With RLWC2021 done and dusted, League Express reporter STEPHEN IBBETSON considers the potential legacy of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments.
MEN
If the World Cup has achieved one thing, it is to reinforce that international Rugby League is the best way to grow the game to new supporters and new markets.
IMG said as much when they presented their recommendations for the future of the sport here two months ago, setting out their belief that internationals were both popular with current fans and what potential fans would be most attracted to.
This tournament, on the basis of TV viewing figures especially, has borne that out, with the England men’s team in particular bringing a level of attention on the game that it doesn’t get at any other time of the year, from any other competition.
However, the future of the international game lies not with anybody in England – with IMG to be at the helm, that argument appears to have been won – but with International Rugby League (IRL) and in the southern hemisphere.
We are still waiting for IRL to release a global calendar for internationals, covering the next twelve years. Oft-delayed, the current timetable for this is said to be the end of this year.
However, that could be put back further by the impasse at present in negotiations Down Under between the Australian Rugby League Commission and the Rugby League Players’ Association, over a new collective bargaining agreement. One of the outcomes will be a decision on the future workload of NRL players.
The NRL have made noises about supporting a calendar with a dedicated end-of-season window for internationals, but will likely not accept it at the expense of their own competition in what appears the biggest current stumbling block to IRL’s plans.
England aside, the southern hemisphere (and by extension the NRL) provides the full cream of the crop in the international game, and their regular participation is essential.
The level of competitiveness is better than ever, as evidenced by the thrilling New Zealand-Fiji, Samoa-Tonga and Australia-New Zealand clashes in the World Cup knockout rounds. There is a great product simply waiting to be put together.
The likes of Samoa and Tonga in particular need regular matches, to continue their improvement and help attract all of the eligible talent for their nations – an argument that can also be made for just about every country, including in the northern hemisphere.
This World Cup was a dire one for the north and especially for the home nations. Neither Scotland nor Wales collected a point, while Ireland and France won just one game, along with Italy.
The gap to the south has never been so vast, and again more matches is the most obvious solution to closing it. France, ahead of hosting duties in 2025, will benefit from an annual clash with England, but the others need to play each other regularly and ideally tackle southern hemisphere opposition in between World Cups too.
Even England have been shown to be behind the curve. With respect to France, the only nations that will give them the challenge they need are 10,000 miles away, making space in the calendar for end-of-season tours essential.
The World Cup has shown the great potential of an international game that, despite the setbacks of the last few years, is now more vibrant than ever before, with new countries like Greece and Jamaica at the start of the kind of journey others like Samoa have previously embarked on.
Now it’s over to IRL to capitalise on this opportunity.
WOMEN
Australia continued their dominance of the women’s game with a third consecutive World Cup title, as both they and finalists New Zealand proved to still be several steps ahead of England or anyone else.
It is no secret why those two nations are on top. Their squads are packed with professional players, and that is now the clear way forward in this country as well.
The women’s game here has come a long way in just the few short years since the Women’s Super League was formed, but the World Cup took it to another level in terms of the audience attracted, both at the games and on TV, and that will translate into a further boost at domestic level next year.
England’s fine efforts in the tournament came in spite of their amateur status, with their players having to make enormous sacrifices to earn their way into the squad and take part. But with the increasing popularity of the game this will no longer be acceptable.
On the eve of the World Cup, Leeds Rhinos took the first step by announcing that they will pay their players, in the form of a winning bonus, from next season. Others must certainly follow in their tracks, and do so quickly.
Not that it is all about the money. Players also need to be given professional resources – in training, medical care and more – and a platform – in terms of venues and coverage – that befit their growing status and their potential. Leeds have also been ahead of the game here, along with others such as York and St Helens, and again more must follow.
This is not a venture into some dark unknown – the NRLW competition in Australia shows exactly what can be done. Not that the job is complete there, with battles continuing for better pay, but the profile and performances of the Jillaroos and Kiwi Ferns in the World Cup should only help to drive the women’s game further forward.
Other sports also offer hope for the journey ahead here, as well as pointing to potential ways forward. Central contracts have helped make England’s cricket and rugby union sides full-time and among the best in the world, and it is hard to see the Rugby League equivalent challenging for a World Cup crown without similar action.
Whether it is clubs, the RFL or both that make the investment – and it is an investment, which will pay off in time, especially considering the number of girls and young women who have hopefully now been inspired to take up the sport – this World Cup should be reflected on in the future as the first major turning point in the progression of the women’s game into elite sport.
WHEELCHAIR
At the end of a landmark fortnight for wheelchair Rugby League, England head coach Tom Coyd had one prediction: “It’s going to explode”.
After England’s inspiring World Cup win, at a packed venue in front of a huge national TV audience, anything appears possible.
But just as the impact of this tournament would not have been possible without the unprecedented platform afforded to it by World Cup organisers, putting the game on the same stage as the men and women with many venues and facilities to match, so a similar backing is required to continue that momentum.
While the women’s game looks towards professionalism, that step might only lie further down the line for the wheelchair version. The top priorities now are capitalising on an expected surge in participation interest – with professional clubs seeing the potential and joining the bandwagon – and on growing the product.
The latter must happen in England through both internationals – regular matches and series against France will surely be a huge draw following their World Cup final contest – and the domestic structure.
The Wheelchair Super League has grown steadily and enjoyed its most competitive season yet this year, with Halifax Panthers, Leeds Rhinos, Wigan Warriors and London Roosters all strong contenders and all now having a number of World Cup heroes on their books.
Clubs must now work to put their games at the best venues possible and market them accordingly, as the World Cup has shown that when the stage is provided, the people will come.
The game was especially a big hit on TV, and every effort must surely be taken to get regular Super League action on the big screen. Sky have shown matches in the past, while the BBC ought to be interested after the success of their World Cup coverage.
Beyond that, it is tempting to imagine the further possibilities for the game.
While the similarities to running Rugby League are often noted, so too should what makes it unique, particularly the fact that it is played indoors. It can be played any time, including in winter and in the evenings, when rugby is otherwise scarce, so there are further potential niches to be explored, which could boost both participation and spectatorship.
Away from England and France – where discomfort over the sport’s progression, towards the more able-bodied, is set to rumble in the background – there are many more positive signs.
The game is growing in Australia, who offered the third-best team at this World Cup, and once it truly catches on there, the possibilities will be great.
The other home nations here have realistic hopes to remain competitive on the international stage if a boom in participation is also felt there, while the game could spread in new markets like the USA that Rugby League has never been able to crack. The wheelchair game could even be the sport’s way into such places, with the running game following on its coattails.
What is for sure is that the sport’s best kept secret cannot remain hidden any longer.
