Michael Cheika to Coach Lebanon at 2026 RL world cup

[The Future is League]

I couldn'd find another forum to put this in.

https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/former-wallabies-chief-locked-in-as-lebanons-2026-rugby-league-world-cup-coach

[JM2010]

I’m already going to be negative…….sorry. 
Do Lebanon only play in World Cups? They turned down the opportunity to tour France, aren’t involved in any of the end of season tournaments down under, even though their players are based there and don’t seem to have played in the MEA championship recently 

[Tommygilf]

Lebanon played two games between the last 2 world cups, it is entirely possible they won't play any before the next either.

It is a real shame as they could really be a decent team and have been involved as a nation in some decent work in the past 25 years.

Competitively they also sit in that sweet spot between England and France, and are the only "non-Pacific" nation to do that comfortably. A tri series or 4 nations with Wales too would be a worthwhile endeavour should no Pacific Cup team tour north. The cancellation of the tour to France last year was very very disappointing.

This is where there seems to be no leadership with the I(N)RL. Lebanon sit outside the neat Pacific Cup structure they have embraced, whilst also not having the resources of a Europe to really push forward with fixtures. They've also been allowed to not play by virtue of automatically qualifying for 2 world cups - a very poor mistake.

[Futtocks]

53 minutes ago, Tommygilf said:

Lebanon played two games between the last 2 world cups, it is entirely possible they won't play any before the next either.

It is a real shame as they could really be a decent team and have been involved as a nation in some decent work in the past 25 years.

Competitively they also sit in that sweet spot between England and France, and are the only "non-Pacific" nation to do that comfortably. A tri series or 4 nations with Wales too would be a worthwhile endeavour should no Pacific Cup team tour north. The cancellation of the tour to France last year was very very disappointing.

This is where there seems to be no leadership with the I(N)RL. Lebanon sit outside the neat Pacific Cup structure they have embraced, whilst also not having the resources of a Europe to really push forward with fixtures. They've also been allowed to not play by virtue of automatically qualifying for 2 world cups - a very poor mistake.

Things are a bit iffy in Lebanon right now. I was talking to someone recently who's been dealing with the great Chateau Musar winery in the Bekaa Valley, and they have to concentrate all their commercial and communications efforts on the few random hours per day they have electricity/internet.

[Tommygilf]

1 hour ago, Futtocks said:

Things are a bit iffy in Lebanon right now. I was talking to someone recently who's been dealing with the great Chateau Musar winery in the Bekaa Valley, and they have to concentrate all their commercial and communications efforts on the few random hours per day they have electricity/internet.

Very iffy indeed!

Perhaps sadly that won't massively impact the International RL side...

[JM2010]

They could easily be included in the Pacific Bowl with PNG, Fiji and the Cook Islands

[Eddie]

6 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

They could easily be included in the Pacific Bowl with PNG, Fiji and the Cook Islands

Very easily, it’s not like any of the players would need to travel from Lebanon. 

[Big Picture]

1 hour ago, JM2010 said:

They could easily be included in the Pacific Bowl with PNG, Fiji and the Cook Islands

Lebanon isn't a Pacific country.

[Futtocks]

1 hour ago, JM2010 said:

They could easily be included in the Pacific Bowl with PNG, Fiji and the Cook Islands

Only if you ignore geography and also want to complain about a lack of home-grown talent.

[OriginalMrC]

Australian coach for an Australian team. Makes sense 

[OriginalMrC]

33 minutes ago, Big Picture said:

Lebanon isn't a Pacific country.

They are based in Sydney and would at least have internationals to play. 

[Sports Prophet]

He coached them at the last one. Seems as good a Lebanese appointment as any one.

Agree with most on here. It would be great to get them game time, but under the RLPA agreements, it would be prohibitively expensive for the NRL to organise and the LRL don’t have a pot to wee in. Another example of the RLPA holding the international game back.

[sam4731]

9 hours ago, Big Picture said:

Lebanon isn't a Pacific country.

Other sports have plenty of competitions where they have 'invited' teams. The South American football Championships spring to mind where the likes of Qatar and Japan have been recent invitees.

[NRLandSL]

Lebanon shouldn't be in the world cup, especially when Wales are not making it. They shouldn't be allowed to qualify just like Ireland and Scotland

[Eddie]

1 hour ago, NRLandSL said:

Lebanon shouldn't be in the world cup, especially when Wales are not making it. They shouldn't be allowed to qualify just like Ireland and Scotland

I agree. However would you say the same about Tonga? 

