Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Spidey]

1 minute ago, londonrlfan said:

2023 is the Union World Cup, so it'll have to be moved to 2024 instead. 

Why bother in 2024 when there’s a comp in 2025

[londonrlfan]

1 hour ago, thebrewxi said:

Where the same money wont be on the table and it will be lost in the other, bigger world cup.

They actually just don't want it played at all. Watching watch NRL they arent even bothering to talk  about this; doesn't get mentioned on their daily NRL 360, NRL tonight etc programmes... and theyve cancelled all their games today because of covid. !

They don't want internationals played period. They just want NRL and SOO. Good luck with that when the best players leave for union in droves.

[DoubleD]

This is worth reading, from the very reputable Robert Burgin 

 

[doc]

Could it be that the Aussies played there last ever game in England in 2016?

Will we be able to carry on without them?

I'd hope common sense would be applied, but it's disappearing into the distance. 

Depressing.

 

[londonrlfan]

7 minutes ago, DoubleD said:

This is worth reading, from the very reputable Robert Burgin 

 

Spot on and echoes what I've been saying for years. The NRL want to destroy internationals, as they see it as a threat to their beloved NRL and SOO, even though it's the same sport. They will come for SL next, as they don't want any competition. I've been saying for years they want to be like the NFL, the only problem is the NFL is a global product and the US is a much bigger market than Australia. They're essentially a poor man's AFL now. 

[fighting irish]

I thought at first, that this decision was an emotional outburst by Vlandys (with little forethought) following the news that the World Cup would go ahead, whether they were in it or not.

Now, I'm convinced it was premeditated and carefully planned some time ago and timed precisely, to cause the maximum damage to the IRL and the RLWC organisers.

This is a coup d'etat like any other and the perpetrators are just as ruthless.

I'm still hoping that they can be turned back but when it comes to influencing the players and public opinion, (our only hope) they have demonstrated a quite breathtaking control of the flow of information (the press) during this whole affair. A control which would be the envy of Kim Jong-un.

Where are the Australian investigative journalists? Where are the honest newspapers who stand for truth and transparency and fully integrated story telling? Are there none? Is freedom of the press a thing of the past in the Antipodes?

It seems they are well positioned to silently kowtow to the Chinese when they (invade) come ashore in Port Darwin. 

 

[londonrlfan]

Australia losing to NZ and Tonga has taken away massively from SOO. How can origin be the "pinnacle" when Australia aren't even the best?

[DavidM]

I think we should make a friendly gesture and invite the NRL to finish its season over here 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

 

 

[Henson Park Old Firm]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ShowFooty/status/1421042417206108162

[dkw]

So this morning I put radio 5 on in the kitchen while I made breakfast, they had the rugby union at the Olympics on. Changed over to talksport, they were talking about the barbarians. Went into my living room, bbc 1 has the Olympics union finals on. 

Meanwhile our antipodean person who I hold in very low esteem friends have destroyed any chance of RL getting similar international coverage. Great stuff.

[Exiled Wiganer]

2 hours ago, Whippet13 said:

I'm guessing one of them is Adrian Lam.

“It’s not us and them” the sooner he packs his bags and takes his idiotic moaning home with him the better. 

[RayCee]

I think the Denver Test was a breaking point for the NRL. It didn’t involve Australia and they had to release players because the RLIF had the power to organise the match and make it happen.

Since then, the plan has been to find a way to take over RL (including possibly SL too) and not be dictated to. The vision is the ARLC and the NRL should run the game, with a few media corporations to generate the revenue. I think it is believed the game will be better for it.

Derailing the WC became the mission to kickstart the take over. Australia's choosing not to attend the WC was not enough to sabotage the event. Getting the NZRL to do likewise was essential. Then the clubs persuading players not to attend was to be the final nail in the coffin. Get all three done and it’s game over for the WC.

[Jim from Oz]

19 minutes ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

 

 

"NRL working on tomorrow’s games at the moment."

What? A covid scare in Queensland and the NRL response is to do everything they can to CONTINUE PLAYING  ???

Anyone else see a slight inconsistency in the NRL attitude to covid here ??

[RayCee]

Just now, Jim from Oz said:

"NRL working on tomorrow’s games at the moment."

What? A covid scare in Queensland and the NRL response is to do everything they can to CONTINUE PLAYING  ???

Anyone else see a slight inconsistency in the NRL attitude to covid here ??

I can.

