June 23
Unknown v Unknown (likely Fiji v Cook Islands) - Campbelltown, June 23
England v New Zealand - Denver/Unknown - June 22/23
Australia v New Zealand - Unknown, October

 

[Joely01]

That’s a very poor schedule after a successful World Cup!

I’d like to see some Tri series organized for the next couple of years.

You could have groups similar to:
Aus, NZ and Tonga
Fiji, PNG and Samoa
Eng, France and Lebanon (depending on location I guess)
Scot, Wales and Ireland

I think Australia involvement in growing the international game has been extremely poor!
Why not organize a 3 game series to play at the same time as NZ v Eng next year against let’s say Tonga...

 

[Springs09]

It's not just Australia, it's England and NZ too. Check out this article where NZRL are dodging playing Tonga next year:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=11958299

England and NZ are only interested in playing each other. Australia's attitude is garbage but they are playing as many teams (1) as England are playing next year so far.

 

[Joely01]

Well that’s extremely poor by all 3 nations.
I would’ve thought NZ would have wanted to play against Tonga asap to try and show everyone it was a once off win for Tonga.

 

[roughyedspud]

It's not just Australia, it's England and NZ too. Check out this article where NZRL are dodging playing Tonga next year:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/league/news/article.cfm?c_id=79&objectid=11958299

England and NZ are only interested in playing each other. Australia's attitude is garbage but they are playing as many teams (1) as England are playing next year so far.

So far...
We are likely to play a couple of tests before the nz series..

 

[Springs09]

So far...
We are likely to play a couple of tests before the nz series..

You aren't likely to do anything yet. With your attitude you might just be playing 4 tests v NZ and that's it.

I'd be very surprised if, judging by the calendar, England end up playing anything more than a warm-up test against France. Given that your damn Grand Final is on the 13 October now that I've just looked it up, I'd be surprised if you even do that.

 

[Springs09]

Well that’s extremely poor by all 3 nations.
I would’ve thought NZ would have wanted to play against Tonga asap to try and show everyone it was a once off win for Tonga.

Nah you see if Tonga only play one game next year against Samoa and NZ play 5 against England and Australia, NZ might just get Taumalolo and co. back.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

That’s a very poor schedule after a successful World Cup!

I’d like to see some Tri series organized for the next couple of years.

You could have groups similar to:
Aus, NZ and Tonga
Fiji, PNG and Samoa
Eng, France and Lebanon (depending on location I guess)
Scot, Wales and Ireland

I think Australia involvement in growing the international game has been extremely poor!
Why not organize a 3 game series to play at the same time as NZ v Eng next year against let’s say Tonga...

I think Australia have done their part (rest years aside which I think need to stop). They have:

• admitted PNG into the second teir with Fiji just about there too for 2019
• scheduled and funded the annual Pacific Test which allows Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa a guaranteed fixture (ok more can be done but it is more than existed previously)
• Play NZ annually
• Send a Prime Minister's XIII Australian side to PNG to play the Kumuls annually
• Have created rep window by having a state of origin stand alone weekend

I agree as the leading market for the game they could do more but it's not like they haven't / aren't doing anything.

 

[siv]

Dont we also have the Commonwealth Games 9s in Feb at Redcliffe

 

[roughyedspud]

You aren't likely to do anything yet. With your attitude you might just be playing 4 tests v NZ and that's it.

I'd be very surprised if, judging by the calendar, England end up playing anything more than a warm-up test against France. Given that your damn Grand Final is on the 13 October now that I've just looked it up, I'd be surprised if you even do that.

No no of course you are right..we've never,ever played anyone after our grand final and before a series/comp.....f**king idiot,do some research before spouting bollocks

 

[Joely01]

I think Australia have done their part (rest years aside which I think need to stop). They have:

• admitted PNG into the second teir with Fiji just about there too for 2019
• scheduled and funded the annual Pacific Test which allows Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Samoa a guaranteed fixture (ok more can be done but it is more than existed previously)
• Play NZ annually
• Send a Prime Minister's XIII Australian side to PNG to play the Kumuls annually
• Have created rep window by having a state of origin stand alone weekend

I agree as the leading market for the game they could do more but it's not like they haven't / aren't doing anything.

But if they are doing so much for the international game, why are they basically having a year off after a World Cup?
Keep the momentum going and play a minimum 4 games next year... 1 mid year and 3 at the end of the year.
We have several island nations getting a strong showing of NRL talent and if they can have 2-3 games a year I’m sure all players would stay.

 

[jim_57]

No no of course you are right..we've never,ever played anyone after our grand final and before a series/comp.....f**king idiot,do some research before spouting bollocks

But you could do so much more and so could NZ and Australia which is the problem. The big 3 seem intent on only playing amongst themselves with a token warm up game if we're lucky. After the most competitive world cup to date we are going to be straight back to the status quo even though though the World Cup was screaming for more games in general.

You're happy spud if England wrap up all internationals 3 weeks earlier than this year? With those 3 weeks they could have played in the Euro Cup instead of the Knights, go figure. Looking like a pretty shit year so far in all honesty.

 

[jim_57]

If we're set on tour years why not throw regional championships on at the same time to break up the tour and add meaning to all games. Already posted the scenario when NZ tour England, when England/GB tour Australia in 2019:

A - Australia V PNG
B - NZ V Tonga
Tour - Fiji V GB

A - Fiji V Australia
B - Samoa V Tonga
Tour - NZ V GB

A - PNG V Fiji
B - Tonga V NZ
Tour - Australia V GB - Game 1

Pacific Cup Final
GB V Aboriginal All Stars

Australia V GB - Games 2&3

It seems people think we are entitled to less Internationals lately, tri nations used to run for 7 weeks, World Cups run 6 weeks + warm ups, why can't we aim for at least 6 weeks of Internationals post season?

