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""So had the NRL and NZRL been told in August that “around the time the 2021 RLWC will be taking place, there will be widespread outbreak of a new variant...." They'd have been lied to, as that is not what happened.

No, the yawnion teams came to covid infested U.K. and France and the games got played. Their rationale was, some in the U.K. are still getting covid so hey we may get it, and we need rest before the all important pre season games, oh and we don't run the RLWC so no thanks. Perhaps Covid will all be gone by October 2022, see you then. Unless the NRL hire clairvoyants who knew Omicron was coming, and then of course didn't tell anyone.

Weren't many other sports still taking part in international fixtures, too?

The whole culture is different. I drive off the ramp in calais and I'm very happy. Even the autoroute services are better than ours. We've made great strides in the uk. We have great food, cheeses, meat and fish etc available for us that we didn't have say 20 years ago. But all that is common place still in France. It's not just the food and drink. It's the whole craic. I miss it so much. I think I'm done with the long drives south now, but as brexit has put paid to me bringing back 150 bottles or so that we buy from the vineyards we've been visiting for 30+ years, its taken some shine from visiting that area. The loire is about my limit now, but I think we'll be doing more exploration of brittany, Normandy etc more than anywhere else. I fancy trying more of the cider, calvados and beef etc from that region and the seafood from the coast. I had planned the area just south of Honfleur 2022, but its looking increasingly unlikely now.

" None but ourselves can free our minds"

A sad loss to the music industry. A brave music presenter that pushed what many suggested were unlistenable. Only 66 too. I liked Janice.

Current affairs would have seen the tournament finish long before Omicron would have caused any issue. Anything else is ifs, buts and maybes.

Funny we end up here when we’ve marginalised and disrespected the first class game so much …who’d have thunk it

Anyone who struggles - or claims to struggle - to understand the difference between institutional/systemic failures versus individual failures could do a lot worse than looking at the England cricket team right. Shift/replace individuals and the same issues recur because the failings are in the set-up. A tiny number succeed in spite of the system and a percentage shouldn't be there anyway because they have individual problems that no system could correct but, overall, it's the system that is at fault.

Desmond Tutu

Dont know what he would have made of this country now, my daughter has just given me the 001 compilation cd for Christmas, looking forward to hear some songs of his that I haven't heard

I went to their show in San Antonio a few months ago. Not a lot of projection anymore but when he sang a couple of songs backed by acoustic guitar only I thought he still had a lovely country voice.

Ahhhh, the age old argument, “he’s doing it, why aren’t you?”. Just because your arch enemy is doing something stupid, doesn’t mean you should copy them. There is a long way to go before October 2022. My fingers are crossed that the world is in better shape by then. So had the NRL and NZRL been told in August that “around the time the 2021 RLWC will be taking place, there will be widespread outbreak of a new variant that is more transmissible than the Delta strain that is less susceptible to vaccination which will result in UK infection rates climb to unseen levels” then the NRL and NZRL would have been justified in pulling out of the tournament?

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Flight from Manchester to Newquay 1hr 20 minutes and no holiday traffic.

At the risk of drawing mass reprisal, it would appear, had the 2021 RLWC gone ahead and in hindsight, only shear luck would have saved the tournament from being incomplete. Omicron could very easily have invaded the UK a month earlier and as we can see, the outcome is mass cancellation of major sporting fixtures. So with that firmly in mind… Is the NRL’s and NZRL’s decision not to take part in 2021 now justified?

High hops for this partnership

Doom Bar on board:

Or, more appropriately given his family history, Swinton.

Exactly , I've done quite a bit of work in the area , always reckoned a development ( semi pro ) club would have been a possibility in the area , they look more to the north than the south in their outlook Get served in a shop and it's " bye mi duck "

It’s 19 years today since Joe Strummer died, consequently my play list today is almost exclusively The Clash

Its just a cop out coming from the RFL and NCL.If i go to a game i want to know the teams , i want a programme as a keepsake as i have hundreds of programmes as momentos and i want to read about that game in the RL EXPRESS or League weekly on Monday morning.

I'm struggling to see how Root and Silverwood can stay on as captain and coach after this. Players are regressing on their watch, and they constantly seem to be picking teams based on what games will be played in the future, rather than the game that they're about to play. To go to Brisbane and hold both Broad and Anderson back for Adelaide was just plain bizarre. Would love to know how they came to the conclusion that Woakes should be an automatic pick at the Gabba, with Broad left out. But beyond that, Harrison must also be struggling to stay in position. given how deep rooted the problems with the England red ball team are.

The best paragraph about the tour has already been written and it has been written by Geoff Lemon in the Guardian. "In contrast, the England camp have a litany of problems: a top order that is fast food, spinners they don’t trust to play, fast bowlers they don’t dare to play, a No 8 picked to bail out the batting who doesn’t take wickets, plans that outsmart their authors, rushes of panic in the field, and a captain who is trying to carry the caravan by scoring half the runs and bowling a quarter of the overs. One of his coaches may have whacked him in the groin literally, but his teammates do it metaphorically every day." https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2021/dec/20/an-ashes-whitewash-looked-far-fetched-two-weeks-ago-but-england-are-in-mess-australia-cricket

I also remember reading that Ebbw Vale wanted to join the Northern Union but RFL officials wouldn’t even meet them to discuss it. What a coup that could have been, if more clubs had followed.

I know, no Fiji games in Fiji either....damn this English world cup....

You are right Damien. But let me put it this way… There was a very high risk of a huge new Covid breakout in the UK due to its free movement of domestic and international citizens. A very high risk that in turn that has resulted in the cancellation of domestic sports the world over. It could easily have been the World Cup Semis and Final that were cancelled and all four teams severely depleted with exposed players. Couldn’t it? The NRL and NZRL reservations appear to me to be more and more justified by the day.