'13 WC | Group D | USA 32-20 Cook Islands | Bristol

[Moffo]

USA to shit it in...more attacking options

Oh Moffo you guru

 

[RHCP]

What an outstanding win for the Tomahawks. USA! USA! USA!

 

[Dutchy]

It's the US right?

Nah Cookies 33-32 :sarcasm:

 

[Moffo]

Rlwc website has the wrong man of the match on their site - dickwads

 

[Pugzley]

7 the home of Rugby League. Love the after match analysis. 9 please take note. Or even better, piss of RL forever.

 

[vamosrafa]

After that performance I'm going to go out on a limb here and picture that the US will make the quarters. Much better than Wales.

 

[joshie]

I was so close to getting the margin!

I am in love with this World Cup!!!!! It's doing so wonders and lets hope 2017 just blows up and a lot of development occurs beforehand

 

[natheel]

I was so close to getting the margin!

I am in love with this World Cup!!!!! It's doing so wonders and lets hope 2017 just blows up and a lot of development occurs beforehand

I think we need some more teams in there too so the groups are more even in numbers but yep I'm really enjoying this world cup

 

[God-King Dean]

Wait wait wait wait wait just a second. Let me get this straight.......

People are on a RL forum, reading a thread on a match discussion;
and are complaining that somebody has said what the score is?

:lol: :crazy:

 

[God-King Dean]

O say can you see by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming,
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner, O! long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country, should leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.

O thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation.
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the Heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

 

[Misanthrope]

Wonderful result for the US. It's a shame there aren't more home grown players in the squad, but an impressive result all the same.

 

[vamosrafa]

Wonderful result for the US. It's a shame there aren't more home grown players in the squad, but an impressive result all the same.

Just like Italy, but it's a good starting point.

 

[undertaker]

7 the home of Rugby League. Love the after match analysis. 9 please take note. Or even better, piss of RL forever.

Lets hope that Ch9 don't get anywhere near the 2017 WC

 

[franklin2323]

Wonderful result for the US. It's a shame there aren't more home grown players in the squad, but an impressive result all the same.

Yeah but still plenty have played in the local comp. Just need them to include USARL players and then that can happen

 

[undertaker]

I think we need some more teams in there too so the groups are more even in numbers but yep I'm really enjoying this world cup

Agreed.

The next one should be how the format was in 2000: 16 teams, 4 groups of 4 teams, top 2 from each group advance to the Quarter-Finals. The difference between 2017 and 2000 was back in 2000, the international game was really decimated by the SL war, so much so that even an Australia/GB test in '99 at Suncorp, a stronghold RL venue, only just got over 10k. This, coupled with the terrible weather and non-existent promotion in the UK for that tournament, culminated in crap crowd attendances for the vast majority of the tournament and the RFL haemorrhaged too much money that they postponed the World Cup for 8 years after that tournament.

We've come a looooooong way since then, to the point where we can now hold the event every 4 years. The 2017 WC, if hosted in Australia/NZ, will have a lot of momentum from this WC. I know South Africa made a bid, but it will still be many years before they host it as the development and popularity of League is a country mile behind Union in South Africa.

 

[Misanthrope]

I'm reluctant to see a return to a complete even pool system. I'm all for more teams, but I've no doubt that if we went back to a four team pool, top two system like we employed in the World Cup - we'd just have two foregone conclusions per pool.

I much prefer the current setup. Just expanded the two smaller pools to four, still have only the top one go through, and avoid a string of blow-outs.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Why do we want more teams, or 16 teams

I can't see no other reasons other than symmetry, the nature of the Italian and US teams is still quite dubious, and other teams that looked like they were progressing circa 2008 appear to have regressed, such as Russia and Lebanon.

Thus I'd be at a loss at where 2 more credible sides would come from.

The existing format is quite good, splitting the best 4 sides at top seeds in each pool would ensure blow outs every week.

What needs to be implemented IMO is a return to the more extensive qualifaction games.

Starting in 2005, we saw a massive rise in the games in places such as Ireland, Scotland and the P.I's.. as well as efforts in Holland, Georgia, etc to ensure they could qualify.

This time round we gave out 12 free passes, and ended up with Italy and the U.S comeing through with less than stellar efforts to advance their domestic game.... and also without the impetus, the domestic game in Ireland appears to have regressed as well.

If we were to go to 16 teams, it should still be the super pool(s) format.

Just make the wekaer pools 4 teams each with one qualifier to the 1/4 finals. What would be different is no cross pool games.

Personally, I'd make the semi-finalists of this tourney auto qualifers.

Then for example.

2 of 3 british isle qualifers
2 continental europe qualifer
4 P.I qualifers
1 North American qualifers
(perhaps) 1 middle east/africa qualifer

the above would be modified according to seed number 4... such as Fiji or Samoa from this world cup gong through to the semis cutting back the P.I qualifer to 3...

then 2 repecharge qualifers.

 

[Misanthrope]

What needs to be implemented IMO is a return to the more extensive qualifaction games.

I agree wholeheartedly. Rugby Union's World Cup manufactures the illusion of being global by letting every 'nation' take part in qualification. The South Korean team has more expats than Koreans, but at least they're taking part.

This time round we gave out 12 free passes, and ended up with Italy and the U.S comeing through with less than stellar efforts to advance their domestic game.... and also without the impetus, the domestic game in Ireland appears to have regressed as well.

I definitely feel like letting 12 of 14 teams automatically qualify was a bit of a farce. Granted, Wales and the Cook Islands had to earn their spot through winning continental competitions - but there's no reason the likes of France, Fiji, PNG, Tonga, Samoa, Ireland, and Scotland couldn't have gone through a proper qualification campaign. Even if their participation is a given, it would help them and their opposition if they had to play some games leading in.

Just make the wekaer pools 4 teams each with one qualifier to the 1/4 finals. What would be different is no cross pool games.

Cross pool games are my only reason for wanting extra teams. I don't like the concept, especially when Wales are more likely to progress to the next round than Italy.

 

[Evil Homer]

I agree wholeheartedly. Rugby Union's World Cup manufactures the illusion of being global by letting every 'nation' take part in qualification. The South Korean team has more expats than Koreans, but at least they're taking part.

I definitely feel like letting 12 of 14 teams automatically qualify was a bit of a farce. Granted, Wales and the Cook Islands had to earn their spot through winning continental competitions - but there's no reason the likes of France, Fiji, PNG, Tonga, Samoa, Ireland, and Scotland couldn't have gone through a proper qualification campaign. Even if their participation is a given, it would help them and their opposition if they had to play some games leading in

Agreed. I think the qualification was limited this time as a cost-cutting exercise, but it should definitely be expanded in the future. Sadly though it doesn't look like this is going to be the case, as it seems like the RLIF are already trying to exclude eligible nations: http://forums.leagueunlimited.com/showthread.php?t=428682http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Gi...h_to_the_2017_Rugby_League_World_Cup/?tJKSTfb

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

Wow, can't believe I got another game wrong already.

Don't be asking me for any tips :lol: