Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Saint Toppy]

2 minutes ago, gavin7094 said:

Very different circumstances and cannot be compared. 

Really !!

So its too unsafe for a team to come over and form a 'bubble', living together, training together etc. for a short period of 4 week, but its suddenly safe to come over to the UK to live, bringing your family (who's kids wont be vaccinated).

I'm sorry but thats utter guff.

Didn't see the Pakistan cricket team whinging at old traford this week about playing a test match here in NW England.

As I said previously, show some balls RFL. If they wont let their players come over for the tournament then we shouldn't be letting their players over here to work.

[LeeF]

35 minutes ago, Damien said:

Now this is the Daily Mail but there is some pretty damning stuff in here:

The tournament organisers received a WhatsApp message just before 7am today, which was followed by a conversation at 7.15am. A second WhatsApp landed at 7.26am with a four-minute warning that the Australians and New Zealanders were about to publish their explosive statement.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9814279/Cowardly-Aussies-sent-WHATSAPP-say-announcing-withdrawal-Rugby-League-World-Cup.html

4 minutes. That sums up their attitude

[fighting irish]

5 minutes ago, gavin7094 said:

I hope you enjoy it.  Genuinely. 

But it is not a credible World Cup. 

Well don't watch it. 

The truth is, the teams are the best ''available'' teams in the world.

 

[LeeF]

15 minutes ago, gavin7094 said:

No.  It was about player welfare. 

 

No it really wasn’t and still isn’t. 

[DI Keith Fowler]

3 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

That`s a bloody good question mate because I`ve been his biggest fan.

If I had to take a wild guess, V`landy`s has burnt up a lot of his `political `capital, if you get the politics reference, he earnt from the early restart due to the problems with the rule changes, the clubs have been pushing back, he buckled and allowed ex-club administrators on to the Commission earlier last year in an attempt I gather to appease them, they could have him chucked if they wanted to, I can only imagine this is just them tightening the screws a bit more. 

That`s my most favourable reading of it from his point of view. But mate, it`d only guess work really and really at the end of the day, 7.00 in the morning, it`s probably off the mark.

I probably hadn't appreciated he himself might be under a bit of pressure. In that context it makes more sense the sudden turn of events. 

[Man of Kent]

Just now, Smudger06 said:

Not seen them put anything out yet. 

Sure but Brazil didn't even participate in the qualifiers. Technically the 'first dibs' would be USA and South Africa, as they were losers in the 'intercontinental play-off series'.

[LeeF]

8 minutes ago, gavin7094 said:

I hope you enjoy it.  Genuinely. 

But it is not a credible World Cup. 

It would be or were the boycotted Olympics not credible?

[EastLondonMike]

Understandably theres a lot of emotion going on. And despite the fact both the NZRL and ARLC have acted in such an unprofessional way, we need to take a positive approach to this. Difficult with all the emotion, but essential. The game suffers if not.

If there were genuine concerns about player safety you'd like to think they would have requested some other kind of reassurance or insisted on a higher level of player protection while over here (ie bubble all players and staff in one location).

I guess the RLWC need genuine answers from the ARLC and NZRL. I don't know the situation with other Australian sports and whether they have been playing under the same conditions as the NRL players, so not sure if there is a like for like comparison, but the fact other sports are still planning on coming to the UK shows where theres a will theres a way.

The ARLC and (we assume) the NZRL have arguably shown their true feelings about the event with the hastiness in the announcement and reluctance to explore all possible avenues.

I know clubs are obliged to release players for Internationals, but I'd be interested to know in what form that obligation actually is. I don't know personally. Whether it's a written obligation or just a verbal handshake. If it's the latter and nothing official, we won't see any Aussie or NZ NRL players for dust. Will also put an interesting slant on things with the English based NRL players. 

Still lots to play out with this one.

Edited July 22, 2021 by EastLondonMike

[Damien]

A bit if humour to brighten the mood:

 

[LeeF]

Presumably International matches are designated by the IRL not the NRL so all clubs must allow their players to play for their countries at the WC?
 

