Dave Craven: Four Nations brings back happy memories of Wembley days

Was it just me or had you started thinking it was all part of an elaborate illusion as well?

I could have sworn there was a Four Nations tournament due to be held on these shores in just a few months yet there was not a whiff or even a scent of it to be had no matter how hard you sniffed around.

Had it simply disappeared into a black hole of discarded ideas and no one had told us?

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Or possibly a Jedi mind-trick to fool the masses as part of some clever marketing ploy.

Had the money been held back and saved up entirely for the 2013 World Cup?

Indeed, on the England website under the fixtures header, apparently Steve McNamara’s side had no matches planned at all. Not just this autumn but ever.

Maybe the tournament had been given the boot in order to give players that long rest period they have craved so long.

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But then, at last, without fanfare, yesterday we received that much-anticipated confirmation; the month of November is busy all of a sudden once more.

There is a Four Nations competition after all and it is happening right here.

It was not just a dastardly trick aimed at sabotaging your calendar – you can start pencilling in some dates.

The RFL finally revealed details of the 2011 event, the highlight of which is undoubtedly a double-header of action at Wembley Stadium.

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International rugby league returns to the iconic venue for the first time since 1997 and it is a move which will be welcomed freely.

As a starry-eyed 12-year-old I remember savouring the splendour of Great Britain’s historic 1990 win against the Kangaroos down there, being left agog at Garry Schofield’s chip over and Daryl Powell sending Paul Eastwood haring to the corner.

Yet that was sat on backless seats, wedged in on old terraces, hemmed behind huge iron fences and so far away from the actual pitch that the celebrating players all just seemed like a hazy blur.

Likewise when Jonathan Davies scored that classic try four years later to provide another timeless GB memory.

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So, for those who venture south on November 5, in the new purpose-built, supporter-friendly Wembley Stadium, the matchday experience should be ten-fold. Especially if the result is the same.

England will play Australia at 3.30pm after Wales make their Four Nations debut versus New Zealand in a 1pm kick-off.

It acts as the second round of fixtures and is an ideal format to give the competition some gravitas.

Crowds when it was last staged in the UK two years ago were largely disappointing but there must be a genuine hope – especially with London’s huge antipodean population – that Wembley will be sold out for this event.

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The Four Nations – again sponsored by Gillette whose continuing support first started in 2003 – opens when Australia take on holders New Zealand at Warrington on Friday, October 28, a repeat of last year’s final.

McNamara’s England begin their quest for success the following day when they face Wales at Leigh Sporting Village, kick-off 2.30pm.

The final week of group fixtures sees East Yorkshire gain a taste of the action when New Zealand travel to Hull to play England at the KC Stadium on Saturday November 12, kick-off 6pm.

Australia head to the Racecourse Ground, Wrexham to face Wales on Sunday November 13, kick-off 5.45pm, in a fixture which it is hoped will capture the imagination of the Welsh public.

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Elland Road will once more host the final, as it did two years ago, on Saturday, November 19, kick-off 6pm.

More details about tickets will be available on Monday including a special celebratory offer for Wembley; suddenly, it makes all that indeterminate build-up worthwhile.