Bring back the Ashes

Agree the Ashes must return. Whether we play ENG or GB I dont care but it must be a regular 3 Test Series every 4 years. One off tests are a joke and with a 4 Nations, World Cup and strong NZ team Im not sure we can fit in Ashes every 2 years like the old days. We also need 3 Test Series aginst NZ to return too. Im not sure the World Cup can be every 4 years either, might have to make it every 5/6 like the present system but every season ther should be one test series. Lets not over doit though and make the same mistake cricket made with one dayers. One of the reasons Origin is so special is because it is played 3 times only every year (except that 1987 exhibition experiment). The problem with all International ideas again is the selfish views of the NRL and Superleague clubs who care more about their club then the game.

100% RL needs to have Ashes contests brought back and not every four years, every two years alternating between playing in Aust and playing in the old Dart like we used to. AND before there is more moaning about player burnout, inteferring with the Origin cash-cow etc, how come there were PROPER Kangaroo tours (that's Tests + midweek games against club sides for those too young to recall) in 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92 and 94 when Origin was alive and well, full seasons were being played AND there was the old pre-season comp as well??!! Not fostering and improving the International game is a blight on Rugby League IMO and should be near the top of the agenda when it comes to what needs fixing in our game. Bring back the Roo tours!!

To be honest... If you were to pick a GB team today, the majority of the team would be English. I would prefer to see an NRL Exiles team formed of non-state of origin players. Winner of the State of Origin series plays the Exiles, or something like that... You've got players like Benji Marshall who will never taste State of Origin football, why not let them play in an Exile team against an origin side. The All Star concept is great but when you have to pick one player from each team, you're never going to get an "All Star" team. I think an Exile team might just do the trick.

Bringing Great Britain back and bringing the Ashes back are 2 separate things. I know rugby league's Ashes are traditionally played between GB and Aus, but the whole "Ashes" rivalry is between Australia and England. Wales, Scotland and Ireland (when they join GB) have nothing to do with the Ashes (i guess it could be argued that Wales is involved in the Ashes, due to the fact that the English cricket team actually represents England and Wales, but still, the cricket team is never referred to as "England and Wales"). The Ashes should definitely be brought back between England and Aus, but I don't believe having a Great Britain team will benefit international rugby league (at least not until Wales, Ireland and Scotland close the gap on England like they have in union). For the 4 year international cycle, you could do southern hemisphere 4 Nations in year 1, Ashes in year 2, northern hemisphere 4 nations in year 3, and world cup in year 4. That way we're not overdoing the 4 Nations, we bring back a great tradition in England vs Australia sporting rivalry, and New Zealand can play against the likes of France, Wales, PNG and Fiji while the Ashes are on, thus giving lesser nations more meaningful matches.

I was thrilled and priveleged to be in attendance at all 3 tests in 2003 in the old dart,the closeness and competitiveness of the contests.the passion of the Pommy crowds,the colour and the atmosphere.Wigan,Elland Road the banter between the crowds.The swapping of club merchandise with pommy fans.The beer and hot pies on a freezing nights in Oct/November.Watching Morley and Webke rip into each other,like two stags battling for a slice of the herd. I remember buying the last two meat pies ATT from a counter at Wigan Stadium ,Arthur Beetson who was leader of the tour group wandered over saying jokingly, some bastard beat me to it and got the last pies.I am guilty Artie ,you are welcome to one on mine.He responded no worries mate ,your need is greater than mine.A gent of the highest order. Yep have to agree,there is something about an Ashes series,that is unique in rugby league. And the more Poms who play in the NRL,the more competitive their national side will become.

Because soccer kills everything else in Europe. In NSW and Qld the averge Kid runs around with a Steeden. In Melb,SA,WA they run around with a Sheridan. In Europe Its a soccer ball.

You thought correct.

