The thing is, in deciding where to have an event like this, you have to consider where people will want to spend a weekend, and, with all due respect to the places involved, a weekend in Derby, Bolton or even Sheffield, would probably not appeal to folk as much as a weekend in Edinburgh or Cardiff. The thing that might work is to have a weekend close enough to the heartlands of the game so that people can go, come back, and then go again the next day. Even this might not work though. Part of the attraction of something like this, for me, is that it's in a place you don't normally see rugby league in, so it's like a mini holiday. If it was somewhere like Manchester, it wouldn't really be unusual, because people can go there any time. Money is obviously an important factor, but if enough notice is given, people would have a chance to save. Newcastle is an interesting choice, but would there be enough hotel rooms? Dublin would be good. Paris has been done. And London has the Challenge Cup Final. Or how about the Midlands? There's never been many big games there. Anyone of the Walsall Weekend? And yes, HL, it was bloody freezing.
Maybe it should be moved to a later date. The idea of a similar event involving Championship sides is also interesting. The could call it "Championship Challenge".
