BristolDevonCharlie

https://www.nrl.com/news/2024/10/07/yeo-to-captain-new-look-kangaroos-squad-boasting-eight-debutants/ Mitchell Moses has been selected by the Kangaroos. That explains his absence at least.

Saw this on Twitter. Interestingly Brad replied 'not sure', and thus not a rebuttal. If true, and the NRL All Star game moves to the end of the season (likely at the behest of the NRL clubs) it would further dilute the International season and eat into the NRL's 'October Window'. Trying to cram All Stars, PM's games and proper internationals onto the end of an already congested season does seem a bit rubbish to me.

Even though it is a Q, Cornwall to Quebec works.

160 mile round trip, rather than 320 miles return to Gateshead.

Thanks Paul. Very interested in the reasons for the non-injury withdrawals!

If the NRL doesn't like it so much why don't they let them play? I hope sense prevails and IRL board members Abdo & V'landys pull rank on the clubs here.

The French U19's are heading to Australia on tour this autumn. https://www.ffr13.fr/u19-le-programme-et-le-groupe-pour-laustralie/

Squad limits for the qualifying tournament is what I was musing on / asking about further back in this chat. I would like to know the answer to that. What I am referring to in the quoted text above is for major tournaments, i.e. Rugby League World Cups, which have squad limits.

Your opinion may not accept war as a mitigating factor, but my point, and wider enquiry, was about whether the IRL do. I suspect they probably don't but didn't want to renege on their previous qualification promise. If all you allege is true then it is more fool them (Lebanese Rugby League) and they will not get their Full Member status back and will be unable to compete in RLWC 2030. As it should encourage nations to buck their ideas up, I think that rule is a very good idea.

Which has squad limits for major tournaments.

Not closed door, there were three Lebanon-based players in the RLWC 2021 squad in 2022. I mean, there kinda of is a war going on, and shed loads of other issues, so I can see why the local comp has slipped. Interesting that Tonga were just allowed to reclaim their membership status after getting a new governing body recently. I assume the IRL are giving Lebanon comparatively similar slack for situations out of their control. Scotland and Ireland have no such excuses.

Though, surely as it is a World Cup qualifying tournament they will have to submit a limited squad, and so using 34 players in the two matches would not be allowed?

Well, they probably have four years to turn that around, and hopefully the political / brink-of-war situation calms down a bit by then. So, assuming they do regain full membership, would it not have been better to play some games than play none at all, in the preceding few years?

Happy to take it up. Hopefully, there is now at least a token one! Toufic El Hajj, Robin Hachache and Atef Hamdan (who replaced Hachache in the squad), I believe. Not as good as Greece or Jamaica, same as Italy but better than Ireland, Cook Islands, Tonga and Samoa..

Not meaningless. The IRL has indicated that the next World Cup qualifications will be part based on world ranking. Playing games is the best way to improve your rankings. Lebanon doing ###### all and staying at home doesn't help anything. Plus, I bet some of their squad are home grown, like their RLWC 2021 squad. Also, even many of their 'Aussies' are second or third graders who will benefit from the trip and experience.