Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Devon Ram]

If we are going to play our European Neighbor's lets look at best places to play the games Wales start in the North West, Scotland Newcastle ? France i have said it before got to have one in France to help with them getting the World Cup. If we was to play likes of Serbia look into if there's a big community in England then look at playing in that area, all these things need to be thought about anything to help promote the game.

[Devon Ram]

7 minutes ago, Scubby said:

If the World Cup is cancelled, you can come up with all the permutations you like - there will be no appetite for International RL to be staged or watched in the UK in 2021. It's hard for me to type but it is true. 

Think positive, it wont be cancelled to much invested in it to let the NRL bully us.

[londonrlfan]

10 minutes ago, Scubby said:

If the World Cup is cancelled, you can come up with all the permutations you like - there will be no appetite for International RL to be staged or watched in the UK in 2021. It's hard for me to type but it is true. 

It won't be cancelled, but we need to plan for life without the NRL for future internationals and tournaments. They have held IRL back for too long now. 

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, Futtocks said:

Has this been posted yet? They are planning to scupper the women's World Cup by pushing back the start of the NRLW season to October. Note that the World Cup does not get a single mention in this article.

https://www.nrl.com/news/2021/07/30/nrlw-now-a-standalone-october-event-after-kick-off-delay/?utm_source=WomensFBContent&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=NetworkContent

Yes - few pages back. But there has been a lot said today.

[Futtocks]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

Yes - few pages back. But there has been a lot said today.

I assumed so, but I didn't want to click back through several hundred posts on the same circular arguments.

[gingerjon]

1 minute ago, Futtocks said:

I assumed so, but I didn't want to click back through several hundred posts on the same circular arguments.

Essentially your observation that it ends the possibility of a women’s World Cup was duly noted.

[northamptoncougar]

I love the fact that the NRL clubs say they’ll do it next year. Australia is so far behind and has screwed up the vaccination process so much they’re years behind the likes of ourselves and the USA in going back to normality. 
 

If all they do is close the boarders and shut down at every outbreak they could easily be stuck in the same cycle for the next 5 years.

There will come a time when NRL games are cancelled due to COVID outbreaks and the clubs will have to decide how best to live with the virus. 

[DavidM]

22 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I assumed so, but I didn't want to click back through several hundred posts on the same circular arguments.

Yes it was mentioned half way through chapter 12 

[Futtocks]

9 minutes ago, DavidM said:

Yes it was mentioned half way through chapter 12 

I knew we shouldn't have hired Peter Jackson to direct this thread!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

40 minutes ago, londonrlfan said:

England v Australia at Wembley 2011 42k, England v NZ Wembley 2013 67k, England v NZ Olympic 2015 44k. How did any of them struggle to get 30k?

You underestimate Londoners. We turn up to watch sport, regardless if we're 'experts' in the sport on not. France are a big name in sporting terms. It's not like playing the Cook Islands, is it? 

England v Australia at Wembley was the first time they'd played an international game at Wembley in years.

England v NZ at Wembley was a semi final WC double header.

England v NZ at Olympic Stadium was the first RL game at Olympic Stadium. England v Australia the very next year only attracting 35k to the Olympic Stadium shows how quickly that novelty wore off for arguably a bigger game in a bigger tournament.

I don't underestimate Londoners. All of these games had huge traveling audiences and were part of much bigger events with some novelty attached to them. England v France in London would not as a large traveling audience, so would largely on that London support. If it were there in such big numbers, the RFL would hold more games down there. It's not there and you have very little evidence to support that it is there.

To suggest England v France would attract 35k outside of a major tournament like the WC is utter fantasy.

 

 

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

England v Australia at Wembley was the first time they'd played an international game at Wembley in years.

England v NZ at Wembley was a semi final WC double header.

England v NZ at Olympic Stadium was the first RL game at Olympic Stadium. England v Australia the very next year only attracting 35k to the Olympic Stadium shows how quickly that novelty wore off for arguably a bigger game in a bigger tournament.

I don't underestimate Londoners. All of these games had huge traveling audiences and were part of much bigger events with some novelty attached to them. England v France in London would not as a large traveling audience, so would largely on that London support. If it were there in such big numbers, the RFL would hold more games down there. It's not there and you have very little evidence to support that it is there.

To suggest England v France would attract 35k outside of a major tournament like the WC is utter fantasy.

 

 

The lower crowd for England v Australia at the Olympic Stadium was a direct result of the woeful set up of the previous game v New Zealand. I don’t think words can express how dire it was.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

3 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

I knew we shouldn't have hired Peter Jackson to direct this thread!

