The World Cup goes ahead

[Spidey]

Just now, Futtocks said:

Well, someone from the RFL was on Radio 4 just now, calling the decision "cowardly and parochial".

Wow. Shots fired then 

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Futtocks said:

Well, someone from the RFL was on Radio 4 just now, calling the decision "cowardly and parochial".

The RFL calling somebody else “parochial” and being justified in doing so is ... something new

[Szymala]

9 minutes ago, Dave T said:

Personally this may be the end of any financial involvement in RL for me and I'll follow a proper international sport. 

You may be only 1 of thousands thinking this way, now. 

We all know the game has serious problems and this could be a savage blow all round.

After a lifetime of following rugby league I've never felt so disenfranchised and out of step with the governors of the sport I once loved.

Oxley & Howes come back all is forgiven. They seem such halcyon days from this distance.

[The Rocket]

4 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Not really. As I say, most people only turn their attention to tournaments when they are actually being played. Same as the Olympics - who's really bothered until it's actually on? 

That makes me feel the tiniest bit better. I just hope the IRL have spoken to all the sponsors, the BBC and other broadcasters and basically everyone and got this all sorted before they came to this decision. Christ you`d have to assume that they would wouldn`t you, surely they are that professional.

[Fevrover]

Clare Boulding just been on BBC and she wasn't very happy and said it didn't make sense as the All Black's are still coming over to play Union.

[Chrispmartha]

Did NZ sign the agreement just a week ago?

[Toby Chopra]

To our southern Hemisphere friends: are there enough fans down there who are angry enough to boycott NRL, ARL, NZRL? 

Clearly NRL doesn't care about Europe, but if it hit them in the pocket? 

One of the main reasons the that the soccer European super league collapsed was because almost every fan of the clubs involved - the richest clubs in the world - said it was a travesty and would boycott their own clubs if they broke away. 

Time for NRL fans to do what's right to save the wider game. 

[JohnM]

In my view it should go ahead as planned. Replace Aus and NZ with two invitation sides named Loyal Australia and Loyal New Zealand,

[Chrispmartha]

2 minutes ago, JohnM said:

In my view it should go ahead as planned. Replace Aus and NZ with two invitation sides named Loyal Australia and Loyal New Zealand,

I agree, let the players that want to come decide, add in UK based players aswell.

[Jim from Oz]

7 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

To our southern Hemisphere friends: are there enough fans down there who are angry enough to boycott NRL, ARL, NZRL? 

Clearly NRL doesn't care about Europe, but if it hit them in the pocket? 

One of the main reasons the that the soccer European super league collapsed was because almost every fan of the clubs involved - the richest clubs in the world - said it was a travesty and would boycott their own clubs if they broke away. 

Time for NRL fans to do what's right to save the wider game. 

I'm getting angrier by the minute and I'll be writing to PVL as soon as I can calm down.

 

[Man of Kent]

Lead item on BBC Sport and already tonnes of comments, most of which are scathing about Australia's insularity.

[The Rocket]

8 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

To our southern Hemisphere friends: are there enough fans down there who are angry enough to boycott NRL, ARL, NZRL? 

Clearly NRL doesn't care about Europe, but if it hit them in the pocket? 

One of the main reasons the that the soccer European super league collapsed was because almost every fan of the clubs involved - the richest clubs in the world - said it was a travesty and would boycott their own clubs if they broke away. 

Time for NRL fans to do what's right to save the wider game. 

Mate to be perfectly honest, I reckon most fans would just shrug their shoulders. It`ll hardly be news down here, a couple of stories and then back to where is Anthony Milford going to play next year or can Gutho`s dog join him in quarantine, seriously.

 I` ve heard news on here sometimes days before I`ve read it in our media. I mean that`s how insular the NRL is. Sad but f....ing true.

[Mattrhino]

12 minutes ago, JohnM said:

In my view it should go ahead as planned. Replace Aus and NZ with two invitation sides named Loyal Australia and Loyal New Zealand,

I agree, but RFL/IRFL would never have the backbone to ###### off NRL. Although they must realise that they are no longer friendly partners and the quicker we move on from them (NRL) the better.

