Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Futtocks]

4 minutes ago, corvusxiii said:

All this mentioned on World at One. We do exist!

I think Radio 4 are going to go into more detail later in the programme, so stay tuned.

[Spotty Herbert]

1 minute ago, Chrispmartha said:

So because this is all about NRL player welfare, I presume the English players playing in the NRL won't be allowed to play in the World Cup?

 

Or the Tongan, Samoan, Fijian, Lebanese, PNG etc etc

[Gerrumonside ref]

I’m no fan of this govt or the Prime Minister but we need some help from them for sure.

I think too we will get ample support from the BBC.

They’ll have to remain impartial but at least we will get a platform to air our grievances and convey our contingency strategy.

[Szymala]

12 minutes ago, giasf said:

Visited the Sydney Morning Herald website to get a feel for what the Aussie press think. No mention on the homepage. Fourth story on the sports page — lower than a player being investigated for a breach of a bubble. Speaks volumes. 

That tells you everything ! 

[hunsletgreenandgold]

I knew we could rely on Bateman to get into them! 

 

[The Rocket]

7 minutes ago, lucky 7 said:

 

The AFL loving media are going to love this and really put the boot into the game down under now. Australian Rugby League has now become the laughing stock of Australian sport and the AFL loving media will keep pushing that narrative.

Trust me long term this will hit Australian Rugby League hard

After I got the news and got off here I had a look at the papers, articles running next to each other `League for the Olympics` and ` Australia pulls out of WC`, in both papers, what a joke, the other codes would be laughing in their boots, can`t even hold a WC and we want to be in the Olympics, so f..ing embarrassing, small time mentality big-noting itself with some dream about the Olympics. I ripped into the NRL in the comments sections in both papers.

[Exiled Townie]

On another site, an Aussie writes "Did we ever think that we’d see Cricket Australia agreeing to go ahead with a tour of Bangladesh in the same hour the ARLC and NZRL pulled out of a Rugby League World Cup in England? We should be so embarrassed as a nation and as a sport. But at least it's 'for the players welfare' and no other reason!!! "

[Cheshire Setter]

Remind me again why Aus and NZ can’t just use SL-based players and coaches? Not ideal but better than not having them.

Why has this proposal not been put forward already? It’s been clear for a while this was on the cards.

[fighting irish]

47 minutes ago, BD20Cougar said:

https://www.nrl.com/contact-us

"The NRL and its partners welcome comments, questions and feedback from all Rugby League fans and interested community members."

I'd encourage everyone here to let the NRL know your thoughts. 

 

 

They don't exactly make it easy to provide untrammelled feedback but right at the bottom you can make comments. 

This was my first offering:-

''The decision to turn your backs on the rest of the world is treacherous and may yet, bring about the downfall of the sport in the Northern Hemisphere nations. This insult is unforgiveable and will go down in history as an infamous stab-in-the -back, at a time when the organisers have garnered more support than ever before and when the game in the Northern Hemisphere is at its most vulnerable. Shame on you all!''

[Rupert Prince]

19 minutes ago, giasf said:

Visited the Sydney Morning Herald website to get a feel for what the Aussie press think. No mention on the homepage. Fourth story on the sports page — lower than a player being investigated for a breach of a bubble. Speaks volumes. 

Man f***s sheep never made news in Australia.  Now it never makes news the other way round either. 

[Bleep1673]

Australia says it is too risky to travel to the UK, but isn't 50% of Australia currently under another Lockdown?

[hunsletgreenandgold]

3 minutes ago, Cheshire Setter said:

Remind me again why Aus and NZ can’t just use SL-based players and coaches? Not ideal but better than not having them.

Why has this proposal not been put forward already? It’s been clear for a while this was on the cards.

Because they treat players who come up to SL how scorn people say their ex is 'dead to them'. Crazy next year that Jackson Hastings will become a player again after not existing for a couple of years. 

