NZ & Pacific World Cup

[jim_57]

With only so few viable options for the World Cup could we one day look at a NZ/Pacific Island hosted World Cup to mix it up from the predominantly Australian based World Cup? I'd imagine government money would still be thrown up and could see some really great crowds and an overall feelgood factor that could cement Rugby League alongside Union in the Pacific Islands. It would also give NZ their time to shine so to speak being the predominant hosts of a World Cup.

Maybe something like this for structure:
Pool A - 6 Games in NZ
New Zealand
England
France
??

Pool B - 2 Tonga, 2 Samoa, 2 NZ
Samoa
Tonga
Australia
??

Pool C - 6 PNG
PNG + 3

Pool D - 4 Fiji, 2 in Hawaii/USA
Fiji, USA + 2

QF's - 2 NZ, 1 Fiji, 1 PNG
Semis - 2 NZ
Final - NZ

Split - 13 NZ, 7 PNG, 5 Fiji, 2 Samoa, 2 Tonga, 2 USA (Hawaii).

I could envisage all games in the Islands sold out as well as all NZ pool games and all finals. Also gets us those World Cup games in the US..

 

[TIM !!!!!!]

With only so few viable options for the World Cup could we one day look at a NZ/Pacific Island hosted World Cup to mix it up from the predominantly Australian based World Cup? I'd imagine government money would still be thrown up and could see some really great crowds and an overall feelgood factor that could cement Rugby League alongside Union in the Pacific Islands. It would also give NZ their time to shine so to speak being the predominant hosts of a World Cup.

Maybe something like this for structure:
Pool A - 6 Games in NZ
New Zealand
England
France
??

Pool B - 2 Tonga, 2 Samoa, 2 NZ
Samoa
Tonga
Australia
??

Pool C - 6 PNG
PNG + 3

Pool D - 4 Fiji, 2 NZ
Fiji + 3

QF's - 2 NZ, 1 Fiji, 1 PNG
Semis - 2 NZ
Final - NZ

Split - 15 NZ, 7 PNG, 5 Fiji, 2 Samoa, 2 Tonga

I could envisage all games in the Islands sold out as well as all NZ pool games and all finals.

Name some venues??

 

[jim_57]

Name some venues??

All the Regular ones in NZ. Only going to be 1, maybe 2 suitable stadiums each in PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga.

Obviously Eden Park for the final, national stadiums in the Pacific Islands, then the rest spread around NZ venues such as Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Hamilton etc.

 

[Perth Red]

Again will come back to profit margins and if these other countries have stadiums and or Govt backing to make it profitable enough for the code

 

[jim_57]

Again will come back to profit margins and if these other countries have stadiums and or Govt backing to make it profitable enough for the code

Of course, but for such an event I could see all Governments putting up money, it would be huge for the Pacific Islands. I think after couple successful World Cups and hopefully the Confed & 9's making more RLIF profit we can afford to mix it up a bit providing the tournament at least guarantees a modest profit. Australia, England ad nauseum will get stale I feel.

 

[siv]

A RLWC really only needs 4 main stadiums

So NZ could host a RLWC on its own

Where the main stadiums of
- Eden Park
- Mt Smart or Hamilton
- Wellington
- Dunedin & Christchurch

Then you can take a 8 games to other NZ locations

 

[jim_57]

A RLWC really only needs 4 main stadiums

So NZ could host a RLWC on its own

Where the main stadiums of
- Eden Park
- Mt Smart or Hamilton
- Wellington
- Dunedin & Christchurch

Then you can take a 8 games to other NZ locations

So if we go to a 16 team, 31 game world cup you would propose playing 23 games between 4 venues then 8 scattered around?

I'm not a fan of that idea.

 

[adamkungl]

I'd like to see this for the next Southern hemisphere cup. Australia's had the last 2 and South Africa just isn't an option while RL remains unrecognised by their government.

Id be more focused though than your suggestion - cut out PNG and Hawaii.

Pools A and B and half of C in NZ.
Other half of Pool C (Fiji 3 games) in Fiji
Pool D (Tonga and Samoa) 3 games each in Tonga and Samoa.
1 QF in each.
1 Semi in Fiji, 1 in NZ
final in NZ.

 

[jim_57]

I'd like to see this for the next Southern hemisphere cup. Australia's had the last 2 and South Africa just isn't an option while RL remains unrecognised by their government.

Id be more focused though than your suggestion - cut out PNG and Hawaii.

