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Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)


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Has there been any further statement from the RLWC itself?

I've looked and I can't see anything.

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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In 2017 I watched a limited England team push Australia all the way in a WC final in Brisbane, travelling the extremities of the 2 nations to get there. Losing in a final to a forward pass which was the only score of the game.

Could it be the NRL are running scared?

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6 minutes ago, Scubby said:

The thing I have been most shocked about is the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns - basically had their dreams shattered by the knock on effects of this. This WC was the reason a few of them switched codes, playing at Old Trafford would be the highlight of their lives. The NRL made a decision and then thought, oh #### we will have to pull out the women's and wheelchair teams as well. 

Saying that the women can stand up for themselves and they have done and said nothing. I've looked at instagram and twitter profiles of the leading stars and not one has made a comment. The women and wheelchair players are the one group of people who could bring the self absorbed crp crashing down in embarrassment!

Now I completely agree with that. If the Men’s competition goes ahead, the devastation to the Women’s tournament is on another level. No idea what’s going on with nobody mentioning anything. And to be fair, not aware of many men openly speaking out either. Would be amazing to here what’s going on in the background…

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1 minute ago, sweaty craiq said:

In 2017 I watched a limited England team push Australia all the way in a WC final in Brisbane, travelling the extremities of the 2 nations to get there. Losing in a final to a forward pass which was the only score of the game.

Could it be the NRL are running scared?

Two years later I saw the England team (in red white and blue) lose 4 consecutive games including Papua New Guinea with a half back on the wing. So probably no. The 2017 side was probably as strong as we were ever going to put out. Now Graham, Burgess, O'Loughlin, Hall gone and Roby, Hill, Gale, Widdop, McGivary etc. old means we are not going to be competitive any time soon sadly.

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8 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

In 2017 I watched a limited England team push Australia all the way in a WC final in Brisbane, travelling the extremities of the 2 nations to get there. Losing in a final to a forward pass which was the only score of the game.

Could it be the NRL are running scared?

Doubtful as England/Great Britain have lost their last 6 games. With some of those losses coming against fairly poor opposition (PNG, Combined Nations). 

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1 hour ago, Damien said:

A good read from Matthew Shaw:

It would appear you're in a bit of a hole here, V'landys. Maybe you haven't really thought this one through. Maybe you didn't anticipate the severity of the backlash.

Or is it you just don't really care about international rugby league? You're not doing a great deal to convince people otherwise at the minute are you, V'landys?

https://www.examinerlive.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/peter-vlandys-rugby-world-cup-21126668

Yes, I don't always agree with Shaw, but I thought that was a belter of an article. 

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9 minutes ago, Scubby said:

Two years later I saw the England team (in red white and blue) lose 4 consecutive games including Papua New Guinea with a half back on the wing. So probably no. The 2017 side was probably as strong as we were ever going to put out. Now Graham, Burgess, O'Loughlin, Hall gone and Roby, Hill, Gale, Widdop, McGivary etc. old means we are not going to be competitive any time soon sadly.

I think that's an overly harsh assessment. We had a weird setup with Bennett miles off his game as head coach. We lost close games against the Kiwis and Tonga who also beat the Aussies before a last game disaster against PNG. The fact that we had Blake Austin on the wing was a reflection on Wayne Bennett's stubbornness than the state of the English game. 

With a good run-up, which a home World Cup delivers, we can be a match over 80m.

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55 minutes ago, Scubby said:

The big thing that could happen here is the UK Government flexing its muscles. Either doing a deal with the Australian government for assurances or simply offering to subsidise additional bubbling taking it to the highest standards.

This is about the only thing left in the papers now, it`s out of The Australian which is s national broadsheet.

English boss has called on the PM Scott Morrison to explain Australia’s World Cup withdrawal (theaustralian.com.au)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been dragged into the stoush over the World Cup after one of England’s most powerful officials called on him to explain why Australia was willing to send athletes to the Olympic Games and Paralympics, but not rugby league’s showpiece international tournament.

Rugby Football League chair Simon Johnson, who earlier accused the ARL Commission of cowardice and pandering to their clubs, demanded that the Prime Minister justify the decision, which threatens to destroy the tournament.

“Our government has backed this decision fully,” Johnson said.

“(England Prime Minister) Boris Johnson has spoken to Scott Morrison on numerous occasions. Scott Morrison will have to explain why Australia has no problem sending athletes to the Olympics and the Paralympics, sending his rugby union Wallabies team to England and Wales, but not their rugby league teams.

“It is very difficult to explain. This is a very significant and damaging move.”

I`d love to think this was going to go somewhere but I fear they`ll just dig their heels in now, unfortunately not enough people care.

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24 minutes ago, OMEGA said:

Here’s what I’d suggest,

Go ahead with the World Cup

Australian and New Zealand Results recorded as 28-0 Losses! Those results will be in the history books forever and will stand as a mark of shame on their respective administrations.

Invite Indigenous and Maori Representative Teams to play the games that Australia & NZ would have taken part in thus satisfying the spectators who’ve bought tickets and the TV Broadcasters. It will be a great story in the papers, a celebration of their cultures as well as being something special to watch in terms of entertainment.

