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Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)


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7 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Main headline and biggest story by far on the BBC Sport website.

Like I say: brilliant.

On the bright side I suppose any publicity is good publicity. At least everyone now know there is a RL World Cup!

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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.

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42 minutes ago, Chrispmartha said:

Surely the Sensible approach would be for the ARL and NZRL to state they don't advise the players to travel but each player can decide for themselves if picked to play.

Because the NRL, which is let's face it the power behind the ARL, don't want the competition. 

They just want to play with their ball.  They live on the other side of the world, in splended isolation ... and even in their own country, Perth is another world from Sidney.  They are parochial.  And the NRL have become massively insular, they are so much up their own backsides that it's not true.

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2 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I bet you I am not.

 

4 minutes ago, Lowdesert said:

This is what Grant (IRL) is indicating.  He is saying 

"I have been in regular communication with the RLPA and a number of international players and coaches who have been satisfied with the World Cup's biosecurity arrangements and expressed a clear determination to travel to England and proudly represent their nations," Grant said in a statement.

"They have expressed to me that they feel their own personal choice to participate or not in the World Cup has been taken from them.“

Still want to make that bet @Sports Prophet....as expected you were wrong as usual.

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Just now, JohnM said:

Schoey demanding that Aus and NZ excluded from 2025 and 2029 World Cups

Well done Schoey!  What a bunch of wimps they have turned out to be `down under'.

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“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

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3 minutes ago, Scubby said:

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

Yup. Probably with extended bio-bubbles.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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13 minutes ago, City RL said:

World Cup still needs to go ahead, with replacement nations.

Its not as simple as that. The withdrawal of the Aussies and Kiwis will have put a huge hole in the finances of the competition. The broadcast rights value will suddenly have plummeted and those broadcasters who had previously signed contracts will be having their lawyers exercising force majeure clauses asap. I'd imagine that broadcasters in Australia and NZ will have no interest in showing a competition they do not feature in.

I’m not prejudiced, I hate everybody equally

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6 minutes ago, JohnM said:

Schoey demanding that Aus and NZ excluded from 2025 and 2029 World Cups, according to Aus commentators at todays Canberra game. 

What World Cups in 2025 and 2029?

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Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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7 minutes ago, Scubby said:

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

The UEFA Women's Euros are being played in July next year in England.

Venues booked include Old Trafford, Bramall Lane and Leigh Sports Village.

Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. (Terry Pratchett)

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Just now, Smudger06 said:

I'm cutting ties with the NRL, not watching it until the day comes they atone. Can't believe they've managed to drag the kiwis down as well. 

Lets face it. The NRL get $20 million a year from NZ TV rights and throw the NZRL a bit of loose change back. Loose change that will be cut off before you know it if the NZRL don't tow the party line. As will any international with Australia to further strangle NZRL sources of income.

I suppose though the NZRL could try to find alternative sources of income, say playing England mid season. Oh wait, I forgot, its not like the NRL don't have a track record of sabotaging attempts to raise alternative sources of income like that and wont do their upmost to stop players playing. With friends like that eh.....

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14 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

To be fair New Zealand's was apparently and they've reneged.

Scared that the Ozzies will penalise them by refusing to play New Zealand some time in the future, if they don't 'fall in line like good little Australian acolytes!

Pooo !

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“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

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3 hours ago, RP London said:

The more i sit here and stew and think on it, the more I am done with the it.. If the sport doesnt care then why should i.. 

i've got irons in the fire with eagles about developing a couple of things with both work and the Rugby club i coach at.. not sure i can be arsed now as what does the game actually offer to the kids or to business anymore.. no national presence and this game is going to just retract and retract.

 

I know this isn't germane to the topic at hand, but just wanted to jump in and offer some support on this. You're right that this is a hugely disappointing decision, but most of the kids you're coaching are probably happy throwing a ball around with their mates and having a great time, regardless of the wider game issues. You (and all grassroots coaches) are doing a great job and it's an important job even if the national bodies are ###### around. Not just because you're teaching them rugby but because sport for kids is so much more than that.

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I think we have look at this in several ways before decision making.  

Last minutes decision by a national organisation.

The decision is the NRLs, not the Players.  

The Players appear not to have been consulted by the NRL.  

The Players Union, who were asked to act for the NRL to provide feedback on an international game (Denver) have been ignored on this occasion.  

The IRL have been ignored and shown to be a toothless quango.  Grant says he has been in communication with the RLPA but no mention of being in communication with the NRL. https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7353083/australia-nz-pull-out-of-league-world-cup/?cs=14274

 

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A disgraceful decision from Aus and NZ which has far reaching consequences for the whole of the international game. Both countries are sending athletes abroad for pretty much every other sport so their excuses are pretty feeble. 

I would say there is likely no option to postpone. That will invoke a huge amount of extra costs and Aus/NZ can't be trusted not to do the same thing again next year. The only options are to press ahead or cut losses and cancel completely. 

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We need to make sure the other Southern Hemisphere nations are still committed before we decide for definite whether this is going ahead or not. If they are, great, we replace the two who have quit and carry on. If not, we’re in a world of trouble. 

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