[urlhttps://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-league/50446763[/url
I met a handful of Travelling British RL fans in Auckland and Hamilton over the last few weeks and they had embraced the "return", but the stark reality is that the other "lions" drew 20,000 fans here in 2017, whilst if I am generous, maybe 400 made the trip for the GBRL Lions.

I can only imagine the financial losses taken (Guess is a minimum £1,000,000 loss at the triple header alone) and how that money would have been better spent on development rather than trying to re-grasp the past

in 2006 i watched GB v NZ in wellington in the tri nations series, can tell you now there was less than a thousand GB fans then! i bet most union fans earn more than us northern league fans so can afford to travel all over and max out numerous credit cards!

Have a gander at the costs associated with going to South Africa in 2021 for say 4 weeks.

It's not about "earnings' with a lot of the union fans, but more about saving for a decade or more. I met 3 couples on their honeymoon's in Australia in 2013...and the fact that you know where and when they'll be playing because it's a 12 year cycle helps!

£10,000 is my estimate for SA21.......AND THAT'S PER HEAD

wage income is a major factor....where else will you get the money to save! cant find which country is hosting 2029 btw!

more importantly....the British Lions union team can draw on fans from all 4 nations.....GB RL wont!

Hmm....2017 NZ, 2021 SA, 2025 AU, 2029 NZ......it's a 4 year cycle. If you think they'll stop touring then you're insane....IT'S A CASH COW and they will milk it for all it's worth

what makes you think i thought they would!? i googled the 2029 union world cup and nothing came up on host nation...didnt mention anything about not touring

Union world cup?
If you googled Union world cup 2029 I'd expect no results...

2019, 2023, 2027, 2031.......lions tour is 2029.


Argentina, Australia and Russia have expressed an interest in hosting 2027. It's a fair bet it wont be a European side that hosts it, as France are getting the 2023 one. 2031 bidding isn't even being considered as yet, but Ireland will be in the mix again I would think.

It’s the not money , it’s the product & the occasion.

I was on the last GB tour of Australia 1992 when around 10,000 British supporters piled into Lang Park , Brisbane for the deciding test match.
I was also in Sydney in 2014 when Wigan took around 2,500 fans over for the World Club Challenge

The real problem here is that GB as a side really don't exist - it's an "English" side with a couple of "token" players thrown in.
IF playing for GB is supposed to be the pinnacle (which it isn't) then is must the side needs to have a reasonable mix of players from each of the 4 nations and sadly, this just cant happen.
Unless we are going to either, plunder Welsh and Scottish RU and convert some players to compete for a GB spot, the whole concept has zero credibility.
While I agree with the op thet ,RL must have a program of International fixtures stretching as far into the future as is reasonable, GB has to be mothballed.

With all efforts now focusing on expanding the game into N.America

, any thoughts of domestic RL spreading around the home nations will move further down the agenda and whilst sides will be cobbled together to make the numbers up for the next RL world cup, the game just isn't big enough to have enough top quality sides.

Yes, the southern hemisphere sided can put together competitive sides through "heritage" rules and there will be some top quality games to see - Tonga being a classic example but, over here, we have a diminishing England side, a poor French side and then "fabricated" sides from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Again, put together by maximising heritage rules.

I'd prefer to do away with the four separate nations, and just have GB. That means if any player (Regan Grace being the most obvious current example) does develop into potential international standard then they know who they can represent. The Ireland, Scotland and Wales RL teams don't represent those countries in any way. Their players are heritage players, and what few fans they have are generally heritage fans with northern English accents too. If anyone from those countries happen to come across them on TV (or social media) then they aren't going to hear that and relate to that team as their own.

Those teams might make up the numbers at the World Cup, but a smaller number of more competitive countries wouldn't do the tournament any harm. It's not as if Ireland, Scotland or Wales are going to win it. Just end the confusion by sticking with GB and using the rest as development teams playing games against each other (and maybe England Knights and France) only.

Limit them to three heritage players each as I would say that's a happy medium. A team full of development players getting walloped by England Knights wouldn't do them much good, so a couple of Super League players with a Scottish grandparent there to help them out could be beneficial. An entire team of heritage players doesn't develop anyone though.

Although your sentiments are correct, if we do away with the "other" home nations sides, you just about kill any prospect of a RL world cup.
I get what you say about having fewer "proper" sides but, you cant claim to have a "world" cup if there are only half a dozen sides competing and we still come back to the GB side basically being England, under a different name.
I get what you are saying about players like Regan Grace but, would his inclusion (or others of his ilk) really inspire the fans to turn up and watch ? - I dont think so

We should keep England and the home nations for the World Cup, 4 Nations and a European Five Nations but use GB and Ireland Lions for tours.
The argument that Ireland, Scotland and Wales don’t produce the players is circular. They never will have the numbers if eligible players have to opt to play for England for top international experience. But providing an incentive in the form of the Lions gives heritage and home grown players the chance to play for their home nation and still represent GB&I.