[urlhttp://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,26691,12610_6757795,00.html[/url

Barnes looks like a school boy in this, stevo give him his due is realistic although a tad embarrassing at times

What was embarrassing? Thought he did a good job sticking up for league

Stevo was fantastic in this IMO, his passion for the game cannot be questioned. I would much prefer it if we good get Ryan Giggs to say it on SNN and all the other famous people who love RL.

As much as Stevo gets on my nerves, he is passionate about RL and gave that prize goon Barnes a good run for his money.

Union is a more world wide game that's a fact, there's more money involved at all levels and more fans at international level but club rugby is bobbins unless it's the Heineken Cup, this is where we are better with more fans, more skill, more speed and atmosphere in the grounds.

The RFL need and independant inquiry into the game and how we can make it more appealing to larger world wide audiences and how to make the game, career and lifestyle of a RL player more appealing to our star players, I'd start with GB tours down under and proper tours with a 30 odd man squad playing club sides, NSW and Queensland and get it on the BBC at a time of year when there are no other sporting events to compete with and make that spot our own, if it messes the season up with one or two clubs missing their star players then TS (not Tony Smith BTW). Have them tour over here too evry 2 years and visa versa, with Kiwi tours in between.

Have an England A team to play in another tournament (Please don't call it the four nations as it would get mixed up with Union) against Wales, Scotland, France etc.

For us to fill big stadiums we need big thinkers and I don't think the RFL are at the moment, what we need is someone like Uncle Mo who had vision (M Magic is a good concept in theory but poorly executed), think GB v Australia at Old Trafford, Elland Road and Wembley (1st game) in a series where 30,000 of the tickets are divided up and given to amatuer clubs and told to sell so many so that the crowds look big, also give away tickets to local school kids even if it's 2000 to local schools in the area, its better having an extra 2000 and making the money on food and drink than having 2000 less in the stadium. Reward the schools and clubs by sending players there to coach the kids and give them rugby balls and equipment and maybe a signed shirt.

Thers 80 open age teams in the North West Counties, if something was set up so that if a club sold a certain ammount of tickets for the International they would get rewards and cheaper tickets so buy in bulk and get a big percentage knocked off the overall price and free stuff like balls, tackle bags, shirts etc.

you can say whatever about stevo but you cant question his love and passion for the game which is brilliant, ok as for commentry hes very annoying and hopefully will be replaced but hope he can still be involved in the game some way even if him and eddie was studio presenters and let passed players such as carney,clarke,scully ect to commentate on the game

Fair play to Stevo for passionately defending Rugby League and giving it to Barnes, and the blatently pro-Union host, with both barrells. For all Stevo's faults he is a Rugby League man through and through and it showed.

On the crowds point - at club level, I believe that RU's average Premiership attendances are now ahead of SL's.

We really do need to have a strategic rethink about the way the game is going, not just because of professional RU but because weak SL club financial controls and business planning and misguided structures such as the SC mean that the long term ability of RL to support a fully professional game in this country is under serious threat, regardless of what RU is doing.

The RFL really needs to get with the times to fend of the RFU. Increase the salary cap for starters to attract players from union, better marketing of the game, we shouldn't be kicking off our season infront of an half empty stadium in a city that is never going to promote rugby league nor get it established god knows they've had long enough trying to. The same can also be said for London, if it was going to take off then we would have had a 2nd pro RL club by now, its 1980 since Fulham were introduced to RL how long do they need down there to develop, 31yrs and only one team in the making, a team that has folded more times than a sheet of A4 in an origami class plus has a fan base that is made up of a mainly northern relocators and southern hemisphere emigrants. We need to work on the core of our game and get everyone upto a standard that befits the title of "superleague" and not the current format of four "super teams" plus a few more teams to make up the league.

I actually thought Barnes came over quite well there.

Steveo also to be fair, though he needs to learn not to steamroll in a debate!



I have said all I need to on the CC.

Disagree there, we've GOT to continue to try and establish the game out of the heartlands. Union is just as sheltered - besides Sale, are there any clubs up here? The difference is the media - but they only way they're going to change their opinion is if we continue to promote the game outside of the M62 corridor.

As for the salary cap - again, until the clubs actually start to turn a profit it'd be madness to increase it.

Newcastle and Leeds??