From despair TO where: Rugby League 2018

[Kevin S]

Widdop, you beauty. Huge kick.

[Kevin S]

Superb solo effort there from Jake Connor, slipping out of a double-team and then getting over after a little dummy. England on fire.

[ursus arctos]

League is definitely easier for USians to grasp than union, and the absence of body armor and forward passes are sufficient to distinguish it from gridiron.

I’ve long thought that League had a better shot here, but there is much more money and influence behind Union and that seems unlikely to change soon.

That said, it is quite possible that Sevens will eventually be the preferred format here.

[Kevin S]

League is looking good to expand in Canada though (in fact Toronto are currently giving Barrow a hammering in the second division).

[Kevin S]

Fuck me, what a try [Makinson's]. Love this team.

[Cesar Rodriguez]

That said, it is quite possible that Sevens will eventually be the preferred format here.

This. There is so much track/football talent that does not quite make it pro in those sports but that could be converted into 7s players its not even funny - Perry Baker and Carlin Isles are just the tip of the ice berg. America will dominate 7s rugby within a decade.

[Kevin S]

Shaun Wane appears to have made a switch to Union; he's going to be the high-performance coach of Scotland.

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

The announced attendance on Saturday was around 19,300 - I haven't watched the game back yet, I only caught the last 20 minutes on a TV screen in a Wetherspoons, and things were a bit hazy by that point so I don't know whether that was a fair reflection of the numbers that actually turned up - but anyway it seems to have been deemed a success and we can look forward to seeing if they take up the option for the other two games over the next two years.

Talk now is of Australia v Tonga in New York, which is strange as that's an even longer flight from Sydney than Denver.

[ursus arctos]

New York also features a larger, but similar, set of inappropriate venues (many of which are outside the city).

The professional union team, which is scheduled to join Major League Rugby next year, is going to play in Gaelic Park, which has proper dimensions, but only holds 2,000 people

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

New York also features a larger, but similar, set of inappropriate venues (many of which are outside the city).

The professional union team, which is scheduled to join Major League Rugby next year, is going to play in Gaelic Park, which has proper dimensions, but only holds 2,000 people

The Red Bull Arena is the plan if it's in "New York" (I know) - it would be tied in with the bid for a NY team to play in the European (ok, English) league. There was interest from another promoter to play it in Utah (at the MLS team's stadium).

[ursus arctos]

That would have been my recommendation, given the choices available

[Kevin S]

Leeds sack McDermott. Four Super Leagues in seven seasons.

[Kevin S]

Mind you, they really do seem to have turned to shite.

[Me Old Flower]

York held on to beat Bradford today. Just short of 6,500 in attendance for a third tier fixture.

Wakefield thumped Hull to secure a playoff place, meaning Leeds finish up in the qualifiers.

[ad hoc]

I have just come into a ticket for the Challenge Cup final, on the day when we found out who is in it. The remainer in me wants to support the Catalans, but i'll be going with Warrington fans, so i may have to go with them. Looking forward to it.

[nmrfox]

Widnes 20 London 21 in the first of what look like some fascinating Qualifier games. Thoroughly deserved win for the Broncos but Widnes look a shambles and will be lucky to finish in the top 5, especially now they only have 2 homes games out of the 6 left.

[nmrfox]

York go top in league 1 thanks to a home stuffing of Hunslet with Bradford loosing at home to Workington, to whom York travel to in a couple of weeks time in their toughest game of the four remaining.

[Gangster Octopus]

What're the chances of being able to wander up on Saturday to Wembley and buy a ticket on the day?

[Kevin S]

Not sure how up to date this is but there would appear to be a fair number of spaces in the Catalans' end.

[ad hoc]

Yes I guess there are plenty of free seats. My party has been upgraded (I don't know from what to what, but I am assured it is the case).

[Gangster Octopus]

There's a couple of blokes in the pub, wearing Warrington tops. Apparently they've got tickets, but couldn't be bothered to go. It's five minutes away on the tube...

[Gangster Octopus]

Like all men who shave their heads, the Wire fans are now getting aggressive...

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

Well if you will hum the Marseillaises at them ...

[ad hoc]

I enjoyed that. I had familial reasons to support Warrington but I had Brexit reasons to support Catalans. Catalans deserved to win. We had actual French people sitting ahead of us. (As opposed to all the people wearing "Catalan for a day" t-shirts and strings of garlic round their necks. Catalans really benefitted support wise from having no rivals)

[Walt Flanagans Dog]

In the latest news from the sport that doesn't so much shoot itself in the foot as constantly tries to blow its own head off, the showpiece second test between England and New Zealand at Anfield in November has now been moved back 24 hours, because Everton are playing at home on the Saturday.

That's a lot of bookings of hotels, trains and coaches that are going to be either changed or written off, and a lot of pissed off people, pissed off by a sport that can't afford to piss a lot of people off.