Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[DI Keith Fowler]

Just now, The Rocket said:

No RLWC.... no trade deal. Tell them to shove their beef and their pineapples where the sun don`t shine.

You laugh but apparently the UK exports £5.4 billion (or $595,000 trillion AUD) of services apparently and signed a new trade deal just last month. In world terms the NRL is a minor sporting competition if the Australian government could be persuaded I think there's some traction there.

[Tommygilf]

33 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Bet ya they don't come Tommy, and what about the collective of the "Islanders" who on religious grounds refuse to be vaccinated, why on earth would they want to come to a place that is producing 50,000 new cases a day as it stands at the moment with experts telling us to expect that to rise to 100,000 a day as the lockdown restrictions take effect.

If this was on the other foot and we had negligible numbers becoming infected in this country, and the country holding the tournament was rife with infection would our officials take a different opinion from the Aus and Kiwis I very strongly suspect not.

The risk of being unvaccinated is down to the individual. By that logic Australia will not be able to host the Olympics in 11 years without every spectator and official self isolating for 2 weeks on arrival and will not have a tourism industry either - I don't think that is practical. Australia are in this position because they have sat on their laurels regarding vaccine procurement.

This move is nothing to do with the Covid rates however. Its to do with whose time the isolation period is billed on. Is it the ARLC, the Clubs, or the Players. This is the crux of the issue anything else is just window dressing.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Tommygilf

[RP London]

6 minutes ago, Rupert Prince said:

They may not touch anything... I've had 2 AZ jabs.  The Aussies are a bunch of bigoted hysterics.

 

me too and i feel fine.. 

well except for the normal stuff anyway... and i did have a bad back the week after my second jab... though i had been pulling up a few things in the garden and, you know what, it may have been that and not the jab!

[Rupert Prince]

9 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Yes that is the truth, but also as far as I’m aware none of the Lions have been in bubbles away from their families for the best part of 18 months. 

So that have not been living with their wives and children?  for 18 months.  Not going to the supermarket?  Just what have they been doing?

It's their own govt that is quarantining them... and that will be a waste of time.

[RayCee]

9 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

He's right. Postponing is the lesser of two evils...

Which lesser, not playing it this year of not playing it next year?

[RP London]

6 minutes ago, dkw said:

A 4 minute warning is disgraceful, shows their utter disdain for the competition and shows why we should just cut all ties. 

 

not just the competition but the people involved.. even if you hated the comp you wouldnt do this if you have any sort of respect for those invovled.. 

time for the ex NSW politician to start pulling some strings.

[Man of Kent]

1 minute ago, RayCee said:

Which lesser, not playing it this year of not playing it next year?

Not playing it all... 

[Anita Bath]

The RFL can’t manage to get a round of league games on so how the hell do they plan to get a World Cup on.

 

I suppose the winner would be declared by %
 

Enjoy your freedom...while it lasts

[EastLondonMike]

2 minutes ago, Johnoco said:

I totally disagree. After Covid, people will want events like this as life goes back to normal (and it will) 

It could have been a huge opportunity to showcase the game to a lot of people who otherwise might not have given the game the time of day. By 2022 it will be just another event and not so much overshadowed by the FIFA WC but more like totally unnoticed. It’s a huge opportunity missed.

Assuming the non-RL media got on board with the tournament, but I haven't seen anything to suggest they would. without that happening I don't think we'll reach those people you speak of. As long as it doesn't clash with the football WC theres no real reason why we wouldn't receive the same level of interest in 2022 than in 2021. It might be a case of Hobson's choice anyway.

If we were to hold a smaller European focused tournament this year, that could act as a spring board for 2022, and also help attract those people you mention.

[Eddie]

There’s a lot of hysteria on this thread imho. I’m as gutted as anyone that the WC isn’t going ahead (had tickets to 4 matches, taking loads of people who’d never watched RL before), but the way things are going it wouldn’t be going ahead anyway even if this announcement hadn’t been made today. There are too many people refusing the vaccine, and rates are going drastically up, I work in a hospital and believe me things are getting a lot worse. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

Well don't really know what to add to the discussion, just got in from my shift and saw the news. I guess I thought Australia were going to pull out. I'd have been happy to play it without them but unfortunately I don't think we can with NZ gone as well and probably a number of other teams that rely on players from Australia. 