 

[Tigers1986]

It's not up to Australia to grow the game. It's up to the RLIF to mandate a set of conditions to fulfill international fixtures.

If the NRL, as expected, eventually moves Origin to 3 stand alone weekends, then the RLIF would be able to schedule pacific tests on these weekends to satisfy the hunger for footy with no club action.

England would be 'responsible' for the growth in Europe to have a break in their season (if the 8's format gets scrapped), by facing Ireland and France.

Always been an advocate for the Lions/Kangaroos tours to return.

2017 - World Cup
2018 - Aus/NZ tri series, European Cup, Pacific Cup
2019 - Kangaroo tour
2020 - Aus/NZ tri series, European Cup, Pacific Cup
2021 - World Cup
2022 - Aus/NZ tri series, European Cup, Pacific Cup
2023 - Lions tour

 

[Pommy]

You aren't likely to do anything yet. With your attitude you might just be playing 4 tests v NZ and that's it.

I'd be very surprised if, judging by the calendar, England end up playing anything more than a warm-up test against France. Given that your damn Grand Final is on the 13 October now that I've just looked it up, I'd be surprised if you even do that.

And breathe......

But you could do so much more and so could NZ and Australia which is the problem. The big 3 seem intent on only playing amongst themselves with a token warm up game if we're lucky. After the most competitive world cup to date we are going to be straight back to the status quo even though though the World Cup was screaming for more games in general.

You're happy spud if England wrap up all internationals 3 weeks earlier than this year? With those 3 weeks they could have played in the Euro Cup instead of the Knights, go figure. Looking like a pretty shit year so far in all honesty.

I don’t think it’s that the big three only want to play each other but the games have to make money. We can talk about how England should play the Faroe Islands bi annually all we want but its money that talks.
I’m not sure we can expect players to play as late as this year every year, the SL season is already longer than the NRL.

 

[hutch]

If it hasn’t been worked out by now, don’t hold your breath. They are probably all on holidays after patting each other on the back at rlif meetings at the worled cup. I thought they were meant to release a decade of schedules or tournaments? So far we have a bunch of maybes. The nrl have taken it upon themselves to organised test matches for 4 countries to be played in western Sydney without actually informing the nations involved. It’s lkely that these are the only games these countries will play in next year.
It also looks like England will be playing in a European 6 nations (terrible name which everybody will associate with union) at the same time they are playing a 3 test series against nz. Ridiculous.

 

[Springs09]

No no of course you are right..we've never,ever played anyone after our grand final and before a series/comp.....f**king idiot,do some research before spouting bollocks

Oh right you're going to play two tests over one weekend are you?

In 2016 you played France 2 weeks after the GF.

In 2015 you played France 2 weeks after the GF.

In 2014 you didn't play a warm-up because the 4 Nations started 2 weeks after the GF in the same situation as next year.

In 2013 you played Italy 2 weeks after the GF.

In 2012 you played Wales 3 weeks after the GF.

In 2011 you played France 2 weeks after the GF.

In 2010 you played NZ Maori 2 weeks after the GF.

You have to go back to 2009 when you played Wales 1 week after the GF and none of the GF players played.

How about you do some research and then grow up. You said you are likely to play 'a couple of tests' before the series. Where is that going to fit? You are likely to send your B side out against France. I have yet to see how you're doing anything differently from 2015 even though you lot always whinge about us never doing anything to grow the international game.

 

[jim_57]

And breathe......



I don’t think it’s that the big three only want to play each other but the games have to make money. We can talk about how England should play the Faroe Islands bi annually all we want but its money that talks.
I’m not sure we can expect players to play as late as this year every year, the SL season is already longer than the NRL.

Yet England, Australia and NZ have all drawn 20k+ crowds in recent times against '2nd tier' nations in World Cups with absolutely no follow up. So it's easy to say "we don't play these games because they won't make a profit" but evidence is there to suggest that they could make a profit and there is a potential to build on, it's a cop out.

It doesn't have to go as late as this year, could still have it all wrapped up in November. I think fans are just getting used to expecting less and less because of the burnout brigade. Here's an option: shorten the 68 week SL/Challenge Cup/Middle 8's/Super 4's/Terrible 2's/Last Man Standing season.. or set a maximum amount of club games a player can play regular season so clubs can't run players in to the ground.

 

[Pommy]

Yet England, Australia and NZ have all drawn 20k+ crowds in recent times against '2nd tier' nations in World Cups with absolutely no follow up. So it's easy to say "we don't play these games because they won't make a profit" but evidence is there to suggest that they could make a profit and there is a potential to build on, it's a cop out.

It doesn't have to go as late as this year, could still have it all wrapped up in November. I think fans are just getting used to expecting less and less because of the burnout brigade. Here's an option: shorten the 68 week SL/Challenge Cup/Middle 8's/Super 4's/Terrible 2's/Last Man Standing season.. or set a maximum amount of club games a player can play regular season so clubs can't run players in to the ground.

I’m all in favour of the SL season getting made shorter but we that’s not going to happen overnight. There’s TV contracts etc that will have to be honoured first. Plus if the SL is going to be expanded back to 14 teams soon that’s going to involve more games.

I think it’s a little unrealistic to compare the attendance of the Tongan fans in this World Cup to what we would likely draw against the other home nations.
Everything had lined up for Tonga, big name players, huge numbers of interested expats/heritage fans, they had momentum and feel good factor.

If we look back to the Samoa game it was said at the time the BBC offered RFL £10k for the TV rights. This is a more realistic view of the realities of England playing tier 2 nations.