Report: 2025 World Cup on verge of collapse

[Mojo]

Why are a few in here against the NRL taking over International rugby league?? If anything they have been very successful at what they're doing. Correct me if I am wrong but they're also the ones that organised the the mid test games before they took it off. Am I missing something here?

[Mojo]

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/world-cup-blowouts-about-to-end-with-minnows-removed-from-the-pool-20230518-p5d9i1.html

 

Thought on this? I love this idea tbh. Less blowout games

[gingerjon]

Just now, Mojo said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/world-cup-blowouts-about-to-end-with-minnows-removed-from-the-pool-20230518-p5d9i1.html

 

Thought on this? I love this idea tbh. Less blowout games

Been discussed over the past few pages. No need to have repeats.

[Jim from Oz]

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/490291/2025-rugby-league-world-cup-fiasco-symptom-of-larger-problem

[Mojo]

9 minutes ago, gingerjon said:

Been discussed over the past few pages. No need to have repeats.

Thanks karen

[gingerjon]

2 minutes ago, Mojo said:

Thanks karen

No worries.

I'm sure you agree it's a bit annoying when someone writes "Why are a few in here against the NRL taking over International rugby league??" and then immediately coughs up that they haven't read the thread they're replying on. 

[Pulga]

2 hours ago, Mojo said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/world-cup-blowouts-about-to-end-with-minnows-removed-from-the-pool-20230518-p5d9i1.html

 

Thought on this? I love this idea tbh. Less blowout games

We never learn.

Look at Japan in RU.

Losing by 120+ points not too long ago. They've already held a more successful WC than all of ours combined.

We just continue to dredge up really poor leadership. 

[RP London]

19 minutes ago, Pulga said:

We never learn.

Look at Japan in RU.

Losing by 120+ points not too long ago. They've already held a more successful WC than all of ours combined.

We just continue to dredge up really poor leadership. 

And now announced as a tear 1 nation.

Fiji got beaten by 60 in 1995 and 2000 but have reached semi finals recently.. 

[Pulga]

1 hour ago, RP London said:

And now announced as a tear 1 nation.

Fiji got beaten by 60 in 1995 and 2000 but have reached semi finals recently.. 

We are just such a dumb sport. It's infuriating.

All we seem to do is make reactionary decision after reactionary decision.

We're at a point where the next WC will have had 3 different hosts and we're yet to see an international calendar.

[Mojo]

1 hour ago, Pulga said:

We never learn.

Look at Japan in RU.

Losing by 120+ points not too long ago. They've already held a more successful WC than all of ours combined.

We just continue to dredge up really poor leadership. 

That's a fair point mate. The difference is RU all the lower tier teams play consistent matches every year. We need to do that for RL to develop the game. Hopefully that all changes soon because, RL has a huge potential in IRL

[Sports Prophet]

5 hours ago, Mojo said:

Why are a few in here against the NRL taking over International rugby league?? If anything they have been very successful at what they're doing. Correct me if I am wrong but they're also the ones that organised the the mid test games before they took it off. Am I missing something here?

Because people can’t comprehend how worthless international RL in its current state is to the NRL. As such, most will then mistake the NRL’s lack of priority for the international game as a disregard for the international game.

They will probably point to “evidence” that Australia have played just 5 tests outside a WC since 2017 (or something like that), whilst conveniently neglecting the world experienced a global disaster which was experienced and managed differently from nation to nation with varying public opinions about the threat and how to navigate it.

They may even point to “evidence” of the NRL trying to undermine the 2021 RLWC, saying that because the Wallabies and other international sports went ahead, the pandemic was just an easy excuse to get out of participating, whilst conveniently neglecting that the NRL don’t need an excuse and if really didn’t want to compete in the WC, they would have pulled out of 2022 as well.

They will certainly point to the NRL prioritising SOO as their pinnacle, conveniently neglecting the SOO being one of the NRLs biggest money spinners and its biggest vehicle for driving interest in the non heartland states. I liken this point to asking Coca Cola to neglect their main brand and focus on Vanilla Coke.

Then what they wilfully ignore are programmes like the PNG Hunters and Kaiviti Silktails which are actively improving the performance pathway for local PNG and Fijian populations. 

They will also wilfully ignore the NRL bankrolling Pacific tests since 2013 up to the outbreak, despite fixtures not even featuring the Kangaroos. Though if they do mention it, they will try and paint it as a negative because the fixtures were hosted in Campbelltown, Penrith or somewhere else in NSW, as if that even matters.