How come Australia can grow and has grown the code in a competitive market place like Australia, yet the poms with such a good product have let it wither and waste away like a watermellon left out in the sun. I will tell you what you need, a damm commission like we have got, get some real businessmen, not those fools you have had running the code over their,, i mean come-on. You have not even got a sucessful team in London yet. ??? Talk about drag the chain,. Australia would be better off helping out the American market , at least the yanks know how to promote games, gee whiz, maybe even superleague get the yanks to run there game. They would make it work in 2 years. Besides, we are helping the poms !, we have 4-5 players out here now, the Titans just grabbed a youngster from Wigan i think. Send over Tomkins to the Broncos, in Brisbane, we turn him into a superstar.

I think that Union's poaching of our best young backs is detrimental to the intl game. As it stands: if we keep Tomkins and HaLl and bring in Reed and Widdop from the NRL, the World Cup should still be competitive. But the fact that Union can waltz off with the likes of Ashton and Eastmond should be a wake-up call. Australia needs to give more support to the game in the Northern hemisphere.

No Graz, the sides are inferior now because the English RFL has not managed to produce strike players of the calibre of Ellery Hanley, Andy Gregory, Andy Platt, Kevin Ward, Gary Connolly, Joe Lydon, Phil Clarke, Shaun Edwards.... should I go on? Davies is the only guy you mentioned who was a genuine international. English League doesn't need Union to produce good players- it needs an infrastructure and a strong administration to oversee its game.

The side now is inferior to the sides in the ninties because we no longer plunder Welsh RU for talented backs (Davis, Bentley,Gibbs, RU plunder us (Eastmond, Ashton, Farrell). If another Hanley emerged now he would be poached by Union. Have the NRL done anything to address this? Do the Australians want a competitive international game? They have done preciuos little to foster it. How does refusing to play GB in 2012 help the long term interests of league? If Austrlaia shoulder their responsibilities and help promote the game, the future is bright. TV audiences will lap up intl league. Its a far superior game to kick and clap. But in the Northern hemisphere we need your help to lend credibility to the code.

Sorry Johnno- the current English teams over the last few years are vastly inferior to the sides in 1990, 1992, 1994 and 1997. Not close but I agree that the Ashes should absolutely be brought back.

I really don't think they have improved. Last 4 games 30-8, 36-20, 34-14, 46-16

But England have improved in the last 19 years, there squad now in 2013 has so much more depth. There going to be a handful at home, in the world cup, .

Yes, the ashes series were good but one must remember the reason the 2003 series was so close is because so many Australians were unavailable and we had guys like Craig wing and Phil bailey playing centre and Michael Crocker playing 6

I thought he moved from Sydney to Brisbane at 14 then he moved to Melbourne at 17, then back to Brisbane for 2 years at the broncos. I could be wrong but he probably lived 5 years in qld and about 18 in other states

Don't forget Morley crayfish.

Umm oikee, Israel Folou and his brothers and cousins all live in a small place by the name of Goodna, about 20 minutes from Brisbane CBD. All the talk about Israel being from western Sydney was just hype from Ricky Stuart in the code war for western Sydney. He lived most of his life in goodna.

Agree with this completely. I think if they were played every four years, you could still build a rugby league calendar with England, Wales etc. playing as separate nations the majority of the time. In fact, reinstating the Great Britain brand for Ashes series would actually strengthen Welsh rugby league, as it would encourage Welshmen to stick with their country, rather than switch allegiance (as class youngster Rhys Evans has done). If Great Britain had been playing in recent years, we'd have had the chance to see Lee Briers playing behind the English forward pack - that would have given the Aussies a fright! I think as someone earlier said, if England can win this World Cup an Ashes series next year would be massive. It's not impossible too, an England side something like this could challenge anyone: Tomkins, Hall, Reed, Watkins, Charnley, Sinfield, Widdop, Burgess, Roby, Graham, Hock, Ellis, O'Loughlin res: Lomax, Westwood, Crabtree, Jones-Buchanan.

The day England win back rugby leagues ashes will be bigger maybe than when they won back cricket in 2005 . The atmosphere for those tests in England in 1986 1990 1994 2003 etc etc was absolutely electric the best atmosphere you will find at any sporting event in the world . Bring back the ashes !!!!!