European Championships 2023 - Confirmed by ERL

[gingerjon]

Qualification for European men began in 2021 and is set to continue in 2023 when eight nations - England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Serbia, Spain and Wales - contest the European Championships (Euro A), while Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Netherlands, Norway and Ukraine will meet in Euro B for the right to progress to the final qualifying tournament in 2024, with fixtures already announced.

https://europeanrugbyleague.com/articles/2217/erl-congratulates-world-cup-organizers-o...

[Tommygilf]

No official comment from the RFL yet, but it seems the RL media that have seen this think it will be actual England taking part

[Jughead]

How does that work? England and France have qualified for 2025. 

[LeytherRob]

3 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

No official comment from the RFL yet, but it seems the RL media that have seen this think it will be actual England taking part

I'm hoping this is full England team, even if it's only UK based players. If we are serious about building the international game we have to start showing full respect to the European nations. 

[Toby Chopra]

2 minutes ago, Jughead said:

How does that work? England and France have qualified for 2025. 

There's many precedents for already-qualified teams taking part in championships that also have qualification implications. Such as currently India is hosting the next cricket World Cup, but is still part of the ODI superleague through which everyone else qualifies. You just have to see where everyone finishes, and see who qualifies, and adjust as necessary. Looks like there will be a final qualifier in 2024. 

So for me, the interesting thing is that it looks like this tournament will be England's autumn 2023 games. Well, ok, let's build it up properly and maybe it'll be work. England vs Ireland/Italy in London please!    

[Spidey]

England & France host a group each. Make it a proper tournament feel. Where could the final be?

[Guest]

ERL is also putting the final touches to its plans for its Wheelchair European Championships.

Excellent.

[The Masked Poster]

I'm confused....I thought this was a separate thing from WC qualification? 

[Jughead]

22 minutes ago, Toby Chopra said:

There's many precedents for already-qualified teams taking part in championships that also have qualification implications. Such as currently India is hosting the next cricket World Cup, but is still part of the ODI superleague through which everyone else qualifies. You just have to see where everyone finishes, and see who qualifies, and adjust as necessary. Looks like there will be a final qualifier in 2024. 

So for me, the interesting thing is that it looks like this tournament will be England's autumn 2023 games. Well, ok, let's build it up properly and maybe it'll be work. England vs Ireland/Italy in London please!    

I’d rather England and France stayed out of it if the outcome of the tournament has no bearing on them at all. If someone misses out on qualification routes because their points difference has been hit, after playing England in an effective dead rubber, it’s not a good look.

 

[gingerjon]

18 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

No official comment from the RFL yet, but it seems the RL media that have seen this think it will be actual England taking part

It does seem that the expectation is that this will be full England.

Wouldn't be my preference but the key thing now is, if it is, get details confirmed and let's make it work.

[Jughead]

20 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

No official comment from the RFL yet, but it seems the RL media that have seen this think it will be actual England taking part

Matthew Shaw thinks it’s the Knights. 

[2blackrooks]

I would expect it to be a knights team, a full blown England team would do nothing for the tournament, only folk complaining of huge cricket scores.

Either way it’s an international tournament in the northern hemisphere so let’s get behind it

[Copa]

I hope Ukraine can participate without hassles.

[OriginalMrC]

This is brilliant news. Make this a regular thing and it will improve standards across all the countries involved 

[Jughead]

The Knights would still obliterate all of these.

[thebrewxi]

Interesting Spain are in A and now greece

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Jughead said:

The Knights would still obliterate all of these.

Which is fine. Its an advantage (both financially and developmentally) to England that we don't need to bring over a raft of NRL players and can still assert our position in Europe.

We have to do the hard yards now because we haven't for so long.

[Phil]

5 minutes ago, Jughead said:

The Knights would still obliterate all of these.

That’s fine, it will show the other nations what they have to aspire to 

[Jughead]

7 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Which is fine. Its an advantage (both financially and developmentally) to England that we don't need to bring over a raft of NRL players and can still assert our position in Europe.

We have to do the hard yards now because we haven't for so long.

Some of the nations listed are absolute light years away from being anywhere close to France, let alone England. There’s no need to assert dominance as the only full time professional competition this side of the equator.

[Tommygilf]

Just now, Jughead said:

Some of the nations listed are absolute light years away from being anywhere close to France, let alone England. There’s no need to assert dominance as the only full time professional competition this side of the equator.

France, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are all in, all 4 were in the world cup this year and have access to decent player pools. Only Spain and Serbia are arguably out there in the top tier.

[corkonian77]

34 minutes ago, Spidey said:

England & France host a group each. Make it a proper tournament feel. Where could the final be?

That would mean  countries  would go without  games in their home  countries.  

Ireland  haven't  played in Ireland  since 2019. 

[Jughead]

7 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

France, Wales, Scotland and Ireland are all in, all 4 were in the world cup this year and have access to decent player pools. Only Spain and Serbia are arguably out there in the top tier.

Those four conceded 426 pts, averaging 47.33 points conceded a game, with scorelines of 62-4, 84-0, 48-10 and 36-0 put on them by others. Ireland and Scotland are basically dead nations drafting in who they can every four years.

Playing France, the side with two professional sides and pathways, is the path to tread. The Knights playing these makes a little more sense but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were withdrawals instead of playing Serbia and Italy in parks in October. 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, Phil said:

That’s fine, it will show the other nations what they have to aspire to 

Up to others to improve - not to dumb down the Knights.

i would watch for sure.

[Tommygilf]

3 minutes ago, Jughead said:

Those four conceded 426 pts, averaging 47.33 points conceded a game, with scorelines of 62-4, 84-0, 48-10 and 36-0 put on them by others. Ireland and Scotland are basically dead nations drafting in who they can every four years.

Playing France, the side with two professional sides and pathways, is the path to tread. The Knights playing these makes a little more sense but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were withdrawals instead of playing Serbia and Italy in parks in October. 

Those results were against top tier opposition. No problem.

[Jughead]

1 minute ago, Tommygilf said:

Those results were against top tier opposition. No problem.

Of which England, despite their abject failure in this tournament, are.