However the two invited teams are playing as guests and cannot progress to the knockout phase! Offer both a financial incentive for stepping in and arrange to play them again at some point in the future!

Make the whole World Cup an amazing spectacle, talk it up in the media, get the papers to do the same! Let Australia and NZ sit at home watching and reading lament their decision and reap the backlash from all and sundry. They’ll put in World Class moans and groans but deep down they’ll know they’ve F’d up!

I did think that, we have to lose 6 games from the tournament, but that may be the lesser of two evils of trying to replace them. 

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Wouldn't be the first time Australia had lost 24-0 in England after failing to show up.

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I can confirm 30+ less sales for Scotland vs Italy at Workington, after this afternoons test purchase for the Tonga match, £7.50 is extremely reasonable, however a £2.50 'delivery' fee for a walk in purchase is beyond taking the mickey, good luck with that, it's cheaper on the telly.

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1 hour ago, RP London said:

I think it would be a bigger slap in the face to v'landys if we have an aus 13 and nz 13 made up of a real strong squad that said "I want to play"... his player welfare argument goes out the window then... 

Unless he is sort of waiting for them to do that and he says oh OK then but you know the consequences we want you all at pre season training on time.. no excuses... you've broken the cba etc..

Yeah that's what I mean. Aussiesbased here plus any that want to come over too

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2 hours ago, Jim from Oz said:

We will  all know on Monday after the meeting of the Asia Pacific rugby league group

 

 if they all agree to go I say, let the World Cup go on!

The 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles were without the entire eastern block and they were absolutely brilliant

And probably 'cleaner'

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If there was a significant and public outcry, from players who may have been selected on merit for Australia and New Zealand then I'd say print up some green and gold and black and white jerseys and let them play. If the players don't make their desire to play known publicly, then I'd much rather bring in the USA and Brazil. Give the game over there (in the America's) a huge boost

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52 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

Perhaps you say it in jest, but anyone who thinks this will happen really hasn't grasped the magnitude of what's happening here. 

Most certainly in jest, I am aware that, if the World Cup goes ahead and Aus / NZ want back in come 2025, there is no question that this would happen.

Although, I am in favour of keeping the current structure of quarter finalists from the previous tournament qualifying automatically (which sees teams like New Zealand who fell at that stage, qualify). Won't happen, but should.

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31 minutes ago, Dave T said:

I think that's an overly harsh assessment. We had a weird setup with Bennett miles off his game as head coach. We lost close games against the Kiwis and Tonga who also beat the Aussies before a last game disaster against PNG. The fact that we had Blake Austin on the wing was a reflection on Wayne Bennett's stubbornness than the state of the English game. 

With a good run-up, which a home World Cup delivers, we can be a match over 80m.

We also lost 34-0 in the last test of 2018 and didn't really show a lot of bolters coming through in the mid-season test. The post was in response to the NRL fearing us and not wanting to come. The 2021 version of the England team will be always be competitive but it will lack the grunt and big game and international experience of the 2017 team.

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Just now, Southerner said:

Anyone have an estimate cost of losses if it were to be postponed at this point? 

Well, UK Govt has funded the tournament to the tune of £25M. Cazoo have signed a 7 figure sponsorship deal for the tournament. There are partnerships with huge organisations such an UNICEF, wide-ranging broadcast deals with the BBC.

Then you would have ticket refunds, costs of stadium rentals, infrastructure costs, staffing costs, overheads. Millions already pledged to meet bio-secure demands of the NRL.

In short, I don't know, but potentially huge.

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Just to confirm - was there a level of bio security that the organisers  couldn’t satisfy?

I saw the live interview on Newsnight by Peters on behalf of the NZRL in which he implied this aspect of bio security for a long tournament hadn’t been satisfied as he rejected comparisons with the RU tours.

Have the organisers replied to this accusation via the media yet in detail?  It would be great to remove the fig leaf.

 

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40 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

This is about the only thing left in the papers now, it`s out of The Australian which is s national broadsheet.

English boss has called on the PM Scott Morrison to explain Australia’s World Cup withdrawal (theaustralian.com.au)

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been dragged into the stoush over the World Cup after one of England’s most powerful officials called on him to explain why Australia was willing to send athletes to the Olympic Games and Paralympics, but not rugby league’s showpiece international tournament.

Rugby Football League chair Simon Johnson, who earlier accused the ARL Commission of cowardice and pandering to their clubs, demanded that the Prime Minister justify the decision, which threatens to destroy the tournament.

“Our government has backed this decision fully,” Johnson said.

“(England Prime Minister) Boris Johnson has spoken to Scott Morrison on numerous occasions. Scott Morrison will have to explain why Australia has no problem sending athletes to the Olympics and the Paralympics, sending his rugby union Wallabies team to England and Wales, but not their rugby league teams.

“It is very difficult to explain. This is a very significant and damaging move.”

I`d love to think this was going to go somewhere but I fear they`ll just dig their heels in now, unfortunately not enough people care.

More strong words (and attitude) from Simon Johnson.

I imagine the UK Government are doing something behind the scenes on this one too… 

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