https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/57733743

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/57733743

Not sure championing the NRL is the right way to go about it. Sure it is a superior competition but even they have their issues. Didn't the most successful side of recent times say they had to cheat to survive? I remember looking at their trophy display with a gaping holes where the trophies were removed! They still owe us a WCC!

The same Lindsay Hoyle who let Boris and co lie in Parliament the past 18 months with no repercussions? That Lindsay Hoyle?

What the NRL have is a successful history of League dominating Union and soccer in the formative years of the game there. That domination laid the ground for what they have today.

Hoyle has no idea, he cannot grasp that League in this country was being heavily dominated by the march of soccer in our formative years, and the vast majority of Rugby Union - even whole countries like Scotland and Ireland shunned league. Wales attempted to align with Rugby league before the first world war, but sadly that failed.

The idea that the south and midlands of this country could somehow be tempted to put their money and effort into Rugby League, when they have Rugby Union and the International set up that has, and moreso when they have Soccer, a world wide hit with people is nonsensical and flies in the face of the facts and reasoned argument.

Most people who put money into RL along the M62 come from the M62, even David Hughes does, and if he calls it a day that's it for London. McNeil keeps going on about trying to get investment for RL in London, which is a city where there is massive soccer domination and the Rugby Union has a good foothold notwithstanding Twickenham where the finest Rugby Union sides from across the world are regularly showcased.

RL is what it is and it manages to succeed where it succeeds. Hoyle may once have been attached to an "expansion" side and is now woffling about expansion again, but it smacks of him just playing the "populist" game.

Exactly, you can't respect the man when he let's the Tory's openly lie to the house of commons on a daily basis without contest.

Those in charge should focus on making the sport as good as it can be for the fan base that it actually has. Then it could actually be great.

The problem is that fan base isn't growing and only getting smaller. The sport can't survive like that. Well it can do but it wouldn't be great at all.

It's shrinking with age.

Attending sport (or any form of audience event) is a habit formed over years. The Problem with League is that the Grand Parents still attend, but their kids drifted or were tempted by something else and therefore the grandkids are lost to the game......we've already lost a generation and trying to attract a new one when all they'll see when they arrive is old white blokes en masse is hardly going to grab them by the wallet!

There's no quick fix and an independent review will simply tell us what we already know. The game without SKY TV as a professional entity in the UK is buggered!

As for the NRL. They average 15k at games. Given a large number of teams are a cross town bus ride away, that's pretty shocking and nothing to be crowing about.

Which has nothing to do with rugby league so go post it in the sin bin with the rest of the champagne socialists

I’m not sure whether or not I’m a champagne socialist....can you help me with the criteria please. Cheers.

lol.
One thing the internet has delivered in spades is the ability for folk who lost an election or referendum to sound relevant.

Ok facist