Everton Stadium to host Rugby League Test Match

Everton hosting the 2nd Rugby League Test Match at BMD

England v Australia on 1 November. See yer, Old Trafford. There's a new kid in town. Now for NFL and some concerts.

If TFG had been in charge when BMD was being built, I'm sure it would have been built to suit.

With so many rugby league fans attending from around the country, it might make the council get their finger out for better transport links to and from the stadium.

If this is a success, I can see the rugby magic weekend moving to our stadium next season, instead of Newcastle.

Better start swatting up on your rugby league, Danny! :-)

There'll be a huge influx of meaty 11 fingered guys in polyester, eating pies, all buying their own individual pints and impressing the ladies that weekend.

Everton first for me everytime, but I do enjoy watching rugby league.

Totally agree. It's in the perfect place for the magic weekend for all the teams. Except Catalan.

Which is the biggest football club in Britain?

What next? The Coopers Hill cheese rolling and wake?

I think it's great tbh. More stuff like this will raise our profile.

There was a nice looking empty bar behind us and we ventured in to be told it was for Liverpool supporters only. I tried to explain it's a rugby match but the steward said it don't matter it's for Liverpool fans only. Even the bar staff were telling him to let us in!

On my memory, it was a dump.

Not that I've followed the sport too much, but my closest team would be Widnes.

Noughton Park, I remember it (from the outside). Now the Halton Stadium, described as a purpose built rugby league, football and American football stadium.

Paul that's so French-ist. Or is it Catalan-is?!!

I think we could host NFL. Tottenham has just shy of 10,000 capacity on us.

I'm not sure whether safe standing can increase the capacity like it does in some European football stadiums.

Either way, it's great that we are going to use the stadium for other events outside of Everton and generate revenue. This and the Euros. Hopefully it's just the start.

I should've asked for a fucking stepladder let alone their autographs!

His car was recognisable by the words "Be a flyer with Martin Offiah" appearing on the sides!!

Been to all the old grounds like Knowsley Road, Naughton Park, Fartown and the magnificent Central Park now sadly a Tesco. Never watch rugby now of either code.

But I will make an exception for games at Everton, of course.

He was dissing BMD on Saturday night before I went to the test. He'll change his mind when he sees it for real. He'll probably change his colours again as well!) And I'll make him wipe his feet before he goes in.

Danny, England RL play in white and red, but most RL fans go in their own club colours, so in your case, Black and White for Widnes. Wigan play in a horrible, dirty cherry and unwashed white rag that looks like a used sannypad!🤢

I used to enjoy the GB Lions v the Kangaroos – they were massive games often played to full houses at Wembley. I don't like the new “home countries” teams but I suppose there are less Welsh greats in League now than in those days.

“ be a flyer with Martin Offiah" appearing on the sides!!.”

Didn't Roger Hunt have similar on his car?? “Be a cunt like Roger Hunt”

ps: The Saints – now there's a proper marching song!!!

"Well, there won't be any players rolling round in agony as if struck by a 10-ton truck when they're accidentally touched by an opponent's finger nail."

Oh so they're playing rugby union then? I thought the OP said it was rugby league.

There was also that famous car 'be an absolutely horrible Genesis punching bell end with no redeeming features, like Steven Gerard'

The GB v Australia tests in the '80s and '90s were brutal. Great days.

What a place! It's Stone Age… but when the Tigers have a chance of a win, it is fabulous.

They can host the World Tiddly Winks Final™ there for all I care, as long as it's a sell-out and we make loads of dosh to spend on players.

Pitch will be a right state.

For the paltry income, fuck it right off.

Quote from the interim CEO, soon to transition to overseeing stadium development, Colin Chong:

“As well as being home to Everton, our new stadium was built to also host world-class sporting and entertainment events. Securing an international fixture of this magnitude demonstrates Everton Stadium's status as one of the UK's leading venues.

“The rivalry between England and Australia in rugby league has a rich history, and we are excited to welcome fans of the sport to our city and our stadium which will offer an unforgettable experience in a state-of-the-art setting on the banks of the River Mersey.”

It seems we finally have marketing objectives to make the most out of the new stadium.

In terms of concerts, I'd like to see a further re-union of the Stone Roses play there. And if the Beatles are good enough for Manchester City, to hear Mersey Paradise being sung at the stadium would be something. I actually wouldn't object to it being played in the build-up. Very apt for the setting.

Spurs host a couple of NFL games in October each year and it has no effect on the pitch (but plenty on their bottom line).

