England to play stand-alone warm-up game next summer to prepare for World Cup

Got something to discuss about RL in general? Then this is the place to post it.
Post Reply
josie andrews
Posts: 35491
Joined: Sun Jun 10, 2007 10:17 pm
Location: Wigan
Contact:

England to play stand-alone warm-up game next summer to prepare for World Cup

Post by josie andrews »

Shaun Wane will take charge of only his second game as England boss this weekend

England will play the Combined Nations All Stars again in 2022 but this time it will be a stand-alone fixture, says Rugby Football League chief executive Ralph Rimmer.

The return of the Super League-based All Stars, previously known as the Exiles, was designed to be a warm-up game for England ahead of the 2021 World Cup and it will provide the same function in the run-up to the delayed tournament.

The game at Warrington in June, which England lost 26-24, was compromised by the decision of Super League clubs to play a full round of fixtures over the same weekend but Rimmer says a gap has been created in the calendar for it next summer.

England are also set to play Fiji before the World Cup but Rimmer is hoping competitive men’s and women’s Test matches against France in Perpignan on Saturday will pave the way for the return of regular Anglo-French clashes.

“I thought the All Stars concept on the whole was very successful,” Rimmer said. “A bigger build-up would help us all and a window is in the calendar, so hopefully we can make more of it.

“I do believe the two French teams are going to provide us with good opposition this weekend.

Having two teams from France in Super League demonstrates the quality that is available and we’re going to play in an environment which we know will be pretty partisan. It’s an important building block for our men and women.

“On the back of good games this weekend, I think will get into some fairly regulation competition with the French.”

Rimmer says he is expecting a near sell-out crowd at Stade Gilbert Brutus for the double-header on the back of the Catalans Dragons’ success in winning the League Leaders’ Shield and reaching a first Grand Final in 2021.

A bumper crowd will also boost France’s bid to host the next World Cup in 2025.

“I’m lucky enough to be involved in the preparation of that bid and I think it would be fantastically exciting to land the World Cup in 2025, on the back of the French having already hosted the Olympics and the Rugby Union World Cup,” Rimmer said.

“It would be a great shot in the arm for world rugby league.”

Rimmers says Great Britain fixtures are pencilled into the next international calendar, which he hopes will be published in the next six months.

“The delay over the World Cup has disrupted the work that had been put into the international calendar,” he said.

It’s a big piece of work involved with cooperation from everybody around the globe but we think the production of an international calendar, which up to this point has been the holy grail of rugby league, is imminent and that will be probably one of the biggest building blocks we can achieve.”

Meanwhile, Rimmer insists the return of England head coach Shaun Wane to a role on the Wigan backroom team, which effectively means he will be part-time with the national team, will not have any adverse effect on preparations for the World Cup.

“Shaun came to me with the notion of the new arrangement and we talked it through at some length,” Rimmer said.

“I think it’s good to get Shaun out working a bit more openly. We know his time with us will ebb and flow, and we wouldn’t have done anything to jeopardise our World Cup preparation. I think we will benefit from it.”

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/r ... dium=email
Anyone can support a team when it is winning, that takes no courage.
But to stand behind a team, to defend a team when it is down and really needs you,
that takes a lot of courage. #18thMan
Charriots Offiah
Posts: 4104
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2020 1:14 pm

Re: England to play stand-alone warm-up game next summer to prepare for World Cup

Post by Charriots Offiah »

I think we should have three matches so that we can prepare ourselves fully.
Blackpool_Pie
Posts: 1365
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2012 7:44 pm

England

Post by Blackpool_Pie »

Anyone else a bit disappointed the French game was a one off? I know it's the off season and players need to rest etc etc but watching them play in France for their first game in a long time makes me wonder why they didn't have a 3 game series with either one or two games being played over here. I'm sure it would have been a commercial success as a lot of people I know were excited to see the game against France. The game lacked a little bit of quality as both sides hadn't played enough togher so surely a series of 3, culminating in a sell out, even at the sports Village or somewhere like headingley would have been a good move. Especially after the shitshow of not having a world Cup this year.

Out of interest, has anyone seen what the attendence was on Saturday?
User avatar
Mike
Site Admin
Posts: 7380
Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:54 pm
Contact:

Re: England to play stand-alone warm-up game next summer to prepare for World Cup

Post by Mike »

Don't think France's enough of a competitive opposition for a series yet.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Post Reply