Rugby League World Cup 2021 (Merged Threads)

[Damien]

8 hours ago, M j M said:

So how many are going to try to get to both the St James's Park and Headingley games on the first day. Can't be impossible to do.

That would be a really good day. I may well try and do that.

[Tommygilf]

5 hours ago, ShropshireBull said:

So the reason for hosting Jamaica in Leeds was to try and tap into the Jamaican heritage population, anothing thing we can thank NRL for tanking. 

True, though Jamaica V Ireland (arguably the harder sell with no Kiwis) will still be in Headingley and Jamaica will have more of a chance of winning.

[ATLANTISMAN]

I am going to spend the next few hours now working out the maximum number of matches I can get to:)) Such fun:) 100% apart from the final where my wife is taking 700 clients  must matches for me are England v Samoa France (Any match) + wheelchair in London.

Main attractions England/France/Tonga/Samoa/Fiji/PNG/Wheelchair 

Bottom attraction Australia (Apart from if England play them in the Final and give them a good stuffing:))

 

Paul

[Damien]

39 minutes ago, ATLANTISMAN said:

I am going to spend the next few hours now working out the maximum number of matches I can get to:)) Such fun:) 100% apart from the final where my wife is taking 700 clients  must matches for me are England v Samoa France (Any match) + wheelchair in London.

Main attractions England/France/Tonga/Samoa/Fiji/PNG/Wheelchair 

Bottom attraction Australia (Apart from if England play them in the Final and give them a good stuffing:))

 

Paul

I'd love to get to some of the wheelchair matches too now. Watching the England v France games has really wetted my appetite for that format of the sport. 

[ATLANTISMAN]

3 minutes ago, Damien said:

I'd love to get to some of the wheelchair matches too now. Watching the England v France games has really wetted my appetite for that format of the sport. 

I agree their skill and determination made one feel humble just amazing:)

 

P 

[Dave T]

I'm beyond excited about the opener. It's great that we should have a 50k crowd and a huge event that doesn't feature the traditional giants. 

Hopefully England will win but Samoa will show enough to demonstrate to the wider public that these nations are well worth watching. 

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Dave T said:

I'm beyond excited about the opener. It's great that we should have a 50k crowd and a huge event that doesn't feature the traditional giants. 

Hopefully England will win but Samoa will show enough to demonstrate to the wider public that these nations are well worth watching. 

I complete agree.

I do think the wider public think these PI nations are worth watching. Everyone knows how good Tonga is and everyone saw the amazing 2017 World Cup semi final for example. It's our administrators that need to show more confidence in the product and their abilities as promoters to sell the event. Keep playing NZ is just a very lazy, and frankly boring, safe option.

[Keith989]

7 hours ago, Damien said:

I complete agree.

I do think the wider public think these PI nations are worth watching. Everyone knows how good Tonga is and everyone saw the amazing 2017 World Cup semi final for example. It's our administrators that need to show more confidence in the product and their abilities as promoters to sell the event. Keep playing NZ is just a very lazy, and frankly boring, safe option.

This is true. The Samoa England opener was my most anticipated game of the year and that goes for both codes. I couldn't wait to see how competitive Samoa were going to be this year. 

[Damien]

It's probably never been needed before as I'm guessing no one ever contemplated a governing body trying to sabotage the game:

Every team competing in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup have signed legally-binding participation agreements, tournament chief executive Jon Dutton has confirmed.

Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the tournament going ahead last year due to Covid concerns. As a result, the World Cup was pushed back a year until 2022.

Dutton says the World Cup will definitely go ahead in 2022, with all sides reconciled.

In addition, he plans to fly to Australia in the New Year for more talks with NRL clubs who were thought to be behind the withdrawal decision.

He said: “We’ve had what I would describe as positive, conciliatory conversations.

“They did not want to play this year but they want to play next year. They appreciate how significant this is for international rugby league.

“We have 32 legally binding, signed agreements and we didn’t have that before.

“The main difference right now is having those levels of execution in place in terms of the agreements.

“They’re as legally binding an agreement as any other contract we have. I genuinely believe that everyone, not just Australia and New Zealand, are behind this.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nations-sign-participation-agreements-for-world-cup/

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

They did not want to play this year but they want to play next year.

What a line 

[Damien]

38 minutes ago, DavidM said:

What a line 

I know, I genuinely laughed out loud when I read that.

