What happened to the GB team?

[Rich Taff]

Back in the amateur days, (when League was poaching all our best players ), There were some thrilling internationals involving GB vs Australia ('94 Ashes game where Edwards got sent off, and Jiffy scored in a great break) etc, but nowadays there is no more GB team.

Was there a ruling that they couldn't compete together?

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Great Britain went on until relatively recently (2007?) - I'm presuming it disbanded because it was basically just an England side by the end of it.
The 2007 squad that faced Australia had, out of 23 players, 23 Englishmen.

Disbanding the GB and having England/Wales/Scotland meant that more players had the opportunity of international rugby.

 

[Conal]

my league mates said it only went on as long as it did to hold on to a few guys like carney

 

[Rich Taff]

Ah ok thanks. I did wonder. It was pretty much the only League I used to look forward to watching, felt a bit like a Lions team, but I guess when the flow of players started going the other way, it was pretty inevitable.

 

[smartcooky]

Back in the amateur days, (when League was poaching all our best players ), There were some thrilling internationals involving GB vs Australia ('94 Ashes game where Edwards got sent off, and Jiffy scored in a great break) etc, but nowadays there is no more GB team.

Was there a ruling that they couldn't compete together?

Back in those days, the Great Britain RL team was essentially England in everything but name, because RL was not played at all in Ireland, Wales or Scotland. You might get the occasional Welshman playing, but they would be playing for an English RLFC.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that GB was in fact a "North of England" with no Clubs playing anything like top level RL much further south than Wigan.

 

[Rich Taff]

Back in those days, the Great Britain RL team was essentially England in everything but name, because RL was not played at all in Ireland, Wales or Scotland. You might get the occasional Welshman playing, but they would be playing for an English RLFC.

In fact, it would be more accurate to say that GB was in fact a "North of England" with no Clubs playing anything like top level RL much further south than Wigan.

The 'Welsh exodus' that sent Jiffy, Quinnell, Bateman, Moriarty, Gibbs, Devereaux (amongst many more) meant it wasn't just the 'occasional Welshman'.

 

[smartcooky]

The 'Welsh exodus' that sent Jiffy, Quinnell, Bateman, Moriarty, Gibbs, Devereaux (amongst many more) meant it wasn't just the 'occasional Welshman'.

True, but that was after GB was split into England and Wales for the first time to compete in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup. Prior to that, you would struggle to find many. e.g.the 1972 Great Britain RLWC squad had only one Welshman, Clive Sullivan who was born in Cardiff and played for Hull. Every other member of the squad was English and born in either Yorkshire or Lancashire.

 

[Rich Taff]

True, but that was after GB was split into England and Wales for the first time to compete in the 1975 Rugby League World Cup. Prior to that, you would struggle to find many. e.g.the 1972 Great Britain RLWC squad had only one Welshman, Clive Sullivan who was born in Cardiff and played for Hull. Every other member of the squad was English and born in either Yorkshire or Lancashire.

Talking about the '72 team? I'm not that bloody old

 

[Saints1]

A decision most people are still angry with, I'd love a return to GB. I just can't take to England RL at all.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Am I mistaken but I am sure they are rekindling the the GB side for some game in Wembley against Australia later this year?

 

[McTallshort]

Wasnt it something to do with them getting money of the newly formed sport England?