Matterhorn

So what happens in this next World Cup & PNG / Fiji / Cooks or whoever get 50+ scores by Aus/Nz/Eng. Do we wet the bed again & have a 6 team world cup in 2030 to ensure we have close competitive games. Going by World Cup Rugby League Results on past tournaments & apply this criteria to the NRL we may as well have a 8 team comp next year a kick out st george / west tigers & whoever else runs in the bottom 8 to keep the broadcasters happy. At some stage to be taken seriously we need to grow the world cup pie & not shrink it into a cupcake.

How can they call it a world cup when potentially 70% of the countries involved are from the Pacific? Throw in England + Lebanon + another Euro/Africa/Asia/America qualifier. Good luck getting taken seriously in the Olympics with 9s if that is the highest we are going to raise the bar. It would be like FIFA hosting a 10 team world cup & having the top 7 south American nations + England + Germany + a qualifier from 187 other nations. Sounds like it was drawn up on the back of a Tiger's Beer Coaster in a Singapore Hotel after took much chili mud crab left the people attending needing a quick toilet break so they could end the meeting quickly.

I still think 10 is too small - 12 minimum at least with the carrot to say the next one after will lift to 14 or 16 to show they are serious about growth & development of participating teams.

Hot of the Sydney Press: The Rugby League World Cup has been postponed for 12 months and Kangaroos tours will return as part of a huge shake-up of the international calendar. The International Rugby League has released a plan for Test football until 2030, which includes pushing the showpiece RLWC to 2026 after France pulled out as host of the 2025 edition. The tournament will be held in the southern hemisphere, with the women’s version to be staged as a separate event in 2028. That will give the elite women a chance to shine on their own stage. Other major changes include the scrapping of the World Cup 9s and trimming the number of teams involved in World Cups to maximise competitiveness. From 2026, RLWC competitions will feature 10 men’s, eight women’s and eight wheelchair teams. The changes were rubber-stamped at an International Rugby League board meeting in Singapore, where powerbrokers gathered to discuss how to grow the game while overcoming France’s withdrawal. The traditional Ashes clashes between Australia and England will return, including the Kangaroos’ legendary tours of the United Kingdom. The other focus is providing quality content for the rising Pacific nations, while providing regional and World Cup qualifying tournaments for developing nations. An announcement on the matches coming up at the end of the current season is yet to be made. However, the plan is to hold two tri-series tournaments: one involving Australia, New Zealand and Samoa, the other featuring PNG, Fiji and the Cook Islands. Those matches are expected to be formally announced in the next fortnight and the latter could strengthen PNG’s bid for an 18th NRL licence. The schedule will finally provide some clarity on the plan to grow the game beyond Australia and New Zealand. “It is no secret that the Achilles heel for international rugby league for far too long has been the absence of an international calendar,” said IRL chair Troy Grant. “The ad hoc nature of tournaments and international matches, and the absence of any clarity for nations, players and fans to plan their seasons, is over. The international calendar respects player workloads and importantly also reduces the impact on professional clubs. “The standards have improved dramatically in recent years regarding player welfare and player workload issues, and they were key considerations in the calendar design. “After we secure the future of international rugby league, our calendar will help rejuvenate and allow the game to grow globally, recognising the elite in our game and providing pathways for development of the game across all levels. “The Ashes return, with England men’s and women’s teams to tour Australia in 2025, while international tours are back, with Tonga heading to England in 2023 in an historic start to the new era.” Powerbrokers hope the ongoing stoush between the NRL and the Rugby League Players’ Association doesn’t disrupt the plans for Tests at the end of the current season. The NRL has shown a commitment to also grow the game by taking the opening matches of its premiership season to Las Vegas in 2024. “The Commission has a focus on growing the international game, with a strong desire to grow rugby league in the Pacific in particular,” said ARLC chairman Peter V’landys. “That starts with having an international calendar for at least the next five years. “Of equal importance is that there is now a strong plan in place to grow the women’s game at international level. This aligns with the growth of the NRLW competition and the growth of the women’s game at grassroots level.”

Pre Covid I thought we were on the cusp of something big in International Rugby League - Tonga beating Australia. Even the Pacific Cup during Origin was building. Now I'm not quite sure & I fear Australia has taken the big fish in the little pond attitude & we now rate a game between 2 states as the pinnacle. Instead we should've been looking at Samoa v Tonga as the new international origin spectacle. World cups are built from internationals played between the 4 year cycles & I am afraid we just haven't planned well enough - apart from England playing Tonga, as far as I am aware no one else is locked in yet to play this year (just over 4 months away after the GF). It is pathetic.

Cheer up lads state of origin is on Wednesday night - that will wipe away your world cup tears or the NRL bubble would like that to be the case. Remember the lost w/end for Pacific nations during origin was another dagger for International Rugby League.

That seems as exciting as it was when Australia played Australia A in the final of the one day cricket many years ago. What happens if you get a final of NZ Maori v New Zealand or Australia vz Indigenous Australia

In regards to Qatar hosting - as Steve Miller would say Take the Money and Run

I think it is a no brainer that we must give it to NZ or let them co host with either Aus/Pacific/PNG as a thankyou for making sure the NRL was kept going during COVID by keeping there team based there (The Warriors) in Australia for at least 2 years. We talk about French Rugby League on its knees - I am sure the NZ Rugby League deserves a shot in the arm leading up to, during & post the World Cup 25 if held there.

The glass half full approach tells me this is probably the right decision at the right time. Imagine if we ploughed ahead & costs kept blowing out and we kept making changes and cutbacks to the tournament. We may of ended up putting the Kangaroos in a Contiki campsite 50 miles from Paris to save a bit of coin. Yes the next couple of months may be a bit rough & obviously the disappointment can be seen but hopefully we get Aus/Nz on board & get something locked in. Hopefully lessons are learned from this and we make sure we get the right host on board next time that can deliver.

