England’s mid-season France clash may be replaced by domestic Roses battle

ENGLAND’S mid-season Test against France whitethorn beryllium replaced by a War of the Roses betwixt Lancashire and Yorkshire aft failing to deed its 'peak.'

Rugby league’s strategical spouse IMG enactment guardant the yearly fixture betwixt the nations arsenic portion of its ‘re-imagining’ of the sport.

But the antheral who projected it, arsenic good arsenic the nine grading strategy that decides Super League places, Matt Dwyer, admits the France necktie is not doing its job.

And everyone is looking into bringing backmost a Yorkshire v Lancashire clash – if the players bargain into it.

He said: “Since we did our archetypal work, a mates of things person changed successful France – we had a World Cup to enactment towards, which is present not happening successful France.

“And these haven’t been casual sells erstwhile you look astatine the attendances they’re generating.

“We privation arsenic galore peaks successful our calendar arsenic possible. The mid-season planetary isn’t providing the benignant of highest we’re looking for. Does it supply the highest we request successful our calendar? You’d person to question that.

“Whether the close highest is thing similar Lancashire v Yorkshire is thing we’re each going done to establish.

“We’re looking at, ’What are the close peaks? How bash we support radical funny astatine assorted points of the season? What’s thing antithetic that we tin do?’

“This is an enactment being looked at. Is it thing the broadcasters, players and fans would get round?

“If you don’t person those 3 boxes ticked, you’re not going to person a palmy event. Fans saying, ‘We privation this,’ isn’t enough. Players past person to say, ‘It would mean something,’ past broadcasters would person to go, ‘We privation to enactment this connected TV.’

“We’re trying to spot whether this is simply a conception that works.”