Tommygilf

Different to 2013 too where I had photos with Shaun Johnson and SBW

Absolutely. Its as if they have no clue who their audience is or anything about them. On the one hand, they've decided doubled down on the traditional RL audience, on the other hand, they've made pricing and match location choices that don't add up with that decision...

Posted on the match thread but it is appropriate here: Roughly 203,000 of the available RLWC2021 tickets will have been for games in Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and Leigh, and Bolton. That doesn't include the final at rhe 75k capacity Old Trafford, and originally Bolton was set to host a QF along with the 55k Anfield. Whilst a good number of people will travel across the M62 for England games, and people will travel to towns/cities on their own side of the pennines in good numbers, because of this over saturation and the problems around tickets we are essentially relying on hyper local crowds boosted by what few expats can make it. Add to the above. Warrington, St Helens, Wigan, Leigh and Bolton aren't the wealthiest places in the world, and nor is the RL supporting community in those places. Basic economics says that if supply outstrips demand then people will be more picky. Its a buyers market, and the buyers have voted with their feet and wallets.

Roughly 203,000 of the available RLWC2021 tickets will have been for games in Warrington, St Helens, Wigan and Leigh, and Bolton. That doesn't include the final at rhe 75k capacity Old Trafford, and originally Bolton was set to host a QF along with the 55k Anfield. Whilst a good number of people will travel across the M62 for England games, and people will travel to towns/cities on their own side of the pennines in good numbers, because of this over saturation and the problems around tickets we are essentially relying on hyper local crowds boosted by what few expats can make it.

Absolutely. I honestly do not understand the RLWC2021 "strategy". So many obvious issues that seem either tunnel visioned or blind to reality. I struggle to believe professionals who have been involved in Rugby League were so delusional. Then you add the small details that they have just got wrong, and it compounds everything.

There is also the fact that the Aussies aren't really a massive draw for your average sports fan too either. The Kangaroos should be reknowned like the All Blacks, they're nowhere near sadly. The Kiwis, partly on the back of the All Blacks and being a "NZ Rugby team", are just as much if not more of a draw as the men in Green and Gold. Nothing made that clearer to me than the feeling around the 4 Nations in 2016 - and even then there was more profile for the Aussies than now. Why is this? They don't play anything like enough matches to have anyone notice them. And in the RL heartlands specifically there is less of an appetite to watch a foregone conclusion. That is the organisers fault, and is a flaw that has been pointed out numerous times on here.

They aren't in the world cup, this was a warm up match. Still should be something the IRL are abrest of, but not strictly their responsibility through the tournament.

Or a pattern

And coming from Jamaica, it seems there have been a few things about the RLWC organisation that they haven't been too happy about.

The RLWC covers the flights.

I think that is better suited to a central Heartlands venue actually.

An England group game is a better fixture than a QF imo, especially for somewhere like Sheffield. It just means things can be planned longer term and the carrot of an England fixture will have made this attractive to the Sheffield bid team. I'm not saying Leigh specifically, but ultimately the alternatives for this game could have been a Warrington or a St Helens. I think we would have gotten a worse crowd than we will get today.

Absolutely not. In the heartlands this is a 6k vs France at Leigh scenario. Let the rest of the country see England win, its not a bad thing at all.

https://fb.watch/gsX98KGR7K/ Excellent interview of Adam Hills about why representation and profile matters. I absolutely echo his sentiment. The RL World Cup should be a festival for all the sport all over the world, in all its forms.

I seriously doubt Ireland RL have the resources. 3k to 5k for business class Manchester to Sydney.

Maybe that says a lot about the perception of the fanbases for the respective sports.

Well they won't play without key squad players

Double post

Head to head I think, or Points for.

It isn't that Jamaica won't qualify (even their most strident fans would think that would be basically impossible now) but that they have no chance of winning against Lebanon. A slim win for Jamaica tomorrow sends Ireland through to the quarters. Ultimately you shouldn't leave a tournament till you are actually out. It is a bit odd that there is such a gap between the final games in the same groups.

This isn't the NRL, its the RLWC...

Remember this is the most professional RLWC ever

Oh jesus yeah haha.

Ireland, despite still having a slim chance of QF qualification, are being sent home already apparently.

In fairness I was just counting the specifically Oxen kits and so 3 shirts in 2021, 4 in 2022 and 2 now. I'd forgotten the white 90s style shirt from 2021 taking that up to 4, Wasn't that the Rob Burrow shirt that year though too? I appreciate the 2020 "heritage" shirt was oxen with an ISC badge too.