RLIF confirm international calendar, Kangaroos and Lions tours to return

Its a MYTH

Scotland have never really been a force in RL, even less so today, but Wales used to have a good team, on a good day could beat Aus, NZ, England or France. Alas those days have long gone, so that these days a 'Lions' team would be an England team under a different name.

Agree rugby league will find it hard to ever get a solid footing in the big end of Scottish sports but during the RLWC13 & 4Nations Scottish media did send journos down to cover the team & reports featured in the major newspapers despite the heritage lopsidedness of the Scottish team. I think internationally Scotland isn't a big performer overall thus you'd be surprised if Scotland RL ever did well on the Intl stage, it would garner a bit of attention. Long term it could hope to be a niche sport with occasional attention drifting to it. I don't think the Scots are that closed minded & they are very proud of their heritage when you meet them living overseas.

Londoner is right- the eligibility rules in RL are joke and I cant see RL taking off in Scotland after foreigners representing Scotland had a good 4 nations. As RO found if you spread the talent thinly in Super Rugby you get lopsided results and go backwards. Does this mean the 4 nations is finished??

Back in the OLD days (pre-1995) the Roos would tour GB and France then GB would tour Aust two years later, Roos tour GB and France two years later etc. So, in essence, each team went on a tour every four years so this seems to be the same.......I think.

It started with Lewis in 1981 against France.

Japan and South Africa to play league and get good teams, ah yes you must be patient, let's wait 80 years if not 100 years for these 2 countries to have successful RL teams. The Japanese national rugby league team would probably be the standard of a 2nd division club side in the Newcastle or or cairns Comp, and the south african national team would probably be the standard of a Sydney shield side(that's 4th tier on the food chain, NRL is 1st-tier/NSW cup 2nd/Ron Maseey cup 3rd). Good luck waiting for these 2 sleeping giants.

Casual fans outside of Oz or North England don't care to see a Scotland team with a bunch of Oz accents. Same in Ireland with English accents. So it's basically TV product for anglophone market which already watches league The problem for me is countries like Ireland and Scotland have a very limited interest in league. It does nothing to grow the game. It's one thing to be like the Japanese union team an have 40% foreign born players ,but to have 100% foriegn makes a mockery of international teams. For what it is worth if there are only 4 or 5 or so other teams at a level of within 30 points of Oz and Nz and Eng that's the reality and that's what the world cup should be until more teams improve..... 8 to 10 teams Would the football world cup be OK to have a Andorra team made up of Spain / France C team professionals? Forget Scotland and Ireland as heritage teams let them build up at a amateur level and try to get south africa and Japan to play league, at some level....That will develop the game Have a pro And amateur world cup

Clipper only knows how much he hates the nrl. Another afl fanboy!

I would love to see a return to the old Lions and Kangaroo tours. Sadly, this will not happen. With ESL now played in our winter, these type of tours cannot go on. Both nations will fly over their players for the tests and then home again. No Sydney, NSW, Country, Brisbane games etc because the players (in NSW anyway) will either be playing club games or an end of season break. Same when we go over there. The ESL changing to a northern summer competition wiped out the old tours.

TV networks will not pay good money to screen "honourable thrashings" in sides stacked with domestic players. Casual fans just want to see close games, it's the purists like you it seems who care about integrity and honourable thrashings. Casual fans don't care if it's a heritage world cup, just like casual rugby fans don't really care about 3-year residency rule or the grandparent rules.

Thrashings at RL world cups full of domestic players are not good for the game long-term either.

Gallen's gone so can't see that happening again.

There's only 1 of their current squad born in Scotland, shows how much of a decline there's been.

Prehaps its a reality check. Scotland Ireland Italy don't have more than say 5 pro players who were born in those nations playing pro /semi pro in UK, France, Nz or Oz. There are 0 semi pro teams in those nations for rl..... The commercial interest in those nations over 17 years of heritage teams has not happened... The islands also offer nothing in TV markets so despite being good to see play, they are not going to be a priority (rugby union did not grow through tonga and Samoan TV rights, more like Japan and Argentina) Further, it hurts the island teams to have shirt swapping Between two national sides simultaneously... USA, Canada and Jamaica show some promise but give them 10 years to start getting grassroots together and a clear regional plan for how to develop in the USA etc. Wolfpack is just a mercenary foreign team that I am yet to see how will long term grow Canadian players. Building international rl around heritage teams is a poor strategy. Better to work to strengthen France, Png, Wales and even Fiji who do have some home grown talent. France have actually beaten Oz many times it just hasn't happen in 40 years, the potential is there for them to be a force.... And to be competitive with Nz, England and even Oz. As for the GB shirt - it actually means something and has some history. The England shirt, is only a big thing due to the funding systems in England and sport England wanting a English national team so to fund grass roots rl. Martin Offiah, Ellery Hanley, Billy Boston, Jonathan Davies, etc etc etc (2 if them are Welsh btw) Wales are a legitimate rl nation but there is not the money or interest for them to go tour SH. Better they play home matches, WC qualifiers and European opposition against a home grown Lebanon and Serbia and spain. If true international rl is only a few nations, at a elite level with lots playing below at amateur level the model to look at is cricket not football or rugby union......

you do know Scotland born players have been playing for the rugby league Lions since Gus Risman, George Fairbairn etc for decades prior?

What are their no matches planned for the Kangaroos in 2018? Are there any planned tours for second tier nations like France, Pacific Islands other than mid year test matches? I'm not sure I agree with the format. resurrecting the Lions concept is pointless in my view as all the players will likely be English. Why not play as nations instead. REtain this concept and expand tours for all nations. I would like to see the Pacific islands fight it out once a year, especially PNG, FIJI and Samoa. I'm not sure at times who is making these decisions? Nigel Wood and Co seem to focus on the Bid three ignoring the Second Tier.

For me the Lions should be a once every 4 year thing not done twice in 2-years. Once every 4 years they tour and then once every 4 years they host should be the way in my view, instead of played twice in the 4-year cycle, it's a bit overkill if you ask me. I'd like to see a european cup e.g. 6 teams, and an Asia-Pacific cup every 4 years. Also mid-season a rep-weekend which has been discussed. They used to have the england vs exiles game, I'd like to see England vs Europe All-stars game, that would be a good battle. And NZ vs Pacific Islands All star side as a curtain raiser to state or origin. Play it at Mt Smart Stadium at 5.45pm sydney time, it will be wrapped up by 7.45pm then SOO at around 8-8.15pm.

Can we cancel Origin in 2019.

I just read that France is playing a test against Jamaica this year! Great for both countries, and the first time they've met.