But what they either wilfully ignore the most is the NRL’s ability to deliver a very successful product and with any increase in control and ownership of the international game comes an increase in prioritising its success.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, Pulga said:

We are just such a dumb sport. It's infuriating.

All we seem to do is make reactionary decision after reactionary decision.

We're at a point where the next WC will have had 3 different hosts and we're yet to see an international calendar.

Absolutely this. The World Cup has been building nicely since it came back in 2008 after the 2000 disaster. 2008 was great and the catalyst for the concept again, 2013 built on this with some record crowds and a nice profit, 2017 had its faults but there was plenty of good too with the rise of Tonga and the crowds for the games involving them, as well as the games in PNG. RLWC2021 certainly had its faults, which were rightly pointed out on this forum at the time, but this was in no small part due to the years delay and the knock on effects caused by that.

France pulling out is not ideal but it shouldn't be a catastrophe, there is still plenty of time, and RL has put on major events with just as short a lead time. It is certainly no need to go backwards in terms of numbers and certainly is no need to start making up teams. 

Edited May 20, 2023 by Damien

[Eddie]

6 hours ago, Mojo said:

https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/world-cup-blowouts-about-to-end-with-minnows-removed-from-the-pool-20230518-p5d9i1.html

 

Thought on this? I love this idea tbh. Less blowout games

I’d even be happy with 8, then have an 8 team emerging nations WC running alongside it. I just don’t want to watch Australia beat Scotland by 100 points. 

[Eddie]

3 hours ago, Pulga said:

We never learn.

Look at Japan in RU.

Losing by 120+ points not too long ago. They've already held a more successful WC than all of ours combined.

We just continue to dredge up really poor leadership. 

How much money has been thrown at it though? Money that RL doesn’t have. If I had a spare £50m I bet RL could be big in Serbia or Czech Republic. 

[dhw]

1 hour ago, Mojo said:

That's a fair point mate. The difference is RU all the lower tier teams play consistent matches every year. We need to do that for RL to develop the game. Hopefully that all changes soon because, RL has a huge potential in IRL

Lower-tier RL nations play more often than the tier 1 RL teams do. They have far more activity and are more enthusiastic about it than the Tier 1 teams.

[JohnM]

31 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I’d even be happy with 8, then have an 8 team emerging nations WC running alongside it. I just don’t want to watch Australia beat Scotland by 100 points. 

I just don’t want to watch Australia beat Scotland by 100 points. 

 

I do though. 

[Big Picture]

1 hour ago, Damien said:

Absolutely this. The World Cup has been building nicely since it came back in 2008 after the 2000 disaster. 2008 was great and the catalyst for the concept again, 2013 built on this with some record crowds and a nice profit, 2017 had its faults but there was plenty of good too with the rise of Tonga and the crowds for the games involving them, as well as the games in PNG. RLWC2021 certainly had its faults, which were rightly pointed out on this forum at the time, but this was in no small part due to the years delay and the knock on effects caused by that.

France pulling out is not ideal but it shouldn't be a catastrophe, there is still plenty of time, and RL has put on major events with just as short a lead time. It is certainly no need to go backwards in terms of numbers and certainly is no need to start making up teams. 

RL's been making up teams for years though, what do you think Tonga and the rest are?  Made up teams is a good description of "national" teams full of players who've never lived in the country they're representing.

[Damien]

8 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

RL's been making up teams for years though, what do you think Tonga and the rest are?  Made up teams is a good description of "national" teams full of players who've never lived in the country they're representing.

They qualify for those nations as per the same qualification requirements of other comparable sports. That is far removed from having NZ Maori and Indigeous Australia, who aren't nations, in a World Cup.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Damien

[Big Picture]

43 minutes ago, Damien said:

They qualify for those nations as per the same qualification requirements of other comparable sports. That is far removed from having NZ Maori and Indigeous Australia, who aren't nations, in a World Cup.

That's false for two reasons.

First, heritage qualification is only allowed in some international team sports, many require that players be citizens of the country they represent.  Second and even more important, in the sports which do allow qualification by heritage, those players are a minority of the players in any tournament and there isn't even a single national team comprised primarily of such players.

