Re: Great Britain Tour 2019 : Fri Dec 01, 2017 1:06 pm
yorksguy1865 wrote:
Stick to England or revive GB and stick to them but don't have both.
I think that sums it up.
I think the RFL need to make the decision after this world cup so that from 2018 onwards it's either permanently England or permanently GB, and that includes at world cups. If we're playing as Great Britain then we shouldn't split up for the world cup.
I understand the predicament that the RFL are in because if you play as Great Britain then (assuming you don't split) you lose 2 or 3 teams from the world cup. I say two or three because I don't know if Ireland would want to be part of GB or not. Maybe they would want to remain separate. Reverting permanently to GB would also mean admitting that RL can't match what RU have in terms of being able to produce successful and sustainable England, Wales and Scotland teams. I don't think that should be a concern, but maybe the RFL would feel that it shows the game in a bad light, I'm not sure.
If you're trying to build a brand you need to give it exposure. I don't want to buy an England shirt for £50 and then not see England play a meaningful game for the whole of 2019. There are so few international matches anyway that you can't mess about like that.