Peter Sterling is still having nightmares about getting stuck running through the banner in the 1987 state of origin in the United States. That shows for how many years we have tried to crack the US sporting market.

I heard it in the sports report on 2gb radio sydney australia from ray hadley who said the Australian Newspaper reported it. It wasn't where i expected to here it first

If true - it is very concerning. The optics projected now will unfortunately shine a negative light on the tournament even if it is resolved somehow. Once certain sections of the media smell blood they will follow every ongoing development with a fine tooth comb & report it in such as a way that will now make it an uphill battle to make it a success - I hope I am wrong. A few points: Did France agree to hosting before/after Aus/Nz pulled out of the 2021 world cup. Did the recent test between England & France for the mens/womans really send alarm bells back in France to such an extent that they thought they wouldn't be able to market it or sell it so the French people embrace when there national team had such a huge score against them regardless of the reasons why this occurred. Is there a Plan B/C at all now if this goes belly up - the only silver lining is we are still a long way away but that also would mean a massive set back & we may get a scaled back event. Once again rugby league makes headlines for the wrong reasons. One thing I know is international rugby league won't die it will only keep growing. More countries now playing domestically & more players in the NRL with Pacific heritage proves this.

I think as a mark of respect for this tournament being postponed the IRL should not allow any internationals to be played in Aus/NZ after the G/F this year. If they do then we know they are the puppets with the NRL pulling all the strings

Maybe NZRL can hire someone who understands participation agreements in the next 12 months

Me personally I think SOO has killed international rugby league progressing. In Australia its talked about during NRL games. Even in the offseason they talk about emerging Origin camps to net as many eligible players coming through. To me SOO reached its peak during QLDS recent dominance - when Cronk,Slater,Smith & Thurston played. With Smith / Thurston almost guaranteed Immortal status down the track. That's why the NRL are keen to keep on flogging it as its there major cash cow & anything that gets in the way is just collateral damage - thats why they went to all lengths to play it at the end of last year instead of touring (remember that darn COVID again) What is more insulting is they call it the pinnacle & the best of the best which is insulting to 40% of players in the NRL not eligible or I guess the ones that aren't they find a loophole where they can. To me its just a glorified club game now & while i will never say game 3 was rigged, QLD were given the rub of the green during the game. I mean its hard to sell the concept when NSW get a 3-0 whitewash. The NRL can't afford International Rugby League to take the shine of if. It means SOO goes down the pecking order or suffers in popularity. Even in the 80s/90s NZ/Great Britian played tests during the Aus League season/SOO season. No chance of that happening now. So lets compare the world cup in the Australian mainstream media. A story to say AUS/NZ have withdrawn & now another story to say its postponed. Its chalk/cheese & part of the reason International Rugby League is like the poor cousin. Until that mindset changes I fear its like banging your head against a wall as the cards unfortunately will always be stacked against International Rugby League & in Australia's favor.

Can you blame him he is guaranteed to play an international for his country? Something NZ league players can't do. Instead they watch there fellow sportsmen on television representing NZ at the Olympics,Cricket,Rugby Union etc. At best he may not play league for NZ until the end of 2022 & that is if NZ understands the piece of paper they sign next year leading up to the tournament starting.

At least Australia can play SOO next year & work on there combinations to be ready for the World Cup. Then we'll hear the commentators say 'Australia is rolling through there opposition today like a well oiled machine.' Well if you play SOO 3 years in a row and no one else it does give you a leg up

At the end of the day if major sport is played in the UK this year at the same time as the Rugby League World Cup was supposed to then we know who we can thank for that rushed decision. Morally it was wrong to back out with no notice. Then instead of taking a breath to come back to the negotiating table they back peddle further & strengthen there position. They then get the clubs onside which made it almost impossible by then to get the players you need. If your product is damaged to that extent I guess its hard to sell to the public & why they had no choice but to postpone. We will never know how much work went behind the scenes to try to rescue the event but in the end it seems it couldn't be. So the NRL have assured the competition in Australia starts on time in 2022 with no impact - well aint that a blessing. People will make there own minds next year if its worth attending or supporting. It has opened up peoples eyes now to the attitude that the NRL has to International Rugby League & it sure isnt pretty. What is also hard to comprehend is this all happened during an Olympics when sport is played at the highest level during a COVID pandemic.

Congratulations NRL you win I hope the players will be super fit now next year & can play some mickey mouse trial before the season starts

if they play a pacific series in australia at the end of year - while union is getting played before sold out crowds in the uk then that would stink

If the tokyo olympics can pull it off with over 200 countries competing surely we can do it with 16 Where there is a will there is a way as the saying goes. Get the players that you need & you have the tournament - Let the NRL sit in there castle surrounded by there moat & let the rest of of the world get on with things & running the best RLWC in 2021 Bring it on.

Isn't it ironic the NRL are locked down in QLD Australia (at this stage to Sunday afternoon) playing to empty crowds while trying to do a backroom deal with a State Government to host the GF for the most $$$ - still not knowing who will be open for business then It would be pretty sweet if the RLWC comes out & says its still on during this week.

I am just so fortunate the investigative, leave no stone unturned, Australian media have been able to talk to anonymous senior players & an anonymous biosecurity expert & also the 16 clubs getting involved now. This all makes sense now & I can understand the decision now not to go

Troy Grant comes across like a good person from what I have heard from him so far. I hope he sticks around & keeps on fighting the good fight. The shock & horror of it all to the NRL/ARL plotters that he didn't back there call. I mean the money already spent to them must of been like Monopoly Money & they can just spend more & more of it like drunken sailors next year.