Just saw this on Everything Rugby League, don't know where he gets his sources from though
Rugby League's Six Nations - Can it work?
Further details have emerged in the last week or so about what rugby league’s own version of the Six Nations championship will look like next year.
Apparently, the tournament will feature two groups of three, who will play each other in a round robin, with the two group winners playing off in a final.
England will host Italy and travel to face Ireland in one group, while Scotland are set to host France and travel to Wales in the other. France will play Wales at home.
Ireland coach Mark Aston spoke recently in favour of the idea, as he stressed the need for a proper international calendar.
"We need an international calendar," Aston said.
"Let's follow rugby union and have a Six Nations every year and Great Britain should come back. The Great Britain team should be picked from the home nations."
Ireland halfback Liam Finn, though, highlighted a key issue, especially given the Celtic countries’ general lack of financial resources.
"We need some time to plan and to get sponsors behind us," said Finn.
There is also the question of what kind of England team will be playing, as the tournament is reportedly scheduled to take place at the same time as England are playing New Zealand in a three-match series.
Richard Egan, the chairman of Rugby League Ireland, has expressed concern that it would not be a full strength England facing Ireland in Dublin.
“Super League clubs won’t release the big Irish players like Kyle Amor to play against England B. If we’re playing England, we want it to be the real deal.”
RLIF and RFL chief executive Nigel Wood:
“The RFL has volunteered to put an English side into a European Championship to add some quality and depth," he said.
"We were asked, even though there is a Test series going on against New Zealand, to submit a side.
“We’ve got sufficient players to allow the next 20 best to be playing international rugby league.”
One semantic way round the issue of it being the best ‘England’ side available might be to simply call the team playing New Zealand ‘Great Britain’, with the Lions set to return in 2019 anyway.
The presence of an England team is needed to give the competition some additional credibility.
The European Championship attracts precious little attention, with crowds rarely over 1000 or so for its fixtures over the last few years.
The precise dates and venues for the fixtures for the new tournament still remain a mystery, however.
Of course, finding any official confirmation on the RLIF website draws a blank.
There are currently no fixtures listed for 2018 at all on the RLIF website, which is a sign of just how fragile our international game really is, despite a reasonable World Cup.
Confirmation is needed soon, not least so that national team coaches can plan squads for the event.
Scotland and Italy’s first choice squads include a good number of NRL and Queensland or NSW Cup players – would they be able to travel across for the tournament? If they are, then who pays their air fares?
It is also worth asking who will pay the players for the event, and how much will they receive?
The issue of financial recompense is often shoved to one side when it comes to internationals, but, in a professional sport, it is an issue which needs clarity.
This is not least because more clarity would give players a better idea of the pros and cons of playing internationally.
It can be hard to feel positive about playing for your nation of heritage if you have to play for free and pay your own air fare.
But the idea certainly has legs, and shows a progressive attitude to internationals might now be taking hold.
Let’s just not call it anything like the Six Nations, as that will only draw comparisons with the rugby union tournament which dominates the spring TV schedules in the UK.
Let’s hope it receives the full backing from Super League clubs and the game generally, with the best players being released to take part.
Our international game can gain credibility by the best players competing against each other.
