Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[graveyard johnny]

1 minute ago, londonrlfan said:

Sad that they've caved into the NRL bullies and they've destroyed the sport, confirming the NRL are bigger than the sport. 

Anyone who thinks there will be a World Cup in 2022, or even 2025, is delusional. This was never about covid. 

to be fair it looked like they had been kings of covid down under in the way the handled it in the first 12 months but in reality they couldnt have got it more wrong and now they are panicking and going round in circles as a country 

[Hemi4561]

1 minute ago, MattSantos said:

Do you realise how daft this is?

It depends on your view of the future. The vast majority of people IMHO are sleepwalking into the future assuming that the world is going to keep bumbling along pretty much as it is now. There are many studies, some new and some decades old, that indicate that in the next 20 or 30 years socio economic and geo political disintegration may be a reality and the global Village will fracture back into a much more insular planet. In short, in this time frame the idea of sports teams travelling half way around the world on a plane to a "world Cup" may have disappeared. I am old enough that I really don't care if the future is Utopian or Dystopian, but caving in to the Australian view of international rugby league as if that was important in the long term is laughable

[moorside roughyed]

It's a shame but if the two powerhouses of the game aren't taking part it wouldn't be much of a competition would it?

[Hemi4561]

6 minutes ago, doc said:

What a bag of spanners the Aussies are. But, it's done now. I'll get my money back and find something else to do this October.

 Bags are of use, so are spanners, Aussies aren't. 

[Hemi4561]

2 minutes ago, moorside roughyed said:

It's a shame but if the two powerhouses of the game aren't taking part it wouldn't be much of a competition would it?

Yes it would, it would be a competition between those who had the guts to turn up, and the winners would be worthy winners. 

[frank]

You will need more than fingers crossed for it to take place next year

[Tex Evans Thigh]

 Very disappointing. Classic RL.

Hopefully, they can regroup and put on a tournament next year. I would really try and bring the season forward so we can avoid a clash with the Qatar WC, one of many problems they're going to have here. At least government funding sounds like it is being retained and hopefully covid is more under control by then but I certainly aren't confident about that.

We aren't far off a NRL buy-out of SL which will become a feeder league for the NRL with Gus Gould 'pathways' from SL to NRL clubs. Pretty sad. I can't remember northern hemisphere RL being in a worse state than it is now in the 30+ years I've been interested.

[Tommygilf]

4 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

**** the NRL. 4 nations every year bar World Cup with Eng France Jam and Wales. Mid season internationals with NA teams.

After wc in 2022 if they come  (they wont) they must be dead to us. 

I'd go down to Australia on a 3 match tour, get them to pay for it. Big post world cup apology. Insist on the full bells and whistles - first class treatment. 

Then after we sang GSTQ at the opening game I'd have us walk off and get on the first plane out of there.

[Damien]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

The Australia and NZ teams were used as proxy however by the NRL.

They were shocked when the likes of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Lebanon, PNG and the Cook Islands, amongst others, did not immediately follow suit. It demonstrates the sheer arrogance of these people that they believe Aus and NZ can beckon these other nations to heel without even explicitly telling them - or perhaps the NRL forgot they exist altogether?

They then started intimidating their employees, the players, over playing for the national governing bodies they hadn't used as a front.

The thing I find funny is that the NRL could have probably got some of the PI countries on board in the first place to withdraw too if they wanted. Their arrogance is such though that they thought they were too unimportant to consult and they just thought it would all be a done deal if just Australia and NZ withdrew. It wasn't and I'm glad the IRL and organisers at least but up a fight and ultimately its only the subsequent threats to other nations players that scuppered things.

[DavidM]

There was a push from a number of high profile players for an Indigenous and Maori team to enter the tournament instead, however according to News Corp, NRL CEO Andrew Abdo held a phone hook-up with several players explaining why all NRL clubs are against sending their players to the UK during a global pandemic.
 

That was nice of him … ‘ Explaining ‘ is one word for it

[Clogiron]

Once Covid took hold (March 20) they were never going to take part, it was their ideal excuse, that a vaccine was developed so quickly was unexpected, but their countries handling of the pandemic has left them in the mire internally and their own comp is all that they are concerned about, the fact that this is going to wreak havoc on the game over here isn't their problem end of.

What a so called sport.

