2023 International Calendar

[welshmagpie]

Lots of people getting things mixed up and asking questions across various threads. A fair few people hypothesising what will be when the IRL have largely already confirmed their calendar.

Here’s what to expect (so far) in 2023…

European Championship

England (likely Knights), France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, Spain*, Serbia*
 

2 groups of 4. Final. 
 

*Why no Greece? The ERL have based this on the most recent Euro rankings not World Cup qualification. Greece are historically in a lower level - Euro C. 
 

European Championship B

Group A: Greece, Ukraine, Norway

Group B: Germany, Czechia, Netherlands

Potentially a final required, or both group winners progress to 2024 World Cup qualifiers. Depends on quarter finalists from RLWC21. 

Americas Cup

Jamaica, USA, Canada and one of Brazil or Chile*
 

*Americas Championship being played between these two nations this November. 
 

MEA Cup

Lebanon, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana

 

[Gomersall]

Is that European Championship line up confirmed? If not this is just another speculation thread. If it is then how are Spain and Italy anywhere near it? They will get flogged. I don’t see Serbia being much of a match for the rest either even if the rest don’t use any players who currently play in Australia.

Edited October 28, 2022 by Gomersall

[welshmagpie]

8 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Is that European Championship line up confirmed? If not this is just another speculation thread. If it is then how are Spain and Italy anywhere near it? They will get flogged. I don’t see Serbia being much of a match for the rest either even if the rest don’t use any players who currently play in Australia.

• European Championship A (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Serbia, Spain and Wales - in two groups of four) will, if required, act as a direct qualification event to France 2025 and/or a route to the 2024 European qualifying tournament, if one is required.

https://www.intrl.sport/news/road-to-france-rlwc2025-qualifying-process-announced/

[gingerjon]

9 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Is that European Championship line up confirmed? If not this is just another speculation thread. If it is then how are Spain and Italy anywhere near it? They will get flogged. I don’t see Serbia being much of a match for the rest either even if the rest don’t use any players who currently play in Australia.

https://www.intrl.sport/news/road-to-france-rlwc2025-qualifying-process-announced/

the following preliminary competitions will be played in 2023:

• European Championship A (England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Serbia, Spain and Wales - in two groups of four) will, if required, act as a direct qualification event to France 2025 and/or a route to the 2024 European qualifying tournament, if one is required.

[RP London]

They need to get greece up there.  If they want to keep heritage players putting their hands up and taking things seriously I don't see them doing that without playing England, Wales, Ireland, France etc.. 

Grasp the iron... 

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

3 minutes ago, RP London said:

They need to get greece up there.  If they want to keep heritage players putting their hands up and taking things seriously I don't see them doing that without playing England, Wales, Ireland, France etc.. 

Grasp the iron... 

Greece elected not to play in Euro B in 2021... the winner of which would be promoted to Euro A.... Serbia won and thus earned the right, the same right Spain et al all have previously earned.

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

3 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Is that European Championship line up confirmed? If not this is just another speculation thread. If it is then how are Spain and Italy anywhere near it? They will get flogged. I don’t see Serbia being much of a match for the rest either even if the rest don’t use any players who currently play in Australia.

Didnt Italy just beat Scotland?

[RP London]

1 hour ago, MidlandsRugbyLeague said:

Greece elected not to play in Euro B in 2021... the winner of which would be promoted to Euro A.... Serbia won and thus earned the right, the same right Spain et al all have previously earned.

Fair enough, just feel we could miss an opportunity of we're not careful. 

[Gomersall]

1 hour ago, MidlandsRugbyLeague said:

Didnt Italy just beat Scotland?

Yes but do you think the Australian Italians in the WC squad will be there for the EC?

[Wellsy4HullFC]

If it's England proper, you'd think that the RFL/RLEF would use the WC as an example of why BBC/C4 should pick up this event.

If it's not England proper, you're already demoting it to a status below tests and you'll fail to attract any NRL players back over.

[MidlandsRugbyLeague]

9 minutes ago, Gomersall said:

Yes but do you think the Australian Italians in the WC squad will be there for the EC?

They were in 2016, 2018 and for RLWCQ in 2019!

[Gomersall]

3 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

If it's England proper, you'd think that the RFL/RLEF would use the WC as an example of why BBC/C4 should pick up this event.