But, hey, nothing like ‘bloke in the pub' logic when it comes to these things…

We won't know who we're playing until the fixtures are released, probably in July? We could be away the week after. Who knows?

For me, this is a positive, even though I have no clue about Rugby.

The pitch will be recovered and maintained. Like other venues used for events other than football, they seem to manage it. I don't remember Goodison having problems when Bellew fought there with fans ringside on the pitch watching with a boxing ring parked in the middle.

I hear it all the time down here from the chinless Home Counties boys and their fags.

Stanley was a dreadful team – unfortunately always bottom of the league.

We want The Killers playing on the pitch on a Saturday and us playing European football the following week. All that cash equals new players and no points deductions!

More importantly, is another revenue generator. Maybe we can entice a few England football international matches up there too. After all, they've played many at smaller much less impressive grounds in recent years.

There's been Rugby League games at Old Trafford for years with no discernible impact.

It’s all a great Day out, them Aussies are big buggers and can certainly play rugby, be a few sore limbs coming off the pitch at full time.

Whether you like rugby or not Danny, the Day will be great with a mixture of fans from all over, without any trouble and plenty of banter.

So would he be Antonia de Sancha to your David Mellor, Brian??

Currently7th, perched on the edges of the play-offs, with the same number of points as 6th, The Robins could well make a league appearance at the Dock next season!

The ball has to be passed sideways or backwards, or is it a forward pass and the other team get possession.

If a player knocks on by dropping the ball forward, it’s a scrum and the opposing team will put the ball in the scrum, which always goes to his team mate.

If a player is injured or play stops, the ref tells timekeeper to stop the clock, then time resumes, once the 80 mins is up on the clock a hooter goes to end the game, then the ref will blow for full time.

None of this 6 minutes added time rubbish like football

There is a sin bin for 10 minutes for a bad tackle, and a red card if one of the players get clothlined with a high shot.

I like Brian’s more thoughtful explanation but as you’re a Yank I’ll explain it in US terms. Rugby league is like flag football. Rugby union is like the short lived XFL.

If only football brought in the one captains challenge per team rule, then if unsuccessful, any players surrounding a ref can get penalised.

Bruno reffed the game at Goodison, time he spent in the refs face.

You got me mate sorry I couldn’t resist. Honestly I’ve never watched rugby league but I grew up with a father who hated it for some reason and tried to force me into rugby union which honestly I never enjoyed playing. I was all about football which my old man also hated.

I, too, never enjoyed rugby at school and did cross country to avoid it and actually got rather good at cross country (erm 4th in Northern Schools championship!),

Not winding you up, I really don't know. The sport never grabbed me except for the rugby sevens at the Olympics and the aforementioned Jonah Lomu, who was one of the most spectacular athletes I ever saw.

Our Dad was a multi-team sport appreciator and so that’s what we grew up to be.

Rugby union is the game I’ve played the most - front-row tussling suiting my build, temperament, stamina (with lack of major pace and severe lack of general fancy footwork reducing my alternate sporting careers) - football (Everton) is the one I am happiest to watch through thick and thin, and rugby league is one I greatly admire when it is played with the flair it deserves (Saints fan).

Mike Gaynes, if you consider the variety of normal body types rugby union is perhaps the archetypal ‘team’ sport, with a variety of diverse specialist positions that means ‘fat’ guys will be helping giants jump directly upwards to catch a pitched ball whilst human battering rams or will’o’the wisp types are arranging themselves to receive the ball and make their attempt to penetrate the ranks of defenders who will do their utmost to literally stop them in their tracks.

As stated by others, competition for possession of the ball in union (as in football) is constant whilst the ball is in play.

Lineouts and scrums are union ‘specialty’ restarts were 16 very hefty ‘forwards’ form phalanxes to melee for possession of the ball and so a union game could easily shred a manicured footballing surface, but rugby league is more of a general athletes game so the pitch should be fine for just one game. The multi-match Magic Weekend could be much more problematic, especially if the surface was soggy.

You can punt the ball to touch for strategic reasons in both codes, but union can devolve into kicking duels where the object is not actually to put it out of play but to induce a mistake and end up playing the game in an improved attacking position.

Yep Hertfordshire. Union stronghold. One “older kid” from the local team I played for made it into the England team during the Dallaglio era. But I was more focused on trying to be the next Trevor Steven. His career plan worked out better than mine.

