The most logical step to improve international rugby league

Quite right. Heritage teams are a joke. You should only be able to play for the country that you were born and bred in, as Pat Malone rightly says. But this kind of thing doesn't only happen in Rugby League. Look at the English Rugby Union side !! Currently, they've got at least three New Zealanders playing for them. Two of which, are not even of English origin. In the recent past, three former New Zealand Rugby League players were picked for the English Rugby Union team. At least two of them were not of English ancestry. The other, I believe, was of partial English blood. But the point is, the heritage caper should not count. The only genuine path, is that you can only play for the nation that you were born and bred in.

Glenn Innes - I don't want to get involved in the whole Vichy debate, but would argue that the Kiwis and to a certain extent Wales could be classed as competitive back in the '50's to 70's period. Your point that they weren't consistently competitive is valid, but each of those teams beat Aus, England or France on several occasions, which is the opposite of what's happened to France and Wales after that period, with France having a smattering of wins, but none after 1990 and Wales just one win back in 1995. Therefore it would be correct to say there are only 3 competitive nations especially today, capable of beating each other (or though rarely beating Aus), but back in that time period there were 4 teams capable of a win over each other with Wales capable of springing a surprise. During those times there existed a real chance for RL to make inroads and consolidate those gains made. Of course hindsight is easy looking at it now, but there was a chance to expand and take on Rugby even more so considering the ban and bad press in South Africa. Of course by 1987 that chance had been diminished with the RWC, which was only just pushed through and further eroded when professionalism hit in 1995. Of course the NRL hasn't helped (it really isn't their responsibility) by introducing SoO thereby further eroding the international status. The continued rise of Soccer has also knocked any chance for RL to gain ground in Wales, England and France.

Clipper above - Wales have in fact made the union World Cup semi-finals twice. The same number as the Welsh rugby league team in the RLWC. Hence my comment. Thanks for confirming everything I've said. You are clearly willing to lie to try and prove your poor points.

Your most effective comment.

Glenn Innes I'll say it, I think you are wrong, you come across as old and bitter and this is a youngs mans game for the future, old dinosaurs need not respond, just bury the head and keep repeating. Rugby League is dead, Rugby League is dead, Rugby League is dead, Rugby League is dead. hopefully you'll find some like minded people who agree with you. oh look, here's clipper and co!

@The Barry People complain about so called made up teams and the first thing they try to do when they get their say, hey, lets make up a new team ..... Fair dinkum!

For gods sake, how does having a club team in an Aussie comp make them anything like you said? It gives the kids a proper pathway from these Islands and as far as I know, only locals get to play in these teams to represent their nations in that club comp, thus NRL clubs will pick them up as they produce more and better players, and when more and more NRL/ESL clubs pick them up, they'll have plenty of Professionals to choose from so they can represent their nations with pride against the big three. Just keep typing the same stuff white anting the game whilst pretending to be a fan, I suspect that over half the responses to these RL articles are by people who follow other sports and actually hate league, quite sad they feel the need to do that. Must be fear!

I have about a dozen books on Rugby League history and about 3 on French RL alone and most of what you are saying is garbage, sorry, but I can't take miss truths when I have "the forbidden game" "Champagne Rugby" and so on sitting right in front of me saying the complete opposite.

Your whole point has been about national pride, but you go on about merging all the nations into one like the West Tigers. It's completely contraidctory. So now a proud, young Australian born player of Samoan heritage has the choice between playing for Australia or the Pacific Island Tigers. If players were choosing Australia over their heritage nation before why would they now be choosing to play for the merged together Pacific Tigers?

More damage than good.... hahaha that's a good one. I'm happy to educate you on why you're comment is ridiculous but it's probably going to be a waste of time.

And I didn't need to call anyone names, as you sarcastically suggested,because I just did in fact argue your points. I respect your views Glenn ,I am diametrically opposed to them for reasons, I have outlaid and there are others,,that's all. I respond in kind to well know trolls who are not rl fans. By contrast ,yours is a well argued commentary , though I spelt out the opposite view ,which I hold strongly.