[gingerjon]

1 hour ago, DoubleD said:

This is worth reading, from the very reputable Robert Burgin 

 

Spot on.

And I particular like his assessment of both what the NRL has done in the Pacific Islands and what the Pacific Islands themselves mean in a global sense.

[Damien]

Ah so zero risk in bubbles in Australia but everyone is certain to get it in bubbles in the Uk:

 

 

[GeordieSaint]

14 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:

"NRL working on tomorrow’s games at the moment."

What? A covid scare in Queensland and the NRL response is to do everything they can to CONTINUE PLAYING  ???

Anyone else see a slight inconsistency in the NRL attitude to covid here ??

 

7 minutes ago, Damien said:

Ah so zero risk in bubbles in Australia but everyone is certain to getit on bubbles in the Uk:

 

 

There are some cracking one-liners flying around on the Phil Gould tweet. 

[londonrlfan]

8 minutes ago, Damien said:

Ah so zero risk in bubbles in Australia but everyone is certain to getit on bubbles in the Uk:

 

 

It was obvious from day one that it was never about covid. They're just embarrassing themselves now if they keep pushing that narrative. Just come out and be honest that they don't want international RL to exist. 

[Jim from Oz]

8 minutes ago, GeordieSaint said:

 

There are some cracking one-liners flying around on the Phil Gould tweet. 

Is anyone sending them to Gould himself?

hopefully the RLWC committee can use this rank hypocrisy to convince the players to actually attend the World Cup

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

1 hour ago, londonrlfan said:

They don't want internationals played period. They just want NRL and SOO. Good luck with that when the best players leave for union in droves.

And AFL takes over first QLD and then Sydney within 20 years. The game will probably continue in the backwaters of NSW though 

[Dave T]

25 minutes ago, RayCee said:

I think the Denver Test was a breaking point for the NRL. It didn’t involve Australia and they had to release players because the RLIF had the power to organise the match and make it happen.

Since then, the plan has been to find a way to take over RL (including possibly SL too) and not be dictated to. The vision is the ARLC and the NRL should run the game, with a few media corporations to generate the revenue. I think it is believed the game will be better for it.

Derailing the WC became the mission to kickstart the take over. Australia's choosing not to attend the WC was not enough to sabotage the event. Getting the NZRL to do likewise was essential. Then the clubs persuading players not to attend was to be the final nail in the coffin. Get all three done and it’s game over for the WC.

I agree. They hated the fact that ultimately the RFL, with the support of the IRL won out on that (although the damage was already done). 

That game comes through in the comments from Shane Richardson. His solution is that England can play whenever they want without NRL players. This is them now trying to force that through. 

I really think it is so important to try an dget this tournament on. They can't be allowed to do this. 

And Lam is wrong, it absolutely is us and them. Them being the ARLC and NZRL and us being everyone else in RL. 

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Spidey said:

Why bother in 2024 when there’s a comp in 2025

Combine the 2021 World Cup and 2025 World Cup and go big , call it ‘ World Cup 4046 ‘ 

[GeordieSaint]

5 minutes ago, Jim from Oz said:

Is anyone sending them to Gould himself?

hopefully the RLWC committee can use this rank hypocrisy to convince the players to actually attend the World Cup

On the twitter thread he started.

[londonrlfan]

27 minutes ago, RayCee said:

I think the Denver Test was a breaking point for the NRL. It didn’t involve Australia and they had to release players because the RLIF had the power to organise the match and make it happen.

Since then, the plan has been to find a way to take over RL (including possibly SL too) and not be dictated to. The vision is the ARLC and the NRL should run the game, with a few media corporations to generate the revenue. I think it is believed the game will be better for it.

Derailing the WC became the mission to kickstart the take over. Australia's choosing not to attend the WC was not enough to sabotage the event. Getting the NZRL to do likewise was essential. Then the clubs persuading players not to attend was to be the final nail in the coffin. Get all three done and it’s game over for the WC.

I'd agree that was the end point for them.

Let's look at the Australian "roll of honour" over the last 5 years:

2016: Ended the 4 Nations in favour of 3 tests series and NRL run 9s tournament

2017: Ran the RLWC at a loss putting back development of RL across the globe

2018: Tried to sabotage the Denver test, resulting in the 2025 RLWC not happening in US/Canada

2019: Refused to play GB, despite begging for them to be brought back 

2020: Refused to play at all

2021: Trying to destroy a RLWC which would have brought £25m to the sport