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Change the RLWC Qualification Process

marv

Juniors
Messages
1,053
Here is Russia's failures to qualify for the last 3 World Cups:

2008
Beat Georgia, Netherlands and Serbia in first round. Then lost all 4 matches to Ireland and Lebanon to be eliminated. So eliminated by heritage teams.

2013
Lost to Italy and Lebanon but beat Serbia...eliminated.

2017
Beat Spain, lost to Ireland and Italy...eliminated..

Are you seeing a theme here? Last three RLWC Qualifiers they have been eliminated by mainly heritage Nations...is it little wonder Russia (who capture a lot of hearts in the 2000 RLWC) don't take the game very seriously?

The only World Cup they played in was due to them being automatic qualifiers...

And for you info, saying having Russia playing will be embarrassing because of the large scores, well if they made it through instead of Italy they would only be playing Fiji, Scotland and USA. Hardly teams they would put more than 80 on them....

Your not listening to my question.
If we Eliminate heritage teams from the qualifying, these nations would come up against similar in Fiji (as you just admitted) who, regardless of how much you bury your head in the sand, would post large scores just like Ireland and Italy have this year or better opposition In NZ or Aus when we came to the actual competition.

Ill ask again, what can Serbia and Russia (or the rest of the world who do not use heritage players) do to increase the quality of their league to bring it to the standard of the English or Australian Lower leagues? (where most heritage players are drawn from for Qualifiers)

Have a think about that before googling results from competitions I already knew about or informing me of things I dont believe to be true.
 
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marv

Juniors
Messages
1,053
The problem I see with Heritage players is a country like France or PNG who develop there own players being forced to leave them out and draft in heritage players to compete with countries packed with heritage players. I think the best way to stop this as mentioned before is to get rid of nation swapping.

Its the only way, Heritage players are fine, every sport has/uses them, Just not like Rugby League which abuses it and I agree something needs to be done
 

marv

Juniors
Messages
1,053
The game in Russia was stronger between 2000 and 2008. In that time they played in the Victory Cup, including that game against the USA in Moscow that drew 30k, had a couple of clubs play in the Challenge Cup once or twice and they played in the World Sevens when the ARL briefly brought them back. But then Union got into the Olympics and players and clubs switched, including the strongest club, Lokomotiv. Which shows that if you give Russia a shot at playing in big events the game might grow and improve. At the moment they have practically no hope of playing in anything bigger than the qualifiers.

Maybe an eastern Eurpoean place in this new comp or even one in the WC is needed. At least then Serbia or Russia will get a run in one or the other or both if they're good enough to beat each other and the likes of Ukraine and anyone else who gets a shot.

Maybe we could look at their clubs though and reinstate club games between English and Russian/Serbian sides at some level.

I know the Serbs have played BARLA a few times, thats the kind of exposure that improves players, similar level (effectively amateur) but the BARLA lads have been coached at league since age 8.
 
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kiwileaguefan

Juniors
Messages
2,426
Your not listening to my question.
If we Eliminate heritage teams from the qualifying, these nations would come up against similar in Fiji (as you just admitted) who, regardless of how much you bury your head in the sand, would post large scores just like Ireland and Italy have this year or better opposition In NZ or Aus when we came to the actual competition.

Ill ask again, what can Serbia and Russia (or the rest of the world who do not use heritage players) do to increase the quality of their league to bring it to the standard of the English or Australian Lower leagues? (where most heritage players are drawn from for Qualifiers)

Have a think about that before googling results from competitions I already knew about or informing me of things I dont believe to be true.

What is wrong with big scores? Im not burying my head in the sand because big scores don't concern me especially if you have a Nation as good as Australia playing....Why is it not acceptable for RL but in every other sport in the World they can accept large scores?!?! Rugby, Soccer, Netball, Cricket, Basketball, Baseball, Softball etc etc

Who cares if Fiji beat Russia by 70 points....at least it would be two real nations playing instead of two Australian/Kiwi rejects playing like Tonga vs Italy or Italy vs Lebanon.

The funny thing is people start threads about how can we spread the game...well allowing Nations to cheat and not develop domestically over developing Nations is not helping it...Tell me what has Scotland or Italy done domestically since they started using heritage players?? Compared to Serbia, South Africa, Canada, Jamaica, Fiji and even Cook Islands?...Because correct me if I am wrong, Ireland has only just started with juniors recently? Yet Russia and Serbia have or had juniors playing....Now we have a Nation playing in our second top International Tournament that doesn't even have a domestic competition!! Great stuff....way to develop the game...

Anyway I don't really care that much anymore about the international game as what I use to, why? Because it is NEVER going to change because rugby league is so short sighted and more focused about the now instead of the future. All I have done is provided a suggestion on how to remove this joke of a qualifying where one nation stacks their team with heritage players, two or three domestic players and then a Rugby player haha what a joke. Way to develop the game in Italy! Oh but its ok because they are competitive!!!!

End of the day our International game is a joke because its not an international game its a heritage game as we take the easiest option (i.e. Scotland not playing any games in Scotland, allowing players who miss out on the Aus and NZ to then go play for other nations that's there second choice, Aus and NZ pinching players from other nations, Lebanon and NZ pulling out of organised games) and then we will pat ourselves on the back and say wow what good tournament, but in reality, what have France, PNG, Wales and Samoa achieved since playing in the Four Nations??? Prime example was Samoa nearly beating NZ in 2014...wow what a day for International Rugby League....oh hang on a second, only 2 out of the 24 are Samoan born...rest Kiwi or Aus born/represetitive players...it is little wonder why NZ and Aus fans rarely care about International league outside NZ/Aus/England...at least they finally played a test in Samoa.....haha only 20 odd years later

Any you go on about how can Serbia and Russia increase the quality of their league? Simple, by touring and playing quality Nations....Serbia has come from losing by 120 to France to 60...it takes time but I take my hat of to them, because they will never ever qualify for a RLWC when they play on an uneven field...yet they still try to develop the game. Christ they sent a team to the Defence World Cup in 2013 and got massacred by everyone (well the countries that bothered to show up) but they loved it...just a shame other countries cant raise to their standard of growing the game within their country....

Like I have already mention, we nearly have as many heritage nations playing as real nations at the next RLWC...but its ok because some of the games will be competitive....because people back in Italy are going to see their country play with all Australian born players and go, wow I want to play this game...and sponsors are going to look at the heritage team and say this team fits perfectly for my brand....oh and then their will be such a big push for it and the Italian public will demand for it to be on TV.....so they can watch fake Italians running around playing a sport they have no idea about....
 
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