Ask yourself Funny That,when this guy appears on only a couple of specific rl threads and which ones,and you get a pattern.It's an opportunity to point score,nothing more.

Take them with a "grain of salt implies" what Clipper ?.They are unreliable.I am asking you to prove otherwise.You cannot, simple as that.I repeat once more prove it with evidence they are either unreliable or a grain of salt. Commonwealth Games Committeé,Govts ,all a "grain of salt."LOL. I am also letting you know when negatives crop up,such as Russia losing Govt support it has been acknolwdeged by the RLEF I do humbly suggest that when you provide references to back up your continual negative vibes on the N RL site ,I understand they now are to also be treated with " ä grain of salt". The irony of you mentioning about RLEF all they do is positives,(when they are reporting fieldwork)when all you set out to do is look for negatives on rugby league.I followed and played ru for a few years,I know the modus operandi .You continue to troll,and get away with it,as you do not get involved on other rl threads I have already responded to Glenn's comment on France,which shows he was completely out of the loop on the situation existing from the 50s to the year 2000.There are people involved in the field overseas with development,who I have maintained regular contact with,that are at complete odds with Glenn.Therefore Glenn's comments I am unable to concur.

Glenn You should do some further research,the institutional restraints in France were not long gone in 1959,that is absurd in the true sense of the meaning. In fact when the French pres.De Gaulle came to power in the late 50s,he saw ru as the sport to challenge the Anglo Saxons. The code rugby league was not officially recognised by the French Govt till the latter part of the 20th Century.In fact it had to be called Game of 13,French name escapes me.The code could not use rugby in its offical title. As such it could not receive grants from the Govt,as ru was the officially recognised code of rugby.It was ru who received the funding from the GOvt.It was ru who was able to teach their code in schools.PE teachers specialising in RL were banned. If you had any knowledge of the lobbying of the group X111 Actif under Robert Fassolette in 1999 who wrote to the then French PM Dominique de Villpin(the latter admitting their were "wartime issues to be faced properly ,not swept away." As a result a French Commission under Mme Buffet was set up. It was only in the latter part 80/90s that the game was able to call itself Rugby a Treize.And it was in 2005 after a Govt Commission set up in 2002,who admitted the injustices done against rl.And the finger was pointed at two organisations one Vichy,the other..... If you have any doubts as to the authenticity of my points,ask Thomas Keneally,Roy Masters,The French rl chairman,the Toulon ru chairman,and there is a library in Paris with the French commission findings,plus the Book Forbidden Game or Cliff Spracklen Founder of X111 Actif. To suggest there were no institutional restraints, shows a complete lack of knowledge of what happened prior to and during 1941,post war ,and latter 20th century.Playing any match does not imply,Govt assistance,acknowledgement,grants,or recognition. Rugby league was booming in France up to December 41.

CC - never said the statements were 'rubbish' - said they had to be taken with a grain of salt - they are always going to highlight the positive and downplay the negative, easy to do with statistics. I do play more credence with Sport England as they are a government body. Anyway, I think Glenn Innes best sums up the reality below, so there's no need for any lengthy diatribe involving the Urkrane or Burkina Faso.

So, Wales have beaten Aus, Eng or NZ once, in 1995, since 1980 - sound very much like a decline from pre 1980's to me. Wales have been in the RWC semi finals 3 times, most recently in 2011.

