Perhaps that has never been clearer than in the recent game between Bradford Bulls and Wakefield Trinity at Odsal. Contrast that with a Women’s Super League game I attended a few weeks earlier. But that’s what seems to be expected of fans more and more often – be it through a Captain’s Challenge, or the video referee checking tries that have either been awarded or not. And what is rugby league without its crowds? First published in Rugby League World magazine, Issue 523 (August 2026)