2008 Wc

[milton]

Everyone is throwing up between 8 teams, 10 or 16, i feel that 12 would be the perfect number of teams participating 14 max.
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Ireland
5. Scotland
6. Wales
7. France
8. PNG
9. Tonga
10. Fiji
11. Russia
12. Lebonon

And there are still teams such as USA, West Indies, Serbia, Gorgia, Samoa and the Cook Islands who all can put competitive teams together. There is also South Africa, Argentina and other pacific island countries.

 

[roopy]

That is probably the top 12.
The top three are in a class of their own, but it would be really hard to predict the positions the next 9 will finish.
Any one of those sides could improve enough over the next few years to finish 4th in the world.

 

[screeny]

Also, the strength of the teams changes considerably depending on the eligibility rules the organisers impose. For example, if a team must be, say, 50% expat:local split, Wales gets much stronger than Lebanon, France will be certainly stronger than Samoa or Tonga etc etc.

 

[Mr_Ugly]

Also, the strength of the teams changes considerably depending on the eligibility rules the organisers impose. For example, if a team must be, say, 50% expat:local split, Wales gets much stronger than Lebanon, France will be certainly stronger than Samoa or Tonga etc etc.

Do you mean "grandfather rule" rather than expats? I don't think that there should be any limit on the number of expats in a team. The strongest and most lucrative comps are in Aust, England, NZ and France, and it is only reasonable that players from nations where there are not as many $$ to be made, or where training facilities/coaching etc are not as flash, live outside their birth country. Even for players that are not professional, if they have chosen to leave their homes for ecomonic or other reasons, then if they still identify with their country of birth, why stop them from playing. For these reasons, I can't see any reason why there would be a cap on expats.

There isn't in any other sport that I know of that limits the number of ex-pats, and no-one complains. It would be like forcing the Socceroos were forced to use a certain proportion of Australian-based players. Even in individual sports, ex-pats represent their country of birth ... for example Alexander Popov in the swimming (lives and trains in Oz, represents Russia and kicks our arses).

A limit on grandparent rule eligible players on the other hand is something altogether different ...

 

[In-goal]

I'm tipping they will go with 10 teams to follow suit of the succesfull 95 model.

There is going to be a massive build up for this event especialy with it coinciding with the 100 years of RL in Australia.

 

[roopy]

I wonder if it might not pay to go with a 'rest of the world' side to include the best players from all the countries that miss out.
That would make for another really competitive side, plus give lots of experience and incentive to players from Russia, Cook Islands, USA, Japan etc etc etc.

 

[Sun_Down]

I wonder if it might not pay to go with a 'rest of the world' side to include the best players from all the countries that miss out.
That would make for another really competitive side, plus give lots of experience and incentive to players from Russia, Cook Islands, USA, Japan etc etc etc.

That would make it a joke.

 

[roopy]

That would make it a joke.

I don't think it would - especially if they decide to only go for 8 teams.
If you had the best 7 national sides plus a rest of the world side you could appoint a really good coach for the ROTW side and put about 40 players into a month long camp to decide the final squad. Players like Nate Smith, Will Brazier, and Bull from the US could compete with NRL and ESL regulars like El Masri from Lebanon, Samoan players, Cook Island players, the best two or three Russians.

I think the RL public in Australia is too clued up to accept 10 or 15 sides that are basically weekend warriors like the RU WC got away with.

I think there is a strong chance we will only see 8 or maybe 10 sides - so the only way minor countries will be involved is if a ROTW side gets a run. Every side will have to be able to play a good game of League for the public to take it seriously. Properly handled, a ROTW side would be competitive.

 

[Sun_Down]

Sorry Roopy, but a ROTW side has farce wriiten all over it, it may seem logical to you and me and other LU members, but the basic response from a League fan/media/general public will be:

"What, so we have 7 teams, then we couldnt find an 8th, so theres an ROTW..."

I dont think anyone will acknowledge the fact that the pple in the team come from developing nations with juniors, a domestic comp etc. It will just look pathetic. Not to mention the record books, how silly will a rotw side look? NZ Maori was bad enough, it should be nations, full stop.

Also, you raise the point that developing nations players will get a run. Is that really the point of the WC? If they want a run, they shoulf qualify. Lets not degrade the WC because we feel we should reward the hardwork of the developing nations with a ROTW side.

Please do not take that into a negative context, I love all the devel.nations, but we shouldnt scarifice creditability to award them the chance to play.

 

[Dakink]

Have to agree - a ROTW team would be severly undermine the authenticity of the tournament.

 

[Misanthrope]

Yeah, I don't like the sound of a ROTW team either. Just wouldn't work. If it got massacred, it'd just further highlight the lack of competitive international teams out there. If it won, it'd make the World Cup seem kind of gimmicky.

 

[bender]

Yeah, I don't like the sound of a ROTW team either. Just wouldn't work. If it got massacred, it'd just further highlight the lack of competitive international teams out there. If it won, it'd make the World Cup seem kind of gimmicky.

Would an ROTW team be better to have in the Tri Nations (as the 4th or even 5th nation)?

Somewhere along the line, there needs to be away to expose developing nation players to a higher level of competition and team mates. French and Png in particular, imo.

 

[screeny]

Bloody hell roopy!!! Restof the World indeed??!!!

(please tell me roopy is not Colin Love's online alterego...please god please).

Mr Ugly, no, I mean expats. A lot of the nations doing development work might get pissed off if none of their players are picked, such as Wales, Ireland, SAmoa, Lebanon, Fiji etc etc.

RL is in a unique position where our development systems are way behind other sports due to our history. We're playing catch up now and IMO one of the things we have to do is ensure a fair quota of players from the local leagues participate.

The ENC already has sucha quota system, with four local players being named in the 2004 squads. Not sure what the quota is this year.

 

[Misanthrope]

I'd prefer having a ROTW team included in the tri-nations than in the World Cup, yes