If a few players stood up then I am sure that lots more would

[Eddie]

9 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Sure but Brazil didn't even participate in the qualifiers. Technically the 'first dibs' would be USA and South Africa, as they were losers in the 'intercontinental play-off series'.

Plus Norway who iirc lost to Greece in London in their qualifier. 

[JM2010]

15 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Not sure about Brazil. I would prefer to see Serbia.

Or Nigeria 

[Cheshire Setter]

13 minutes ago, hunsletgreenandgold said:

Completely irrelevant. Do you actually believe that could happen in RL?

How good would it be to have media stories of neutral sports fans trying to break in to watch the World Cup though?! No such thing as bad publicity

[The Rocket]

4 minutes ago, DI Keith Fowler said:

I probably hadn't appreciated he himself might be under a bit of pressure. In that context it makes more sense the sudden turn of events. 

Yeah mate he`s been under a lot of pressure the head high thing has really split the game, and the six-agains likewise, you`ve almost got the progressives up against an old guard who are saying he is wrecking the game, personally I think he is just trying to ensure its` future. Which of course sounds ridiculous after today.

Even Gould quitting the NZRL thing was suspicious, and he`s been a big critic of the new rules. Bennett coming out a couple of times defending the rule changes was a big one as well, he`s a big gun and he`s letting everyone know he`s in V`landy`s corner. But honestly mate, who knows what`s going on.

[Hela Wigmen]

Let’s tell them it’s an illegal party and not a World Cup and that there’s loads of women there and watch them all turn up.  

[gavin7094]

7 minutes ago, LeeF said:

It would be or were the boycotted Olympics not credible?

Some sports were very heavily affected and the overall medal table was heavily skewed.

So, if your definition of a credible tournament is one where the best in the World compete and the better participant wins, then yes, the 1980 Olympics were not credible.

But really, the 2 aren't comparable.

If the tournament went ahead without Aus and NZ, and England or Tonga won it, it the result would forever have an asterisk next to it. 

 

[Smudger06]

14 minutes ago, Man of Kent said:

Sure but Brazil didn't even participate in the qualifiers. Technically the 'first dibs' would be USA and South Africa, as they were losers in the 'intercontinental play-off series'.

True. Both been to RLWCs before. 

[northamptoncougar]

Best of luck to those who's telling the Islanders that they're not able to represent they're nation, they'll need more than a Perspex screen for safety

[Sports Prophet]

3 hours ago, JohnM said:

Just saying something does not make it true. Player welfare isn't something that has been at the top of the sports agenda in Aus. 

I think you will find that it very much certainly has. How else do you explain the crackdown on contact with the head?

[Davo5]

So the NRL & V’Landys are turning the sport into a version of the AFL,a sport popular in one country that is totally irrelevant to the outside world,the only difference is the AFL attract crowds.

[Damien]

Super League statement:

 

[gavin7094]

21 minutes ago, Cheshire Setter said:

 

You can’t avoid an increase in cases when you open up, so how long should a country wait?

True.  Countries that have adopted a strategy of complete suppression and elimination, though applauded initially, have painted themselves into a corner now because they don't have a clear way out.  But that's a decision for them.

If the situation were reversed, what do you think the SL would have done? 

[Sports Prophet]

2 hours ago, dkw said:

 

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

I’ll take that bet any day. Grant’s word… your word… neither give me much confidence.

[Smudger06]

1 minute ago, Damien said:

Super League statement:

 

& that from Clubland......

[hunsletgreenandgold]

3 minutes ago, gavin7094 said:

True.  Countries that have adopted a strategy of complete suppression and elimination, though applauded initially, have painted themselves into a corner now because they don't have a clear way out.  But that's a decision for them.

If the situation were reversed, what do you think the SL would have done? 

SL has no jurisdiction over international RL so literally nothing. Shame the NRL believes itself to be in some way different.