Pools A and B and half of C in NZ.
Other half of Pool C (Fiji 3 games) in Fiji
Pool D (Tonga and Samoa) 3 games each in Tonga and Samoa.
1 QF in each.
1 Semi in Fiji, 1 in NZ
final in NZ.

I originally didn't have Hawaii in there, but seemed like a golden opportunity that would hopefully get some interest back in the mainland US as well, that's if they don't host their own WC before then..

I really think it would be a waste to not take a pool to PNG, would be a nice reward for the RL mad nation. Fiji seem to have a better stadium and larger population than Tonga & Samoa so would give them more games and a quarter. Tonga & Samoa getting 2 home games would stick be huge, I would place the grudge match in NZ though for neutrality & the fact it would draw a crowd in Auckland.

 

[siv]

So if we go to a 16 team, 31 game world cup you would propose playing 23 games between 4 venues then 8 scattered around?

I'm not a fan of that idea.

Allows a RLWC to be more national focused

But what you do is that you have a Pacific Islands RLWC where its Fiji, Tonga, PNG and Samoa are the main based locations where some games can be taken to Cooks / Vanuatu / Hawaii

We need to break out of the England / Australia every 4 year swap

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Jesus, they're going to go from not giving Fiji one game to playing the whole thing in the Pacific islands?

How about we see what's happening in about 2020 and then maybe put all the Pacific teams in one pool and they can host that pool in 2025 with the rest in Aus, NZ and PNG.

I don't know what this obsession is with playing games away from Australia or England. Any tournament in Australasia or Europe should have games in Australia or England, even if the game does grow significantly in places like France or Fiji, which it probably won't. Having Australia play games in Tonga instead of Australia or England playing in France and not England would be ridiculous given the ease of travel. Even union WC Wales still had England play games at Twickenham.

 

[jim_57]

Jesus, they're going to go from not giving Fiji one game to playing the whole thing in the Pacific islands?

How about we see what's happening in about 2020 and then maybe put all the Pacific teams in one pool and they can host that pool in 2025 with the rest in Aus, NZ and PNG.

I don't know what this obsession is with playing games away from Australia or England. Any tournament in Australasia or Europe should have games in Australia or England, even if the game does grow significantly in places like France or Fiji, which it probably won't. Having Australia play games in Tonga instead of Australia or England playing in France and not England would be ridiculous given the ease of travel. Even union WC Wales still had England play games at Twickenham.

Well yeh, because Fiji would be a host, we wouldn't be giving them a one off game for feel good factor.

The key should be trying to grow the event and spread it to new markets. Having the same 2 world cups over and over every 4 years is bound to get stale.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

Hardly. Who's going to say "meh this is mildly similar to the one I saw eight years ago; I'll give it a miss"? If people are willing to watch the same premiership over and over every year with the same old origin series in the middle of it, I don't think having a World Cup largely hosted in Australia every eight years will be unbearably tedious, especially when, within that basic framework, there will be vastly new and different features like venues, teams, results etc.

 

[Perth Red]

Now Fiji has smashed GB you can right off RL there, every kid is going to grow up wanting to play Union.

 

[jim_57]

Now Fiji has smashed GB you can right off RL there, every kid is going to grow up wanting to play Union.

Just like you can write off RL in NZ because every kid wants to grow up to be an All Black.. Fiji will be fine, NSW Cup team should do absolute wonders for the game there, no matter Union/7's is doing.

 

[Pommy]

Now Fiji has smashed GB you can right off RL there, every kid is going to grow up wanting to play Union.

So situation normal then?

 

[jim_57]

Hardly. Who's going to say "meh this is mildly similar to the one I saw eight years ago; I'll give it a miss"? If people are willing to watch the same premiership over and over every year with the same old origin series in the middle of it, I don't think having a World Cup largely hosted in Australia every eight years will be unbearably tedious, especially when, within that basic framework, there will be vastly new and different features like venues, teams, results etc.

World Cups and Domestic comps are very different beasts. The key word being World, sure plenty of games in the heartlands makes sense now, but eventually we have to start breaking out a bit.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

"A bit" is fine. A few games or maybe one pool is a bit.

 

[Pommy]

If Sydney couldn't stump up enough cash to get some proper games in the city I don't fancy Suvas chance.

 

[jim_57]

"A bit" is fine. A few games or maybe one pool is a bit.

Maybe, and a few games would be fine, but with NZ and PNG hosting majority of the games there isn't much more branching out with my proposed idea.

If Sydney couldn't stump up enough cash to get some proper games in the city I don't fancy Suvas chance.

Sydney didn't put up money because they didn't want to. I think Suva could make such games at the very least break even, all hypotheticals though until someone runs the business model I guess.