Watched Ireland v All Blacks this morning and of course the origin game earlier on in the week. Full of intensity, passion, brutality, and inspirational crowds.

Have been looking forward to exiles game all day hoping for a little bit of the same...........my god what a massive disappointment. The crowd is pitiful and the game has been very boring - yes I know its been raining.

In terms of comparing this to the standard of origin game would have to be someones idea of a truly terrible joke. One has to wander what sort of cricket score would be racked up by either of the state sides if they took on either England or their anzac leftovers!

Discuss.......

11 thousand and odd there this evening .... don't think so tbh - think they'll be a damn site less at the 2 nd game .
Rubbish !

i think there will be a mad dash for tickets for 2nd game,














































not

Dreadful.I bet Aussies are shaking in their boots.

Totally dire game, very poor advert for UK RL IMO



England looked very poor and even with a depleted Exile team construed to give Engalnd an easy win they made very hard work of it.

Chuffing christ some of the match reaction from Wigan fans is way OTT. Someone suggested that the concept should end and another suggested that the RFL pay the wages of their injured player.

I don't think the weather helped to be honest, but it was rather dull!
I'm considering going to Hudds, quite fancy the two shirts and a ticket offer on the VT for £44

That was a terrible game, raining or otherwise.

The Exiles looked like what they were - a group of strangers thrown together at the last minute and as a result, England should have put a cricket score on them; they failed to do so.

Not sure what it tells us, other than the obvious.

The 'Exiles' is a poor concept there will never be the intensity as who and what are they actually playing for? I can't believe it actually counts as an International. If we want to emulate Origin then we need to get a Yorkshire v Lancashire thing going and stick with it over a number of years so that you build the interest and the intensity so that it gives it a bit of history. Sadly we are always looking for a quick fix and trying to manufacture rivalries but it doesn't work like that. Was yesterdays game any better or more constructive than playing France or Wales?

Should have a 4 team inter counties championship. Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and a rest of GB. Players play for the counties of their birth and the rest of GB side could maybe have a choice of say 4 overseas players of their choice who are playing over here in order to strengthen their squad. Set a side 4 weekends during the season for games with everyone playing each other once then top two play off in the final. Jamie peacock wouldn't like it but with the right marketing and commitment from the players it could be a concept that takes off

Uptoncat - like we once had Yorks,Lancs,Cumbria and Other Nationalities.Good idea but still the same old same old got selected for Great Britain unlike Origin games where you have to show up or stand a chance of being out of the Ozzie side.

It needs to be taken seriously for it to work. That starts with the players and their mindsets. If the players don't take it seriously then who will?