I have to respond to you Glen Innes,and I understand from where you are coming from. In our code we have the Internationalists and the Stay at Homeists. That's fine, but when you adopt the my backyard approach, down the line,the backyard can shrink,due to townhouses and villas taking over as an analogy. You seem to be of the opinion that any rugby league fan wanting their code to grow overseas,expects some sort of domination or rush of applicants to play and/or watch the code in these area.I have never seen nor heard that suggested by anyone. I have attended Kangaroo tours ,and Challenge cups in the UK,have a brother who lives in Paris and has done so for many years.So I know the lie of the land in those regions and the dominance of soccer. No one is even contemplating getting anywhere near soccer,in a thousand years.Yet there are teams now in places like Gloucester ,so they have cracked a non heartland area. The point of growing the game ,is to get competitions within those countries from schools up.You then proceed with the notion about non English speaking countries.The irony of that comment,is those countries are the ones which have shown the fastest growth in the shortest space of time.. The countries are Czech Republic,Serbia,Spain,Italy,Ukraine and Lebanon.All of which are involved in grassroots and have senior comps.Some with uni involvement.Greece is now up and running with teams and growing,another non English speaking country.With due respect that argument about English speaking countries not having a taste is nonsense.It's evident that in fact some of the populace do. Two Serbs Stefan Nedejkovioc & Stevan Stevanovic have just had a stint with the Warrington Wolves. Ukraine,Serbia,Lebanon with Govt recognition and grants,all a result of growth. Euro Sport commission has provided the code with grants due to their development work.The Commonwealth Games has seen the work done in countries such as Ghana,Jamaica ,and has put the code on stage 3 footing.I value their knowledge above yours and mine on the matter. You have done a lot of research about the world's population,less I suggest about what rugby league is doing in many areas.If the code was to rely on the UK,we may as well shut up shop.It's looking further afield.Yet the code was the only team sport in the UK ,to actually increase pariticipation in 2013. If up to 7,000 people or 3,000 on a wet day in Canada(with a local comp) can watch a match between the USA v Canada,or Canada v Jamaica ,it shows there is interest ,small though it may be. In South Africa a new club has been formed a few days ago, in one of the non white regions called the Broncos,so the shrinking white population is having no effect. And the country with Africa's largest population Nigeria is being developed.And indeed the South Americas/Mexico in its infancy where people who have suddenly played the game ,love it.They love the physicality. We are all forgetting China/India/Indonesia/Middle east have more than 1/3 of the world's population ,they are more concerned about work/survival than interest in many sports,including ru/rl.So what has that to do with development elsewhere? We also need to develop the code here nationally,which I believe is on the ARLC's plate,and grow the game elsewhere.If small companies are prepared to do it overseas,other sports also,why the hell should we remain steadfast in being the one "girt by sea"?,just because 5 billion 990million people don't give a rats. I have had the privilege of speaking to years ago Arthur Beetson the former great rl player.He coveted playing for and leading his country as being one of his greatest achievements.Cam Smith called it his highest honour. SOO is the greatest competition due its intensity and speed.playing for ones country the top of the rung. That's my rant.

I'll buy you a latte Glenn Innes.

Funny that- Australia on their 1959/1960 tour played a game a game against French army on December 8 1959 so whatever institutional prejudices existed against Rugby League in France,they were obviously long gone by 1959 as the game was played in the military something that was not the case in England or Australia.People should do some research into these issues rather than excepting folklore as fact. The Rugby games have always been and still are a very very distant second to soccer in France,Rugby Leagues decline there probably has far more to do with soccers dominance than Rugby Union. Also Australia did not play Wales until the seventies and the Kiwis were never consistently competitive like Great Britain and France so it was three teams mate.

@James Preston You seem to be missing out on what's going on lower in RL in Australia and the Pacific Islands with PNG side in the QLD cup and the Fijian side that will join the NSW cup next year, don't both these sides do more for their respective nations by getting more professional players out there in the first place to actually lift their national sides when they do eventually get picked to play? That's doing more for the game than playing a few more *tests a year with muddied sides* that represent nobody! As I said before, you give these teams enough time to start producing NRL players, there is no doubt in my mind that their National teams will step up, look at the Warriors and the Kiwis since the former came in. France are on the right track albeit slower imo because of the language situation, but instead of getting happened 66-0 or 72-0 against Australia, they've managed to drag it down to around 40 while scoring a few. (need to lift their game even more) When the PNG and Fijian Sides have a full roster of pro players that can go with any of the top three and it will happen (PNG has beat GB and NZ already), these guys will not be worrying about some State of origin match between NSW and QLD, they'll be worrying about their next opponent in the 4-5-6 Nations Rugby League. Something else the ARLC and RLIF can talk about later on in regards TV rights too.