I have to say I am so disappointed. I was looking forward to this world cup so much, it was actually going to be something happy and enjoyable in the middle of these horrible times. I guess if it has to be postponed it has to be postponed but at the same time it just really annoys me that it is Australia getting their own way again and walking all over the international game. That's what's annoying, that Australia just get their own way with everything in our sport! We already had the Ashes cancelled and now this and who's to say they won't just turn around next year and say they aren't interested?! 

Possibly the most annoying thing is the fact that the excuses they are using are quite frankly carp. There are so many other international events taking place that they are sending people to and there hasn't been a problem there. That just shows its not about player welfare, its about the NRL getting its way. 

Unfortunately over the last couple of seasons I've been losing a little interest in our game with not being able to go to matches and this is another real body blow I'm afraid. It actually upsets me a little to think how my interest has wained recently seen as rugby league has always been one of the biggest and most important things in my life.

I wonder if there's some way we can at least rescue the situation a bit and at least have some internationals. Could we perhaps organise some kind of European championship at short notice? England, France, Wales and Scotland or something, a kind of Four Nations or even just a 3 match test series with France maybe with a game against Wales before it? Just something simple and easy to organise, played at modest sized stadiums, 10-15,000 capacity of so. We've for a load of stadiums booked for world cup matches anyway so we could at least use some of them. Give the BBC the rights for free to at least get some screen time. Just get something on to fill the void. 

[RP London]

Just now, Anita Bath said:

The RFL can’t manage to get a round of league games on so how the hell do they plan to get a World Cup on.

 

I suppose the winner would be declared by %
 

Enjoy your freedom...while it lasts

the clue is that it is 3 months away and the modelling is that we probably wont even need secure bubbles by then (they;ll still no doubt do it to be sure but they wont need it).. 

The postponements are around contact tracing not infections (but you know this because you read the news and are on this board).. 1 person = 6 give or take.. come mid august this wont be an issue either when the contact tracing rule goes... 

its really not difficult to see how this is not going to be a problem.

(one caveat being another variant that is vaccine resistent not turning up.. but frankly that caveat could have been placed before anything 2 years ago [and is in insurance documents about natural disasters and force majoure etc] and will always be on peoples minds for the next generation)

[Eddie]

3 minutes ago, EastLondonMike said:

Assuming the non-RL media got on board with the tournament, but I haven't seen anything to suggest they would. without that happening I don't think we'll reach those people you speak of. As long as it doesn't clash with the football WC theres no real reason why we wouldn't receive the same level of interest in 2022 than in 2021. It might be a case of Hobson's choice anyway.

If we were to hold a smaller European focused tournament this year, that could act as a spring board for 2022, and also help attract those people you mention.

Yeah postpone until next year and use this October to have a smaller N Hemisphere tournament. Assuming Italy, Greece and Lebanon can’t play as they’re basically Australian sides we’d have;

England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Jamaica. Then you might have Serbia, USA or Canada willing to come. Have an 8 team tournament, ok it would be far inferior to a WC but at least would generate some revenue and get international RL back on the agenda.  You wouldn’t need OT for the final but could play it somewhere like Wigan or Huddersfield, sell it out would be decent. 

Edited July 22, 2021 by Eddie

[RayCee]

Whatever we all think, the RL WC committee have to consider the options. I hope the only reason to cancel would be financial and not yielding to those those who already feel they have the whip hand. Rescheduling to appease those who won’t even put up a team of players willing to represent them is a weak reaction.

[Damien]

Simon Johnson sums it up pretty well I think:

Rugby Football League (RFL) chairman Simon Johnson called it a "selfish, parochial and cowardly decision".

"Rugby League World Cup organisers have bent over backwards to offer every assurance to the Australians and the Kiwis," Johnson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"We are very unhappy with this decision and we are not prepared to take it lying down."

[andyscoot]

2 minutes ago, Eddie said:

There’s a lot of hysteria on this thread imho. I’m as gutted as anyone that the WC isn’t going ahead (had tickets to 4 matches, taking loads of people who’d never watched RL before), but the way things are going it wouldn’t be going ahead anyway even if this announcement hadn’t been made today. There are too many people refusing the vaccine, and rates are going drastically up, I work in a hospital and believe me things are getting a lot worse. 

