Do you agree that changes are needed? Or does Caisley have a point?

This debate is now closed.

Rugby Football League executive chairman Richard Lewis wants to lift international rugby league's profile and has called on Super League bosses to put country before club.

And Lewis is set to push ahead with proposals to cut the number of overseas players in Super League and introduce a break for international rugby.

But Caisley says a reduction in fixtures would be a huge financial blow to Super League clubs and that the standard might also suffer from the proposed changes.

We are in danger of completely imploding. What happened to the on the road games? France, South Wales and Gateshead seem to have been given up on. On top of that we are burning out our top players with too much quantity and not enough quality, intensive matches. Richard Lewis has one hell of a job on.
Chris Bridge, UK

The argument Chris Caisley brings against cutting Super League fixtures only contradicts his cries to get more people through the turnstiles at Bradford. Surely Mr Casey would prefer packed houses watching fewer fixtures? Higher standards of home grown players? Improved competition at international level, which in turn would improve the games profile? The man can't see past making a quick buck! Don't get me started on Maurice Lindsay...
Paul Martin, England

At the moment we are severely limited in the half-back positions and urgently need to develop our own players in those positions. Currently, young players are not being allowed to develop because of this situation.
Colin Parr, England

The fact still remains that near-retired Aussies are playing better than your British stars. The problem arises that you must play quality to help you attain the higher level. If you took the Aussies out of your teams, you would not be breading stars, you would be creating has-been stars.

It remains that you do not take your game seriously enough and it is not that important on your sporting scale. My suggestion is that you dump league and go play you're much loved soccer. Having no England Rugby League would not affect Australia one bit. Our State of Origins and playing New Zealand are enough for us Aussies.

If the British game falls, so be it. Australia will not care, you're not worth playing anyway. Harsh, but true.
Jimmy Simms, Australia

Rugby league needs urgent action or it won't last much longer. It cannot afford to lose Robinson, Harris, Sailor, Rogers, Tuquiri etc or to be a sport only seriously played in three areas in the world. (Yorkshire, Lancashire and Sydney). The number of foreign players doesn't make too much difference either way and twelve teams is the right amount. I would scrap the end of season play offs. They love all that in the USA and Australia but in England league winners are the champions. Football would never entertain such an idea.

Play as much of the Challenge Cup before the season, have a three-week break and with the extra month at the end (from play-offs) have a five or six nations tournament of Yorks, Lancs, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France or Russia maybe. After a few years of that, think about playing those down under.
Mark Smith, England

The current situation has caused the damage to the international game, so something has to change. The overseas quota should be reduced to three and the number of non-quota players, who are ineligible for the Great Britain team, should also be restricted.

The reduction of Super League matches could only be reduced, if some other form of revenue was introduced to cover the shortfall. The number of teams in the Super League should be increased by two, which would allow one home and one away fixture per team, thereby eliminating the unfair lottery of the current system. This change would give an overall reduction in the number of games and would also give many more players experience of the top division, which would provide David Waite with a greater choice, when selecting the GB squad.

The revenue from Sky available to each club would be reduced, but I'm sure the game as a whole would benefit.
Andy Whitelam, Hull, East Yorkshire

Don't buckle Richard Lewis! For too long the likes of Caisley, Lindsay and Hetherington have been steering things round to what is best for them. Well, a strong international scene is what rugby league desperately needs in spite of what Mr Caisley thinks.

If he took notice of fans like me, who are picking and choosing the club games they attend due to the increasingly repetitive fixture list, he would realise that the club game is becoming stale. If he thinks I'm in the minority then why are gates at Leeds and Bradford falling at the moment?

Let's get playing the likes of Australia and NZ on a far more regular basis before it's too late. Richard Lewis is what many rugby league fans have been waiting a long time for - an exec with no club loyalties who can see the wider picture. Let's hope he keeps serving the interests of the sport as a whole, instead of a handful of Super League clubs.
JF, Leeds, UK

I know it's not popular to compare RL with RU, BUT, RU is way ahead of RL in terms of its international presence and it shows on the field of play. If GB wants to be competitive, it only has to look at RU.

Do England RU get blown away by the Aussies? NO. Does anyone believe that RU has better athletes? No, in fact, the opposite. But the RU players play at the highest level far more often than our RL players do. The only way to be the best is to play the best.

Overall, RU is managing its game far better today than RL. It's the more attractive proposition for the Jason Robinsons of the world. Which top flight player wouldn't want to play for the best against the best on a regular basis? Wake up, Mr. Caisley, or RL will be gone. Mr. Lewis, keep moving forward. Don't let Northern provincialism drag the better game down even further.
Geoff Hewitt, USA

More internationals is what you guys need. Maybe then you will have what it takes to compete at the highest level. It would be great if you guys won an international series for once. I'm getting sick of Australia winning all the time...and I'm an Aussie! Good luck to Richard Lewis.
John Pappas, Australia

It's Caisley and Lindsay who have put RL in this position. Their greed in wanting only what is best for their own clubs when in a position of influence has reduced SL to only 12 clubs with a farcical fixture list.

If they want more games, have more clubs in the comp and if they don't have enough money, try paying the players less or even working within the salary cap. Richard Lewis must hold firm, press on with vital reforms to improve the international game and then receive the accolades for bringing up the domestic game's standard.
S Firth, UK

If Chris Caisley has a problem financing his club, then maybe he needs to get rid of some expensive antipodeans. Let's concentrate on our home talent so that we can compete better internationally.
Nick Bielby, England

When the SL was formed, league fans were promised an expanding sport and a general raising of standards. The professional game hasn't expanded - quite the opposite. And when all matches seem to to aggregate 70 points, either shared evenly or all to one side, the competition can't be healthy.

Millions of pounds have been spent, yet the Aussies are further ahead of us than they were twenty years ago. I don't think Mr Caisley or Mr Lindsay can be taken seriously, given their records.
John, England

A mid-season break that consists of a game against France, then a trip Down Under for a tri-nations tournament or a GB tour would be great. Also, scrap the Origin series and have matches between England, Wales and France to pick the GB squad, which would help the profile of French international rugby league!
Peter Wright, Cumbria, UK

The reason why Super League clubs need the additional fixtures is because the game's current international profile is very poor and has declined since the mid 90s with the onset of Super League.

Doubling up on fixtures may increase the larger club's revenues but is currently having an overall detrimental effect on attendances across the Super League competition. It is also very artificial.

The game is far bigger than just the top four Super League sides and it needs the funding and media profile only international competition can bring.
Dave, UK, London

Chris Caisley is a DINOSOUR. It's his M62 vision that has put our national side in the mess it's in now. The guy should shut his trap.

Cut the number of games to 22, home and away alternate Sundays. Start on the same day as the Aussies, finish with Grand Finals on the same weekend. Then go on mini tours. Start the next season with the World Club game - you don't need to be the brain of Britain to work out the fixture list.
Patrick Tomlinson, UK

Richard Lewis is doing the right thing in trying to raise the game's profile internationally. Caisley does not look past the Bulls' gate receipts and is currently blaming everbody he can think of for the drop in numbers.

Does he not realise that the Bulls are likely to get a game against a touring side, a slice of the revenues brought in by internationals, an increase of SKY money due to the SL having a more complete package and a chance to negotiate better sponsorship deals? All this for the price of two or three home games.

Caisley talks of knee-jerk reactions. He seems to be doing the reacting since he should be in discussions and negotiations with the RFL and SL rather than making press statements condemning any attempts to raise the game's profile.
Dave, UK