www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26243624 Sale will play Salford in a cross code game, the first for 10 years. My only question, Why a Tuesday night? If we are going to do it, do it properly.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26243624 Sale will play Salford in a cross code game, the first for 10 years. My only question, Why a Tuesday night? If we are going to do it, do it properly.

I'd rather we just didn't do it.

Sounds like an utterly pointless exercise.

its for charity, what an awesome gesture and i'm sure the charities will be VERY grateful for the money.

Over 20k turned up to Maine Road on a midweek evening in 1996 for the Wigan V Bath cross code challenge. 42k turned up at Twickers for the return game two and a half weeks later.

Nice set up for an attendance comparison . . . . .

Although the 20,000+ attendance at Maine Road was during the first season of the SL era in 1996, the modern day fans of discounted SL (who baulk at the prospect of having to pay for anything outside of their season ticket or Sky Sports subs) were still in their early development stage... hence the excellent walk-up attendance back then from fans who weren't afraid to put their hands in their pockets and pay at the turnstiles.

Of course if it's played at the AJ Bell stadium they don't allow you to pay at the turnstile

Excellent point.



I'd forgotten about the "ticket only" admission policy at that stadium which is absurd.

Don't think this game will get much support, certainly not from Salford fans. And agreed, the timing is ridiculous and if any Salford player got injured at the bottom of a maul (or a 'pile on' as we used to call them at school), I'd be livid!!

Excellent cause, nobody is disputing that but to arange it during the business end of the season when were hoping to be battling it out for a play-off place is stupid. I can just imagine some big daft Sale forward stamping all over one of our guys when they get caught on the wrong side of a maul. Hopefully common sense prevails and our "stars" are rested for the union half.



I hope it sells out, they raise a shed load of cash and all the Sale supporters realise what a much better code RL is and decide to join the Red Devilution. I cant see many of Sunday's 7,100 crowd attending though.

I hope no one goes and the whole concept is consigned to the dustbin of history.

I pity some people, rubbishing the opportunity to garner much needed funds for a worthy cause, and for what, because they don't like the concept or RL v RU, because they themselves are upset that Salford RL might lose a player through injury (which would be odd if you weren't a Salford fan), because they think that Sale might actually do well at league and batter Salford in their code and 'embarass the sport' or is it that you just hate Salford/Koukash and are jealous he's doing something your club isn't?



Pathetic..it's a great idea and the outcome doesn't mean jack..

In what way is it a great idea? Aside from the catch all 'it's for charity' line.

Chance to generate interest and get exposure for the game, chance to potentially recruit some Sale fans to watch a bit more League, and personally I just find the concept quite interesting. Are we really as fast, fit and skillful as we like to think or has Rugby Union caught up since the last cross code match?

The charity element is designed to put non attenders on a guilt trip .Worthwhile as the two causes are, I will not be attending.

I went to both games in 1996.



First game Wigan went easy on Bath otherwise would have been 100 plus win. Highlight none.



Second game Bath went easy on Wigan after proving that they could have mauled all the way up the pitch and continually scored. When Bath tried to be expansive Wigan got back into it. Highlight Wigan being pulled for a forward pass.



All in all both games were crap. They are different sports with mainly different skills. I'd donate to the charity but wouldn't waste my time going. It's been tried before by far better teams than these and was crap. With Sales and Salford it can only be worse.

Bath only went easy late on in the game after even their own fans starting getting on their backs for their lack of adventure. And as for highlights - I assume you missed Wigan's length of the field tries - also late on in the game, granted, but they were still impressive.



Some right miserable b*stards on here, but then that's no surprise. I'll be going to this game and I'm not even a Salford fan. Yes it's a gimmick, yes it's been done before, yes it's largely pointless but you know what - I'll enjoy it, doubly so if we stuff one up the rah-rahs. Oh and it's fer charridy innit.



Don't like it? Move on.

Didn't saints and sale play about ten years ago half a game each sale won there half easy as did saints I believe

Why not? If it raises some cash for charity and helps promote RL and the Salford brand, I'm all for it. If it was Wakey against say Carnegie then I'd probably go.

Agree Wigan could have run up 100 at Maine Road v Bath if they hadn't eased off. I wished they had got the 100. Mind you, I gained a bit of respect for some of the Bath players who had a go (unlike Guscott, who chickened out); Catt and Callard looked ok and Sanders moved the ball well from acting half.



Disagree about the Twickenham match though. Wigan could have won if they had taken it seriously. Bloody stupid bringing Lydon and West was it out of retirement. If Shaun Edwards had been fit to play it might have been different. That pass wasn't forward either. Liked Murdock going the length of Twickers to score!



As for the time Saints lost 41-39 I think v Sale, I was bloody annoyed with Sean Long fancying about and missing an easy conversion with the last kick of the match that could have made it draw.



All just memories now & doesn't mean anything in the scheme of things.

Wigan never had a chance in the Twickenham if bath had of kept it in the forwards they would have won a lot easier the bath forwards ran them right down the field as expected as there two completely different games

I did not watch the return leg at twickers, but it sounded very much like the Saints game where in the Union half the ball was just Mauled down the field at will.



I've no problem with the game as a concept. Although maybe a concept merged game would be the way to go, although how you pick the rules would be beyond me.



For me the whole thing with this is about the timing. It's 3 days after the Challenge Cup final.



I think it's a little insulting to the players to assume they will not make the CC final before a ball has been kicked by them in that competition. Either that or the plan is that they are never going to send out first teamers.



If they wanted to do something like this then really they need a gap in the fixtures and should have waited on announcing a date. They could have had it penciled in based on how well they did in the cup. Once out of the cup then sure pencil it in at any point.



But give credit to the Dr. previously it's been champion teams doing this, he certainly has the PR man about him. He could probably sell anything if he tried hard enough.

I may be partisan but I can't go with that. In the first half Wigan Virtually didn't have the ball. If Bath continued playing the way they did it (i.e very boringly) it would have ended 70 Nil. It was 35 odd nil soon after half time and then Bath tried to prove they could play flowing attacking Rugby. A big mistake as Wigan finally got some ball.



As I said completely different games and a complete waste of time having this match - aside from the Charity element.

As someone on Twitter suggested, Salford banking on not getting to Wembley then. Three days after the final and with another game the following Sunday (on present timings). Either that or they'll put a weakened team out