Not those three but Matt Dawson (England / Lions scrum half- union), Adam Jones (Wales / Lions prop- union) and James Graham (England/ GB prop- league) are recorded as Everton fans.

Union isn’t the sole preserve of ‘snobs’ who only love union.

I once bumped into Matthew James Sutherland Dawson in the Mons believe it or not and had a really nice chat. I recognised him not from rugby but QOS though. He was born in Birkenhead, I think.

Trump putting a 25% tariff on car imports will bugger up Toyota, therefore TFG.

It’ll be embarrassing if the Japanese car maker cuts back on potential stadium sponsorship and can’t afford the full TOYOTA Stadium name and cuts back to just TOY Stadium

6 players sent off, Huddersfield had a tall coloured guy Tony Johnson, who went through 3 Wigan players and set up a try, after that he got clothlined around 3 times and eventually got taken off for his own safety, some of those head high shots were brutal, never seen a game like it for a player having a target on his back.

It will impact them. Not just their Toyota business, they also have holdings in Lexus.

But the remainder of their portfolio of 21 companies would seemingly be unaffected, so I am sure the bank account is still healthy.

Ironically, I had to BBC News on this morning and this announcement came a day or two after the South Korean car manufacturer, Hyundai, announced a USD $21BN investment in the US (Louisiana). Now, that could be seen as appeasement, but knowing our Donald, it will justify his actions in his own mind.

Ah cont spake indeed.

A man with some rather 1970s views. Probably be at home on ToffeeWeb tbh!

Paul, the difference between then and now is that there were checks and balances around him. This time out, he wields absolute power and has surrounded himself by hypnotised, fawning lapdogs who hang on his every word and agree with everything he says.

I could loosely liken him to a certain despotic 20th Century Dictator, but I won't. We can get away with Trump given the potential impact on Everton's owners, but I don't think 1930s Germany should be discussed here!!!!

Mark, wasn't Jonah Lomu about 18 stone and could run an olympic standard 100m? There's only one thing if that is running towards you. Close your eyes and hope for the best.

Brian - just thuggery from both sides. Should’ve been easily more than 6 sendings off and that “tackle” on the black lad was bare faced assault that the ref saw and ignored.
Just in case anyone missed it, this was a SECOND division match. That’s a trophy Wigan have won that St Helens never will…

Liam, the Wigan number 2, the lad who kept getting ignored when Wigan had the ball, and who notably kept out of all the trouble, is my cousin Barry Williams.

The Rugby league Ashes game against Australia has already demonstrated the pull of our new stadium over Old Trafford who would normally host this event. As many have said no feigning injuries from these guys, a treat to watch compared to the antics of nearly all Premier league players.

I remember in Moyes first reign he allowed St Helens Rugby league side to train at Bellfield, and Moyes commented of how there were no tie ups or bottles of water left on the training ground as the players had picked everything up, and he said the changing rooms were spotless after the players left.

Mate of mine just got his today, in the North Stand by (his) mistake. He says the only south stands left are right up in the Gods!

A guy next to me last Sunday says it very scary up there!! 🫣

Is there a seat plan to show what seats are still available??

I need to build up to when I tell my missus I’m spending her housekeeping on a ST! 😬

But don't quote me. I've given up with the tickets page on the club site. Many members can't get tickets as they're being sold to god knows who. And the cheeky shits are still offering membership for the rest of this season!

I submitted an online note, complaining and highlighting that tickets were appearing on websites at inflated prices. There was one for City within an hour going for £350.

I asked them not to give me a bland response. I got a bland response, advising me not to use those websites and report it to the club.

I just had!!

Didn't your namesake get the "early bath" following a proper fist fight with Sid Hines in the Challenge Cip Final at Wembley many years ago?

Alex Murphy' s skullduggery got Sid Hynes sent off in the Leigh v Leeds Rugby League Final of 1971. The incident also caused Murphy to be stretchered off and allegedly he winked to the cameras en route.

I bumped into Murphy years later at Knowsley Road and mentioned it, he just gave a wry smile.

On another tour for a World Cup down under he was coach of the England team who were to play Wales in Brisbane and he told them, lose this and half the population will be walking around in red jerseys tomorrow, how right he was.

If any of you haven't seen Rugby League before then get tickets for the Australian Kangaroos Test at BMD as the speed of the Australian side will come as a surprise and if you want a preview try watching a replay of any NSW v Queensland State of Origin game but TV doesn't give you the full idea of how fast the game is in Oz.

I plead the headaches!