[welshmagpie]

It’ll quite possibly be the last time Lebanon are in a World Cup for the foreseeable future.

They’re only competing in 2026 as they were quarter finalists in 2022.

Future world cups are only open to full members - Lebanon are not this and are some way off it. Criteria includes domestic adult competition, domestic junior competitions and X amount of games outside of world cups. 

I imagine RLWC 2030 will see the top 8 of in the world rankings automatically qualify - remember Troy Grant said rankings will be if more value in future. The final two spots will be decided by World Cup Qualifiers and then the World Series (again only open to full members)
 

If 2030 was tomorrow we’d see these 8 automatics: 

- Australia

- NZ

- England

- Tonga 

- Samoa

- PNG

- Fiji

- France 

2 qualifiers from the following:

- Wales

- Serbia

- Ukraine

- South Africa

- Jamaica

- Cook Islands

[NRLandSL]

16 minutes ago, Eddie said:

I agree. However would you say the same about Tonga? 

Yes. Heritage nations offer nothing to growing the game internationally. Though it’s not Tonga or Lebanon or any other heritage nations fault, it’s the rules that allow it to happen.

They should implement a policy we’re you must have at least 5 born and raised rugby league juniors in the 17, and a maximum 7 heritage players in the 17.

[Eddie]

46 minutes ago, welshmagpie said:

It’ll quite possibly be the last time Lebanon are in a World Cup for the foreseeable future.

They’re only competing in 2026 as they were quarter finalists in 2022.

Future world cups are only open to full members - Lebanon are not this and are some way off it. Criteria includes domestic adult competition, domestic junior competitions and X amount of games outside of world cups. 

I imagine RLWC 2030 will see the top 8 of in the world rankings automatically qualify - remember Troy Grant said rankings will be if more value in future. The final two spots will be decided by World Cup Qualifiers and then the World Series (again only open to full members)
 

If 2030 was tomorrow we’d see these 8 automatics: 

- Australia

- NZ

- England

- Tonga 

- Samoa

- PNG

- Fiji

- France 

2 qualifiers from the following:

- Wales

- Serbia

- Ukraine

- South Africa

- Jamaica

- Cook Islands

Rankings are all very well but there are so few international games they don’t have a great deal of meaning. 

[The Future is League]

2 hours ago, NRLandSL said:

Lebanon shouldn't be in the world cup, especially when Wales are not making it. They shouldn't be allowed to qualify just like Ireland and Scotland

It is my opinion that teams must have at the very least a local 8 team competition to qualify for a world cup, and a certain number of players from that competition, which will increase the interest at local level.

I see no value for the game with teams made up with heritage players, and with no local competition or a very small local competition.

[JM2010]

14 hours ago, Eddie said:

Very easily, it’s not like any of the players would need to travel from Lebanon. 

That’s my point

[JM2010]

13 hours ago, Big Picture said:

Lebanon isn't a Pacific country.

Thanks for that Phileas Fogg

Edited May 14 by JM2010

[JM2010]

13 hours ago, Futtocks said:

Only if you ignore geography and also want to complain about a lack of home-grown talent.

It gives them some games. The alternative isn’t better. Play no games at all

[Eddie]

7 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

It gives them some games. The alternative isn’t better. Play no games at all

I think the point is they’re not the Lebanese national side, they’re Australians with Lebanese ancestry, administered from Australia with an Australian coach. 

[NRLandSL]

14 minutes ago, The Future is League said:

It is my opinion that teams must have at the very least a local 8 team competition to qualify for a world cup, and a certain number of players from that competition, which will increase the interest at local level.

I see no value for the game with teams made up with heritage players, and with no local competition or a very small local competition.

Yeah 100% agree, if these countries are making genuine good attempted to grow the game and have established a strong local competition they should be given every right; But countries like Samoa (who only have just over 500 registered participants) Lebanon and others should be no where near world cups, and should be an observer nation developing with other nations in their infancy of development.

I know people have this belief that Samoa and Tonga are developing and are genuine national teams, but the truth is they are not. They are teams solely utilising the large amounts of Pacific Islander heritage in Australia and NZ, but they are not focused on developing the nation in their country.

The international game will never grow  unless we establish some legitimacy and no longer allow sides entirely of heritage players to play. Even only 3-4 Domestic players is poor, but the fact we have plenty of national teams that can hardly field a single domestic player is downright embarrassing.

[Pulga]

2 hours ago, welshmagpie said:

remember Troy Grant said rankings will be if more value in future.

 

Terrible idea. The rankings are basically useless as they are now. Plenty of room to game the system too.