If it's not England proper, you're already demoting it to a status below tests and you'll fail to attract any NRL players back over.

Care to have a bet which England it will be?

[Gomersall]

1 minute ago, MidlandsRugbyLeague said:

They were in 2016, 2018 and for RLWCQ in 2019!

Time will tell.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Just now, Gomersall said:

Care to have a bet which England it will be?

No, because I'd back the disappointing option.

[jim_57]

2 hours ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

If it's England proper, you'd think that the RFL/RLEF would use the WC as an example of why BBC/C4 should pick up this event.

If it's not England proper, you're already demoting it to a status below tests and you'll fail to attract any NRL players back over.

If it’s a World Cup qualification tournament England should be there as the test team or not at all. Knights have no place in official tournaments like this.

[gingerjon]

10 hours ago, Gomersall said:

Care to have a bet which England it will be?

The option is either England Knights or England absent.

Which option is better because those are the two choices.

[Gomersall]

3 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

The option is either England Knights or England absent.

Which option is better because those are the two choices.

I don’t disagree Jon but RL fans will generally straight away label it as a second rate tournament (as far as England are concerned) and will have another reason not to attend. As an aside, and not trying to make this thread cross code, I know the England RFU use the Saxons but do they ever play at home or are they simply a touring team? Could we use the Knights in a similar fashion?

[Sports Prophet]

13 hours ago, MidlandsRugbyLeague said:

Didnt Italy just beat Scotland?

We won’t see an Italian team in 2023 Euro’s anywhere near the same calibre as the 2022 WC side.

[JM2010]

1 hour ago, Sports Prophet said:

We won’t see an Italian team in 2023 Euro’s anywhere near the same calibre as the 2022 WC side.

There needs to be a way of making the Euro's more prestigious so that players commit.

Qualification for a tournament involving other tier 2 nations might give he Euros more importance and encourage top players to commit 

[Phil W]

I would've liked to have seen next season's internationals confirmed by now. 

You have teams such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and Greece playing their last games this weekend. There will be people wanting to know where they can next see those countries play. Looks like a missed opportunity to me.

[welshmagpie]

26 minutes ago, Phil W said:

I would've liked to have seen next season's internationals confirmed by now. 

You have teams such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and Greece playing their last games this weekend. There will be people wanting to know where they can next see those countries play. Looks like a missed opportunity to me.

Given how quickly the Euro B fixtures have been released, admittedly without venues. I don’t imagine we’ll wait too much longer for Euro Championship ones.

[Phil W]

1 hour ago, welshmagpie said:

Given how quickly the Euro B fixtures have been released, admittedly without venues. I don’t imagine we’ll wait too much longer for Euro Championship ones.

Hopefully, then there has to be a plan to attract the very best qualified players to play for those countries as that will help grow interest.

[GeordieSaint]

The structure of that European Championship is not right - the likes of Serbia and Spain will get battered. It should be like the structure to the UEFA Nations League - divisions of four and a promotion between each one each year. Something like the following (based on this WC):

Group A: England, France, Wales, Ireland

Group B: Scotland, Greece, Italy, Serbia

Group C : Spain, Ukraine, Netherlands, Norway

Group D : Germany, Czechia, Turkey, Albania etc…

Edited October 29, 2022 by GeordieSaint

[welshmagpie]

1 hour ago, GeordieSaint said:

The structure of that European Championship is not right - the likes of Serbia and Spain will get battered. It should be like the structure to the UEFA Nations League - divisions of four and a promotion between each one each year. Something like the following (based on this WC):

Group A: England, France, Wales, Ireland

Group B: Scotland, Greece, Italy, Serbia

Group C : Spain, Ukraine, Netherlands, Norway

Group D : Germany, Czechia, Turkey, Albania etc…

This is how I’d run it too. I’d like to see these happen mid-season (3 weekends in June?)

If time is tight you could even semi-final one weekend and then a final/relegation play-off on weekend 2.

[BristolDevonCharlie]

Euro B announced for 2023.

21st October to 11th November 2023. Group A - Ukraine, Norway, Greece. Group B - Germany, Czechia, Netherlands. Acts as a pre-qualifier for RLWC 2025 qualification process. Home and away format (bar Ukraine). Final if required.

https://www.intrl.sport/news/euro-b-draw-fixtures-announced/