RL on the other hand recently had a World Cup in which 10 of the 16 teams were primarily comprised of heritage players, so the tournament had more heritage players than native born and naturalized players combined.  In other words, six genuine national teams and 10 made-up teams.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Big Picture

[Big Picture]

7 hours ago, Jim from Oz said:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/sport/490291/2025-rugby-league-world-cup-fiasco-symptom-of-larger-problem

All those millions of £££££££££ from the government, and an embarrassingly small time international awards presentation?  Utterly shameful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

That's false for two reasons.

First, heritage qualification is only allowed in some international team sports, many require that players be citizens of the country they represent.  Second and even more important, in the sports which do allow qualification by heritage, those players are a minority of the players in any tournament and there isn't even a single national team comprised primarily of such players.

RL on the other hand in which 10 of the 16 teams were primarily comprised of heritage players, so the tournament had more heritage players than native born and naturalized players combined.  In other words, six genuine national teams and 10 made-up teams.

It's not false. It's in line with other comparable sports that RL fans are most familiar with.

Your reply is just full of waffle to moan and divert to a discussion that has been done to death. Everyone knows the situation. None of that changes the fact that NZ Maori and Indigeous Australia aren't nations and to most people  shouldnt be in a World Cup.

[Big Picture]

6 minutes ago, Damien said:

It's not false. It's in line with other comparable sports that RL fans are most familiar with.

Your reply is just full of waffle to moan and divert to a discussion that has been done to death. Everyone knows the situation. None of that changes the fact that NZ Maori and Indigeous Australia aren't nations and to most people  shouldnt be in a World Cup.

Yes it is false.  If you can name even one national team in any another sport which has more heritage players than native-born and naturalized players combined, then either tell me what team and in what sport, or accept that what RL does is in no way comparable with what other sports do.

What really matters to a sport which desperately needs to grow its fanbase isn't what its current fans think, it's what the public at large thinks.  And dollars to donuts they'll think that a sport which has a majority of teams in a World Cup primarily comprised of heritage players, and more heritage players in that World Cup than native-born and naturalized players combined is a joke sport not remotely worth their time and attention.

Edited May 20, 2023 by Big Picture

[Damien]

4 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Yes it is false.  If you can name even one national team in any another sport which has more heritage players than native-born and naturalized players combined, then either tell me what team and in what sport, or accept that what RL does is in no way comparable with what other sports do.

What really matters to a sport which desperately needs to grow its fanbase isn't what its current fans think, it's what the public at large thinks.  And dollars to donuts they'll think that a sport which has a majority of teams in a World Cup primarily comprised of heritage players, and more heritage players in that World Cup than native-born and naturalized players combined is a joke sport not remotely worth their time and attention.

Talk about moving the goalposts. This is another load of waffle that has nothing to do with what you are replying to. Again RL's eligibility requirements are in line with the other comparable sports that RL fans are most familiar with. You arguing that the grass is green because the sky is blue does not change that.

[GUBRATS]

16 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Yes it is false.  If you can name even one national team in any another sport which has more heritage players than native-born and naturalized players combined, then either tell me what team and in what sport, or accept that what RL does is in no way comparable with what other sports do.

What really matters to a sport which desperately needs to grow its fanbase isn't what its current fans think, it's what the public at large thinks.  And dollars to donuts they'll think that a sport which has a majority of teams in a World Cup primarily comprised of heritage players, and more heritage players in that World Cup than native-born and naturalized players combined is a joke sport not remotely worth their time and attention.

Come on BP , you are a union troll , we know that , did the Tongan and Samoan teams look ' Tongan and Samoan ' ? 

Do all the Japanese RU team look  ' Japanese ' ? 

[Big Picture]

Just now, GUBRATS said:

Come on BP , you are a union troll , we know that , did the Tongan and Samoan teams look ' Tongan and Samoan ' ? 

Do all the Japanese RU team look  ' Japanese ' ? 

ROFLMAO, I never watch Union, it's a lousy sport.  The Tongan and Samoan teams might "look" Tongan and Samoan, but as soon as their players open their mouths in interviews they'll be exposed as the Aussies and Kiwis they really are.

I daresay that not all of the Japanese RU team look Japanese but then again RU is another sport with questionable eligibility rules.  Even so a good most of those players do look Japanese because that's exactly what they are, and plenty of the others are naturalized Japanese citizens so they're fully legitimate and would be eligible to represent in any of the sports which have solid eligibility rules.

I'll give you the same challenge as @Damien: find me even one national team in any other sport comprised primarily of heritage players, if you can.  Something tells you won't be able to, because no such team exists.