[Man of Kent]

On Radio 4 now. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_fourfm

Sorry, on shortly.

[Colin James]

SL clubs calling off fixtures every week gives the Aussies the excuse they need. If we can't manage to field domestic teams because squads are so riddled with Covid then it doesn't paint a good picture of the situation over here.

[Smudger06]

Get em in.......

[The Hallucinating Goose]

1 minute ago, Smudger06 said:

Get em in.......

Come on Brasil! That's one replaced!

[hunsletgreenandgold]

4 minutes ago, Colin James said:

SL clubs calling off fixtures every week gives the Aussies the excuse they need. If we can't manage to field domestic teams because squads are so riddled with Covid then it doesn't paint a good picture of the situation over here.

That's not the reason though - if it was they could've set out key benchmarks that need to be met before they were willing to travel. It's months away so the picture will no doubt be very different by then - which makes this all the more embarrassing.  

[lucky 7]

7 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

After I got the news and got off here I had a look at the papers, articles running next to each other `League for the Olympics` and ` Australia pulls out of WC`, in both papers, what a joke, the other codes would be laughing in their boots, can`t even hold a WC and we want to be in the Olympics, so f..ing embarrassing, small time mentality big-noting itself with some dream about the Olympics. I ripped into the NRL in the comments sections in both papers.

 

8 minutes ago, The Rocket said:

After I got the news and got off here I had a look at the papers, articles running next to each other `League for the Olympics` and ` Australia pulls out of WC`, in both papers, what a joke, the other codes would be laughing in their boots, can`t even hold a WC and we want to be in the Olympics, so f..ing embarrassing, small time mentality big-noting itself with some dream about the Olympics. I ripped into the NRL in the comments sections in both papers.

You had the AFL on the ropes with the TV ratings and streaming and the dwindling AFL crowd numbers, and now in one swoop the NRL/ARL has given the AFL the oxygen it desperately needed.

The AFL loving media will do all it can to damage the NRL product and that won't be hard now and will lead in the medium to long term less sponsorship money.

Perhaps a good term to use is this is Manna from heaven for the AFL

 

[Damien]

 

 

[Smudger06]

1 minute ago, lucky 7 said:

 

You had the AFL on the ropes with the TV ratings and streaming and the dwindling AFL crowd numbers, and now in one swoop the NRL/ARL has given the AFL the oxygen it desperately needed.

The AFL loving media will do all it can to damage the NRL product and that won't be hard now and will lead in the medium to long term less sponsorship money.

Perhaps a good term to use is this is Manna from heaven for the AFL

 

Yes I'd certainly agree. 

[Phil]

RFL chairman Simon Johnson has called the Australian/New Zealand decision to pull out of the Rugby League World Cup “selfish, parochial and cowardly” live on BBC

 

Good for him, showing some balls 

[bamfordsbeans]

I,ve no longer any interest in the NRL.From being a keen viewer on Sky I shall now class the game down under as I would a game of union .

[northamptoncougar]

If it goes ahead i'll be buying more tickets to more games, this isn't about safety it's about how small minded the NRL and that's saying something considering our own governing body.

[fighting irish]

Come on, get on that nrl.com feedback page and give it to them?! 

[The Rocket]

1 minute ago, lucky 7 said:

 

You had the AFL on the ropes with the TV ratings and streaming and the dwindling AFL crowd numbers, and now in one swoop the NRL/ARL has given the AFL the oxygen it desperately needed.

The AFL loving media will do all it can to damage the NRL product and that won't be hard now and will lead in the medium to long term less sponsorship money.

Perhaps a good term to use is this is Manna from heaven for the AFL

 

Nuts isn`t it, the one thing they haven`t got that we have, that they would absolutely kill for and we want to stuff it up, as Irish said " you couldn`t make that stuff up". Any way mate it`s not about us tonight, as much as I`m up to my neck in the code wars down here, this is about the kick in the teeth to English League tonight.