Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[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:

 

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by Damien

[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

[Barley Mow]

3 minutes ago, DavidM said:

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

4046 being the year the ARLC want it to be held?

[DavidM]

1 minute ago, Barley Mow said:

4046 being the year the ARLC want it to be held?

Before pushing it back a year just to be sure 

[The Rocket]

6 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 think you`ve probably pretty well summed it up in your first two paragraphs.

Phil Gould because he is not officially part of the ARLC has felt free to say, and unfortunately in a tactless and inflammatory manner, probably what a lot of them are thinking behind closed doors. Certainly the part about thinking the game will be better off for it.

However I think you`re a little off the mark in your third, I refuse to believe that had there been no covid we wouldn`t have seen both Kangaroo tours last year and Oz and NZ participating in the WC this year. 

The NRL now in a somewhat calculated fashion think that one World Cup ain`t going to solve the NH`s games` problems, it hasn`t in the past, why should it this time. And given the opportunity to miss it, for what they think they can sell as legitimate reasons, aren`t going to come.  And I can`t help but think of one very good posters remarks on this forum a few months ago, WC finishes in November, 2-3 month break, it`s forgotten and it`s back to normal in clubland and club land problems. 

As I said I think the Kangaroo tour and the WC would have gone ahead, but I also agree that given the opportunity, on a somewhat questionable pretext, to forego attending both, they have taken it and that has revealed their hand in regards to the short to medium term control of the international agenda.

NZ could well be more than an innocent bystander in this, the 70% increase in the SKY TV deal explicitly included the rights to all NZ Kiwi and NZ Ferns representative matches, the implication being, they are going to be showing a lot more of both under the new regime.

 

 

 

[Davo5]

2 hours ago, DavidM said:

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

I’m sure we could find them a remote Covid free Scottish island to stay on,I believe Anthrax Island is open these days.

[DiH68]

2 hours ago, Damien said:

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

 

 

To be fair to the NRL (and it pains me to say that!) the Qld government announced a snap lockdown today (because of six cases… yes…just six) and said no community or pro sport could be played. It’s not actually anything to do with the NRL. There’s no Covid in their bubble. And apparently they are talking about trying to play a triple header tomorrow - I hope the state government kibosh that idea as everyone is sick of the double standards when it comes to pro sport compared to everything else 

[Jim from Oz]

7 minutes ago, DiH68 said:

To be fair to the NRL (and it pains me to say that!) the Qld government announced a snap lockdown today (because of six cases… yes…just six) and said no community or pro sport could be played. It’s not actually anything to do with the NRL. There’s no Covid in their bubble. And apparently they are talking about trying to play a triple header tomorrow - I hope the state government kibosh that idea as everyone is sick of the double standards when it comes to pro sport compared to everything else 

Yes,  but the point is there would probably be no Covid in the World Cup bubble either

[DiH68]

9 minutes ago, DiH68 said:

 

Edited July 31, 2021 by DiH68
Double post

[DiH68]

10 minutes ago, DiH68 said:

To be fair to the NRL (and it pains me to say that!) the Qld government announced a snap lockdown today (because of six cases… yes…just six) and said no community or pro sport could be played. It’s not actually anything to do with the NRL. There’s no Covid in their bubble. And apparently they are talking about trying to play a triple header tomorrow - I hope the state government kibosh that idea as everyone is sick of the double standards when it comes to pro sport compared to everything else 

Well my hope was short lived! All games to be played Sun/Mon, right in the middle of lockdown. No crowds obviously, but a lot of people are going to be seriously ###### off with the preferential treatment they keep getting compared to everyone else