Man of Kent

Looks like Belle Vue is about to enter the 20th century. Good stuff.

Call me an old f@rt but I’m not really liking the ‘22 kits so far. Warrington’s are quite good but the others I’ve seen don’t say ‘this is a rugby league top’ enough for my taste.

Maybe Cornwall RLFC could be sponsored by an airline? Are Cornish Trans-Continental still going?

Yep, stadium plan is obvious. What’s the hold-up on that…funding I assume?

Hadn’t paid much attention to Cornish Rebels before but they’ve clearly been building towards this http://www.cornishrebels.co.uk

Maybe this won’t be a flash in the pan. The Cornwall RLFC director seems a very capable chap http://www.cornishrebels.co.uk/colin-groves-announced-as-cornish-rebels-director/#more-934

Non-league football shirt. Poor.

I saw No Time to Die on Sunday. I loved Bond as a kid but while I still enjoy them I am far from an obsessive (and haven't seen them all). My view on it is perfectly entertaining but basically a Mission:Impossible film - with a good splash of Marvel - with British accents. My main issue is what they have done with Bond's character. In this one, Bond asks a very attractive woman to look away as he gets changed and instantly rejects the prospect of a shag instead of keeping up the British end. For shame! Call me an old fart but softening Bond's hard edges sort of ruins him. Bond as team player in a sort of ‘MI6 Avengers’, a romantic monogamist and even - gosh! - a father is a long way from the original conception. Just as well Daniel Craig has retired or the next one might've seen him doing the dishes in marigolds while wifey is at work.

How do we think the Brits did this year? My general impression is there were promising starts by several players that tailed off somewhat, most notably George ‘Whinging Pom’ Williams.

£1.01?

Not sure the NRL/ARLC does see the international game as a threat. I think it does see the opportunity, it just wants the money from it for itself.

Indeed. And, yes, it was highly positive.

Some nuggets from Dutton at the postponement press conference. 85% of players surveyed via the RLPA said they wanted to play. The BBC broadcast arrangements are unaffected by moving to 2022. RLWC2021 expects to be in a stronger financial position than 2021 as they can do more commercial deals - they've had new approaches since the initial 'selfish, parochial and cowardly' decision for some "really interesting" prospects that could well be announced soon. They have drafted provisional 2022 dates with the FIFA World Cup very much in mind, i.e. RLWC 2022 will end before that starts. The fixtures will remain the same, eg. England vs Samoa will be game one, although some venues may have to be switched around (although he expects the same host cities to remain onboard). The 2022 schedule is due to be published - and tickets will go back on sale - before Christmas. They've started "positive conversations" with the ARLC about signing a participation agreement for 2022, and they are having conversations with Andrew Abdo and a number of NRL chief executives with the aim of strengthening relations between relevant governing bodies. It will still be called Rugby League World Cup 2021 (not 2022).

Ali G was very, very prescient.

I is finkin' you is, like, an old fart, innit blud. Not dem yoot mandem.

Paywalled, dude. Could you post the quote?

Over to you, ARLC. If you pull out next year, we’ll send over Ryan Bailey with a rusty spanner.

That’s not an NRL statement, chief.

I like that they sent a special ‘fans email’ with a rallying call from Dutton. Touch of class.

Quite right too. Recent newspaper reports suggest most of these people will have been older folk in hospital for something else who tested positive after admission.

Six years ago, SOO’s TV rights were valued at £53m a year - for three games. Sky’s next Super League deal is £25m - for 66 games. But while I can see why the ARLC would want to protect their asset, I don’t see why that should involve the attempted murder of a tournament 10,000 miles away. Is the World Cup really a threat to SOO? Not sure it is. I sense the likes of V’landys and Gould do see the potential of Test football - as the logical extension of the NRL’s growing Pacific sphere of influence - they just want control of it to beef up their TV offer to the likes of Channel 9.

So, anyway, perhaps RFL could organise a mini-comp - maybe a couple of Oceania Cup-style round robins consisting of World Cup nations, eg England, France, Wales, Jamaica, Ireland, Scotland? If it's too late organise such a thing, perhaps an England vs. France 'triple-header' - men, women and wheelchair?

The Independent has more. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-league/world-cup-2021-postponed-b1896103.html Emergency RLWC board meeting tomorrow and press conference on Thursday morning with Dutton. Says the government has backed a postponement.

The Commonwealth Games is in July/August and, frankly, if anyone gave a monkey's about it it'll be long forgotten by the time of the RLWC.

2021 would be better. We all agree on that. All I'm saying is 2022 is doable. I wasn't expecting wall-to-wall media coverage in 2021 even if there was no Covid and no issues with our Australian cousins. Were you?