[Toby Chopra]

8 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

Mate to be perfectly honest, I reckon most fans would just shrug their shoulders. It`ll hardly be news down here, a couple of stories and then back to where is Anthony Milford going to play next year or can Gutho`s dog join him in quarantine, seriously.

 I` ve heard news on here sometimes days before I`ve read it in our media. I mean that`s how insular the NRL is. Sad but f....ing true.

I feared as much.

[JohnM]

The International board and the world cup organisers need to get tough. No show at world cup = no invite for anything else. 

[The Rocket]

25 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:

I'm getting angrier by the minute and I'll be writing to PVL as soon as I can calm down.

 

He reckons he listens to the fans mate, I think he might have been listening to the clubs on this one. We can only hope Jim that they think next year can can happen without any compromises and that it can be a bumper event next year instead, I find that hard to believe with the soccer on, but other posters reckon it should be o.k. It`s all we can hope for now.

[RP London]

40 minutes ago, Hela Wigmen said:

Everything is all around Football anyway. 

dont disagree but more so at that moment with a potentially succesful england team going into the tournament.

this year we would just have the premier league to contend with and i think we would have got good coverage as we are national and its a world cup.. we wont with another national team and another world cup of a bigger sport. 

But I'm sure you see that.

[RP London]

38 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The RFL calling somebody else “parochial” and being justified in doing so is ... something new

Its certainly brightened my day up! 

Nice to see them stand up for the international game too.. bring it on.. play the tournament.. have 2 rebel teams "THE Australians" and "THE New Zealanders" and there can be some good news out of it potentially... the "We Will Carry On" mentality can be used.. 

no cant see it either but its a nice thought. 

[Man of Kent]

The anger in Simon Johnson's voice is a bit of a worry as he seems to be surprised. 

[St Reatham]

Well over 600 comments thus far on the BBC HYS, so it’s definitely a talking point, and a record for a BBC rugby league HYS I’d imagine.

[Scubby]

Nigel Wood bows out of the IRL CEO job in the middle of a pandemic and hands it onto Troy Grant of Australia. Six months later the NRL are ass whipping the International game and binning off the WC. 

Everyone knows the next stage will be some international fixtures played in Aus/NZ this autumn with Tonga, Samoa, Fiji and PNG. 

We have to threaten legal action for compensation here. We also have to admit that the WC in 2022 is played in the British Summertime (June/July) if it is cancelled now.

 

[JohnM]

Include Aus and NZ in the fixtures and draws, and when they don't show, declare them as forfeit and award the result to their opponents. 

[Yakstorm]

11 hours ago, Damien said:

You said they cost over over a million dollars each year to run. That indicates that is after all income and that they lose over a million dollars each year, anything else just makes it a completely meaningless statement. Now you are trying to move the goalposts.

If that's how you interpreted it, then sorry that not what I meant.  To me I don't feel like a million+ upfront investment is a meaningless statement when trying to highlight that the NRL actually does invest in the Pacific.  It's certainly a lot more than anyone else has put into Tests not involving them. 

As for more evidence, what would you like? I can't just hand over balance sheets from NRL events and contray to what you've implied the NRL has never released costs for the Pacific Tests in any official statement. 

[Dave T]

2 hours ago, RP London said:

but its balls... there is 3 months to go and they are ignoring the experts (of which we have many) who are saying that will drop away... and yet they are happy to send olympians to a nation that is in a state of emergency as they go there ffs!

Yes I did notice that Aus and NZ played each other in Olympic Football the other day.

However new cases in Japan are far, far lower than in the UK. 

[RP London]

Just now, Yakstorm said:

If that's how you interpreted it, then sorry that not what I meant.  To me I don't feel like a million+ upfront investment is a meaningless statement when trying to highlight that the NRL actually does invest in the Pacific.  It's certainly a lot more than anyone else has put into Tests not involving them. 

As for more evidence, what would you like? I can't just hand over balance sheets from NRL events and contray to what you've implied the NRL has never released costs for the Pacific Tests in any official statement. 

problem is 1 million as an altruistic donation (loss) would be something.. but stumping up 1 million to make 3-4 (for example) is purely business and while it is good business i dont think they should necessarily be lauded for their internationalism on that front..