[Big Picture]

3 hours ago, Damien said:

It's probably never been needed before as I'm guessing no one ever contemplated a governing body trying to sabotage the game:

Every team competing in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup have signed legally-binding participation agreements, tournament chief executive Jon Dutton has confirmed.

Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the tournament going ahead last year due to Covid concerns. As a result, the World Cup was pushed back a year until 2022.

Dutton says the World Cup will definitely go ahead in 2022, with all sides reconciled.

In addition, he plans to fly to Australia in the New Year for more talks with NRL clubs who were thought to be behind the withdrawal decision.

He said: “We’ve had what I would describe as positive, conciliatory conversations.

“They did not want to play this year but they want to play next year. They appreciate how significant this is for international rugby league.

“We have 32 legally binding, signed agreements and we didn’t have that before.

“The main difference right now is having those levels of execution in place in terms of the agreements.

“They’re as legally binding an agreement as any other contract we have. I genuinely believe that everyone, not just Australia and New Zealand, are behind this.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nations-sign-participation-agreements-for-world-cup/

I hope they're more legally binding than the guarantee of at least 10 million Au$ was last time around!

[Dave T]

Just noticed the France v Greece game that was going to be a Monday afternoon game during holidays is now an evening game. Will be interesting to see if those Monday night games do well. 

Opening weekend for me looks like both Newcastle games, meaning I'll miss the Kiwi opener at Warrington, but Scotlands opener takes priority.

[dkw]

21 hours ago, Damien said:

It's probably never been needed before as I'm guessing no one ever contemplated a governing body trying to sabotage the game:

Every team competing in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cup have signed legally-binding participation agreements, tournament chief executive Jon Dutton has confirmed.

Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the tournament going ahead last year due to Covid concerns. As a result, the World Cup was pushed back a year until 2022.

Dutton says the World Cup will definitely go ahead in 2022, with all sides reconciled.

In addition, he plans to fly to Australia in the New Year for more talks with NRL clubs who were thought to be behind the withdrawal decision.

He said: “We’ve had what I would describe as positive, conciliatory conversations.

“They did not want to play this year but they want to play next year. They appreciate how significant this is for international rugby league.

“We have 32 legally binding, signed agreements and we didn’t have that before.

“The main difference right now is having those levels of execution in place in terms of the agreements.

“They’re as legally binding an agreement as any other contract we have. I genuinely believe that everyone, not just Australia and New Zealand, are behind this.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/nations-sign-participation-agreements-for-world-cup/

Lying sack of xxxx......

[DavidM]

He also said 

"I can't speak highly enough of those two organisations (NRL and NZRL) in terms of looking forward rather than poring over the past and what's happened." 

I bet they didn’t want to . It’s hardly worthy of a pat on the back 

[RP London]

21 hours ago, DavidM said:

He also said 

"I can't speak highly enough of those two organisations (NRL and NZRL) in terms of looking forward rather than poring over the past and what's happened." 

I bet they didn’t want to . It’s hardly worthy of a pat on the back 

they probably couldn't remember what excuse they stuck with and why so would be dangerous to even discuss it!

[Damien]

Jesus wept. As a sport we don't help ourselves one bit when it comes to our identity:

 

[Mr Frisky]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Jesus wept. As a sport we don't help ourselves one bit when it comes to our identity:

 

Yep, if they had to post this they could have at least said the Rugby Union World Cup...

[Wolford6]

No Wales game in Wales. You couldn't make it up.

[Spidey]

Just now, Wolford6 said:

No Wales game in Wales. You couldn't make it up.

England are the hosts

[dkw]

6 minutes ago, Wolford6 said:

No Wales game in Wales. You couldn't make it up.

I know, no Fiji games in Fiji either....damn this English world cup....

[Wolford6]

The competition could have split the teams  into two groups ... The M62 and the A1.

[M j M]

1 hour ago, Wolford6 said:

The competition could have split the teams  into two groups ... The M62 and the A1.

You know who's funding it and why, right?

[Davo5]

2 hours ago, Wolford6 said:

No Wales game in Wales. You couldn't make it up.

Maybe we should let the kiwis & kangaroos play their games in Australia,at least we’d be sure they turn up.

[Damien]

3 hours ago, Wolford6 said:

No Wales game in Wales. You couldn't make it up.

I'm sure if the Welsh Government had coughed up some money then there would have been.