It's one thing for the competition to be cancelled due to government intervention but it's likely going to be cancelled because the NRL favours a few trial matches over the international game. I'd have more respect for them if they admitted they see RL outside of Oz/NZ with total contempt.

[Guest]

So they just bankrupted the northern game. Wow.

 

Mental.

[RP London]

2 minutes ago, EastLondonMike said:

Assuming the non-RL media got on board with the tournament, but I haven't seen anything to suggest they would. without that happening I don't think we'll reach those people you speak of. As long as it doesn't clash with the football WC theres no real reason why we wouldn't receive the same level of interest in 2022 than in 2021. It might be a case of Hobson's choice anyway.

If we were to hold a smaller European focused tournament this year, that could act as a spring board for 2022, and also help attract those people you mention.

but it will.. there is no escaping that.. even if it finishes before hand we will be drawned by the "bring it home" brigade in the papers.. 

If you havens seen anything to suggest this was going to cut through i suggest you havent been looking hard... this has had the best publicity over the last year or so of ANYTHING in RL i remember... this was/is a real chance to move forward.. 

I still think with 2 rebel teams we play on.. (even without get 2 more teams in and crack on... ) i think the publicity would be roundly positive now that it has been shat on by these 2... if they had a genuine worry i think there would be sympathy but with this I think even our normally negative press could get behind it with a "screw you" attitude.. 

[EastLondonMike]

1 minute ago, Johnoco said:

We’re in unprecedented times though, people are doing stuff they normally wouldn’t do (dogging perhaps) 

It would have been a great opportunity 

It would have been, but still think we can make something out of what is clearly a very bad situation. We need to stay positive. The opportunities the RLWC offers are still there for us, if we are smart and look to be progressive.

[Guest]

Just now, Rioman said:

Correction: 153k people dead where Covid is mentioned on the death certificate but not neccessarily the primary cause of death.    

Quite - unless the players are going to take part in old people's homes or NHS wards the risk for fit athletes is less than a plane crash on the way here.

[Tonka]

Simon Johnson is spot on.  They are being absolute wusses.

[FearTheVee]

So two invitational teams of UK based players then.

Fine - I'll still watch it.

[Man of Kent]

6 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Could we perhaps organise some kind of European championship at short notice? England, France, Wales and Scotland or something, a kind of Four Nations or even just a 3 match test series with France maybe with a game against Wales before it? Just something simple and easy to organise, played at modest sized stadiums, 10-15,000 capacity of so. We've for a load of stadiums booked for world cup matches anyway so we could at least use some of them. Give the BBC the rights for free to at least get some screen time. Just get something on to fill the void. 

Funnily enough, that's Gus Gould's answer. He thinks we should have our own comp this winter and Australia, New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga have one Down Under.

I would welcome a European Championship for European-based players if the RLWC is postponed.

Edited July 22, 2021 by Man of Kent

[Derwent]

Has to be cancelled, there's just no point. Its not a World Cup anymore, this has devalued it to the point of being worthless. I spent in excess of £3k on hospitality tickets for the opening game alone, I will be on the phone asking for a refund later today. I am not interested in whatever bastardised cheap imitation competition they might go ahead with.

[RP London]

3 minutes ago, Eddie said:

Yeah postpone until next year and use this October to have a smaller N Hemisphere tournament. Assuming Italy, Greece and Lebanon can’t play as they’re basically Australian sides we’d have;

England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Jamaica. Then you might have Serbia, USA or Canada willing to come. Have an 8 team tournament, ok it would be far inferior to a WC but at least would generate some revenue and get international RL back on the agenda.  You wouldn’t need OT for the final but could play it somewhere like Wigan or Huddersfield, sell it out would be decent. 

There is no way I would go to one of those matches you suggest and i would guess it would garner very little sponsorship (budgets spent for this year on the RLWC) and i cant see much press coming from it either.. 

I have tickets for the RLWC final and some group games.. i'm massively disappointed really not sure if i will take the refund or move the tickets to 2022 but at the moment i wouldnt go to another international game of league if you were giving me the ticket for free TBH.. its a dead duck..