Caisley dismisses rugby league Home Nations championship

Super League chairman Chris Caisley has dismissed the idea of setting up a rugby league Home Nations Championship. Ireland and Wales have already called for the immediate implementation of such a series in order to build on the achievements reached in the Lincoln World Cup. Ireland, who were runners-up in the Emerging Nations Championship in 1995, reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup while Wales gave Australia a major fright in Sunday's semi-final. However, Caisely sees no advantage in organising such a tournament.

"What would be the purpose of a Four Nations? Would it enhance player development? The answer is no. Would it assist in producing an international team? Probably not. People have to accept that, at the moment, the strength of our competition lies in our club game in the same way that the strength of rugby union lies in the international set-up. Rugby union would die for a club competition like ours, I know that for a fact. They have a dilemma there in the same way that we are finding it difficult to compete with two other sides in the world," he pointed out.

"The reason New Zealand have been so successful so far in this competition is that all their players bar two are playing in the NRL. They have week in, week out high-level intensity. New Zealand only plays one international a year. What improves our international prospects is playing week in, week out a higher level of intensity. If you get a high level of intensity in your club competition, similar to the NRL, then your international team will follow behind it. You can't do it the other way around," he added.

Caishley also believes that it would be a bad idea for the touring Kangaroos to play Ireland, Scotland and Wales next year in the build up to the Ashes Series. "The Australians only want to play the club sides because to make it pay, you've got to play in front of good crowds, which they don't think they'll get if they are playing Ireland, Scotland and Wales."

Ireland, Scotland and Wales met in a triangular tournament in 1999, but despite their request for such an event to take place on a regular basis, there are no plans to incorporate a Home Nations Championship in the 2001 calendar.

Filed by Amanda Fennelly