[Mr Frisky]

18 minutes ago, doc said:

What a bag of spanners the Aussies are. But, it's done now. I'll get my money back and find something else to do this October.

Arnt the Aussie RU team playing in the UK around that time? - maybe go and watch them??

[Eddie]

I’m gutted, my whole month was planned around the WC. 

[Mr Frisky]

Hope England announce some matches for the end of the season - Maybe France away and Scotland or Wales- or both in the UK.

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, Damien said:

The thing I find funny is that the NRL could have probably got some of the PI countries on board in the first place to withdraw too if they wanted. Their arrogance is such though that they thought they were too unimportant to consult and they just thought it would all be a done deal if just Australia and NZ withdrew. It wasn't and I'm glad the IRL and organisers at least but up a fight and ultimately its only the subsequent threats to other nations players that scuppered things.

Absolutely. There will be a time soon in Australia where someone writes a book about people who look like Phil Gould, Peter V'landys and Mr Cleary telling people who look like Villame Kikau, Jason Taumololo and Josh Addo-Carr to shut up and do what they are told. 

It'll be a footnote example of an even wider problem of what people in power do when people they think they know better than disobey them.

[Tex Evans Thigh]

Just now, Mr Frisky said:

Hope England announce some matches for the end of the season - Maybe France away and Scotland or Wales- or both in the UK.

This needs to happen asap. It wont.

[Bedfordshire Bronco]

14 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

**** the NRL. 4 nations every year bar World Cup with Eng France Jam and Wales. Mid season internationals with NA teams.

After wc in 2022 if they come  (they wont) they must be dead to us. 

That should be **** the N**

 

[Tommygilf]

2 minutes ago, Tex Evans Thigh said:

This needs to happen asap. It wont.

Sad but true

[Davo5]

30 minutes ago, moorside roughyed said:

It's a shame but if the two powerhouses of the game aren't taking part it wouldn't be much of a competition would it?

3 of the last World Cups semi finalists were willing to take part.

[Devon Ram]

14 minutes ago, Mr Frisky said:

Hope England announce some matches for the end of the season - Maybe France away and Scotland or Wales- or both in the UK.

Use the stadiums there booked ?

[Devon Ram]

1 hour ago, Mr Frisky said:

We new this was coming but now its official im gutted.

NRL win again, and it makes it worse they were never in any doubt they would win.

Nothing to stop them pulling out again next year so their clubs can play some friendlys- if I was France I wouldn't touch the 2025 tournament with a barge pole - why spend years organising, getting sponsors and backing for the NRL to cancel it within 4 or 5 minutes..

 

The NRL said Jump & our lot said HOW HIGH.

[Chris22]

Feeling very despondent about the state of the sport now. We have been the victim of an act of sabotage by the NRL. They have shown a willingness to cause potentially irreparable damage so they can play a couple of pre season friendlies.

I don't see where we go from here when there is such inequity of arms. I might change my view once the raw emotion dies down but at present I do not see myself watching the NRL in any capacity or attending a game involving the Australian or New Zealand national teams in the future.

[Davo5]

Proving we were right sending them 10,000 miles on the first fleet.

[Exiled Wiganer]

We now know where we stand. The Aussies are not playing the same sport, and will go out of their way to destroy us. 
We are back where we were in 1895, but the strength of our game has got us through in the past and will do so again. I have watched a lot of sport recently but was absorbed and thrilled by the Wire Leeds game in a way I had not been by pretty much anything (aside from Cav’s resurrection at the Tour). We are facing an existential threat, and need to do everything we can to keep our own flags flying. 

[Tex Evans Thigh]

It's all well and good everyone wanting to cut ties with the NRL but they are the only real credible professional competition in the world. The NH game is managed incredibly poorly, it's just had a massive hit on TV revenue and seems intent on infighting. This forum is a great example with the 'traditionalists' v 'expansionists' (whatever those terms are supposed to mean) arguments that reflect the way the game is. UK RL cant agree what the best approach is and every 'plan' seems to be focused on promoting one thing to the detriment of another. 

If they can pull off a successful WC next year it might provide the boost the game needs, but failure will be a hammer blow. I dont think the UK game has the personnel or finances to turn it around and the game will continue to decline. NRL buy out at rock bottom price is almost inevitable to me at this point and might be the only option to retain fully professional RL.