Who's Gollum on this thread then?!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

52 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

But people were interested in Eng vs Scotland so that´s a contradiction and again, if you have an annual tournament you give games meaning. Again, you´ve not presented any alternative (remember, Australia and New Zealand are no longer an option.)

I wouldn´t have Eng play France in England or Wales. 4 nations, England play Wales in Cardiff Arms Park, France in France. Jam in Plogh Lane or Brentford stadium then a final up north. Smallish but full stadiums so it looks great on tv (the real audience). 

The novelty of England v Scotland will very quickly wear off if it happened annually and it was a drubbing. That Scotland side had to qualify for the 4N and were a good side that earned that place in merit. But playing them annually would become very dull very quickly, especially since they are now a shadow of the side they once were.

 

Like I said, the idea of teams qualifying for a tournament I don't mind, but not playing the same sides every year.

 

What was the interest like for the 2012 Euro Tri Nations?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

The lower crowd for England v Australia at the Olympic Stadium was a direct result of the woeful set up of the previous game v New Zealand. I don’t think words can express how dire it was.

What was so dire about it?

I recall the atmosphere being very dull as well as the game, but not much else. I did spend most of the pre-match in the ticket queue though having stupidly forgotten my tickets at home, so didn't get much chance to take in the festivities!

[Griff]

2 hours ago, londonrlfan said:

I haven't said England should play a team of amateurs. I said no reason why we can't play France, Wales, Jamaica, Scotland and Ireland. These are all made up of SL players, so none of them are amateurs ...

Just browse the recent teams for France, Wales, Jamaica, Scotland and Ireland and reconsider what you said.

There have been many players from outside SL and several amateurs, particularly in the Scotland and Ireland teams.

Edited July 30, 2021 by Griff

[Futtocks]

3 minutes ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

Who's Gollum on this thread then?!

Phil Gould.

[gingerjon]

Just now, Wellsy4HullFC said:

What was so dire about it?

I recall the atmosphere being very dull as well as the game, but not much else. I did spend most of the pre-match in the ticket queue though having stupidly forgotten my tickets at home, so didn't get much chance to take in the festivities!

Festivities = “fanzone” in a mostly empty car park with the Rugby AM guys cracking in jokes on a stage *and naff all else*

[Whippet13]

5 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Phil Gould.

V'landys is Sauron, certainly has the dark menacing presence.

Solly is Saruman, used to be good but corrupted by evil.

NRL clubs are the Nazgul.  

Edited July 30, 2021 by Whippet13

[Damien]

 

[wiganermike]

4 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Phil Gould.

He's more like Grima Wormtongue, whispering lies and subversion into the ear of an easily persuaded listener. Though he is too uncouth to whisper.

[The Hallucinating Goose]

28 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

Phil Gould.

This just in from the Sydney Morning Herald from their latest interview with Phil Gould: 

"Mister Gould, what is your opinion of the IRL and control of international RL in general?" 

"My precious!" 

[londonrlfan]

31 minutes ago, Griff said:

Just browse the recent teams for France, Wales, Jamaica, Scotland and Ireland and reconsider what you said.

There have been many players from outside SL and several amateurs, particularly in the Scotland and Ireland teams.

You do realise most of those were small time matches played in park fields? You give them big games in proper tournaments and more players will start "putting their hand up" (as the saying goes). 

[Futtocks]

1 minute ago, The Hallucinating Goose said:

This just in from the Sydney Morning Herald from their latest interview with Phil Gould: 

"Mister Gould, what is your opinion of the IRL and control of international RL in general?" 

"My precious!" 

"Preciousss club game, mussst be preserved at all cossstsss. ALL COSSSTSSSS! Even the futuressss of the sportsessssss as a wholessssss."

[londonrlfan]

41 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

To suggest England v France would attract 35k outside of a major tournament like the WC is utter fantasy.

Again, this would be in a major 4 Nations type tournament, not a one off friendly. 

My issue with playing in London, is the RFL only advertise in Wigan and Hull to RL fans, who are aware the match is taking place already. You need advertise it in London and be smart with advertising. 

RL fans might not be interested as they think it'll be one sided, but casual fans wouldn't have a clue. They'd just see England v France and assume it'd be a good game as France are a big sporting nation. Plus playing at the Olympic Stadium draws people in as it's seen as an event. 

I don't see why it wouldn't do as well as playing Australia and NZ. 

But we won't know without trying. 

[The Hallucinating Goose]

8 minutes ago, Futtocks said:

"Preciousss club game, mussst be preserved at all cossstsss. ALL COSSSTSSSS! Even the futuressss of the sportsessssss as a wholessssss."

Maybe that's the solution! I think we've stumbled on something there Futtocks mate! We throw the NRL trophy in a volcano!

Edited July 30, 2021 by The Hallucinating Goose