2008 World Cup Details - Terrible News

[nadera78]

This has got "huge f**k up" written all over it. Really not impressed with these plans. I was hoping to travel over to Australia for a huge carnival of Rugby League, now it looks like it'll be a waste of time.


World Cup to have 10 nations

Fri 25 Nov 2005

At its meeting today, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) has confirmed that 10 nations will compete in the Rugby League World Cup to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere in 2008.

Details of the nations to be granted direct entry to the tournament and those that will gain entry via Qualifying Groups will be confirmed prior to 1st March 2006.

The Federation has also agreed that each competing nation’s squad must meet the following criteria relating to domestic players:

Each nation’s squad must contain at least six players who have played and been registered in the relevant domestic competition for at least one year.

OR

Each squad must contain at least six players who have played in one of that nation’s junior international teams such as a Student representative side or second tier international side, within the 18 months prior to the tournament.

Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, the Chairman of the Rugby League International Federation Colin Love said: “It is extremely satisfying that the RLIF meeting has today reached agreement on these important issues.

“The Federation believes that the 10 team format will ensure the 2008 Rugby League World Cup will be a successful and highly competitive tournament which is both hugely entertaining and has many benefits for the sport globally”.

Love added: “The Qualifying Groups and matches will also be structured so that they function as a clear pathway for developing nations to win the right to compete with the sport’s established international teams as well as a significant development tool for Rugby League”.

Meanwhile, the RLIF has confirmed that work is continuing on the development of the 2006 Tri-Nations to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere. Details of the tournament schedule and venues will be confirmed in due course.

 

[Kingbunny]

Look, don't be too critical about the decisons that the RLIF have made with the coming Rugby World Cup. There are some good points to note out of this as well. The main issue is that alot of people are expecting too much from it all instead of getting on board with the decision this organisation has made. If everyone gets on board, instant success. We all knew something like this would occur, however, now the decision has been made and the time has come to embrace and get on board.

I think the only two things wrong with this is the amount of teams which probably should be no more than twelve teams and the quota of six players should be about 10. There is no need for scores of 142-0 and 90-0 etc. Go any more than twelve teams, that's what would happen.

I like the decison of countries that compete have to have a domestic competition and the comment “The Qualifying Groups and matches will also be structured so that they function as a clear pathway for developing nations to win the right to compete with the sport’s established international teams as well as a significant development tool for Rugby League”. Let hope that they actually mean it.

 

[roopy]

That rules out Malta because they have not had a domestic comp for a year.

The West Indies might sneak in.

Italy might beat the rules by having 6 guys from their junior side play.

 

[nadera78]

When I posted that earlier it was my initial gut reaction. Now, having had time to think it over I think it's even worse.

There are 2 options open by only having 10 teams.
1) 2 groups of 5 with the top 2 teams from each going through to the semi-finals. But that suggests quite an elongated first round stage that may end up going on too long.

2) The other format is to have 2 groups of 3 and 1 of 4 with the top 2 teams from the latter goup going through along with top one from the other 2 groups.But this way the teams in the latter group will be at a disadvantage by having to play an extra game.

12 teams makes the whole thing so much easier all around, for organisational reasons, simplicity for the media and non-hardcore fans, and making it a fair competition for all involved. Only Rugby League could come up with this and think it is the best solution.

 

[Copa]

Fantastic!!

the World Cup is on its way!!

100% support from me from this point on!!!

 

[Ari Gold]

nadera.... i understand you have a right to your opinion, but gosh you're a massive whinger.

the 1995 world cup was the most succesful ever, and it had 10 teams.

every game will be extremely competitive.

 

[dimitri]

i think its a bad decision

it should have been 12!!!!


there will be not much variety if only ten teams

4 will probably be taken up by GB & I

aus
nz
eng
ireland
scotland
wales
png
france
+ 2 more


12 would have been so good!

 

[ucantseeme]

I am pretty sure the poms are playing as Great Britain & Ireland from now on seeing how poorly the 200 World Cup went for them when they played as 4 nations.

So the 10 teams might be:

GreatBritain.....Australia.........NewZealand......France.....PNG........Russia......USA.......Lebanon.........South Africa..........Tonga

I know Tonga & South Africa may seem out of place but I think they are better options than Cook Islands or NZ Maori or some other obsure team who can muster 13 blokes to play RL.

 

[Copa]

For the whingers..

Don't go if you don't like it... and spend the next few years telling potential fans how crap it will be.

 

[phonetic]

I'm with Copa, let's just look forward to it now. The last WC was an absolute mess, just to have something in semi concrete about another one is very exciting.

Good news about the eligibility statements there.

 

[roopy]

The qualifying tournaments will be something new and brilliant for the game.

Sides like South Africa etc who have made it in the past are no hope - but sides like Lebanon, West Indies, Cook Islands and USA will give an aweful scare to sides like Samoa, Ireland and Wales.

 

[The Electric Horseman]

Wales will be there

 

[YANTO]

10 team WC with Aussie,England,Fance,PNG and Kiwi automatic qualifiers.

(Even England had to qualify for the rah rah WC.)

At a guess ( ) 2 more European teams allowed making seven then we have 3 places left.

In europe what do we have
Scotland,Wales,Ireland,Serbia,Russia,Georgia,Holland, who are playing (some league and all are progressing )at the moment.
Greece,Italy,Portugal and Malta from Sydney.

Add Lebanon and Morocco that come under the RLEF and you have a qualifying tournament of 13 nations and maybe Estonia and Germany making 15 countries chasing 2 places.

So why have the southern hemosphere been allocated one extra place??

Japan,USA,Tonga,Samoa,Cook Islands,South Africa,Fiji ,West Indies and ????

The down fall of this tournament is that every nation should be allowed the oppertunity to qualify.

Sorry but I believe they have left it far to late to organise a REAL WC.

Even if Grand Canarie (or take it to the more extreme even Hawai0 wanted to enter, let them, give them 12 months notice,give them a REAL pathway and let them in.

In the end the best 10 teams will make Aussie 2008 but everyone has had the oppertunity.

For the 2007 RUWC teams have been qualifying in front of three men and a dog for the last 18 months.

Why cant we do a global thing and bull it up the same as the IRB.

Its only when you get to the final stages the best show their worth.

Another balls up in my opinion.

At this stage less than two years from the event NO ONE apart from the teams that are gauranteed qualifcation knows whats going on.

Apparently everything will be in place by March 2006 but entries have to be in before January 31st 2006.

How can any nation organise a buisness/financial/coaching plan in less than ten weeks for a campaign that may last two years without any concrete details of whats happening.

Holand,Germany,Portugal,Spain,etc etc know their route,opposition and dates as they head towards France 2007.(Rah WC)
Since 2005 they have all been involved in a structured pathway with everything laid out in front of them what needs to be done to qualify.

Still at RL no one knows yet what TF is happening.




--------------------

 

[YANTO]

The qualifying tournaments will be something new and brilliant for the game.

Sides like South Africa etc who have made it in the past are no hope - but sides like Lebanon, West Indies, Cook Islands and USA will give an aweful scare to sides like Samoa, Ireland and Wales.

ROOPY see my post mate.

 

[YANTO]

i think its a bad decision

it should have been 12!!!!


there will be not much variety if only ten teams

4 will probably be taken up by GB & I

aus
nz
eng
ireland
scotland
wales
png
france
+ 2 more


12 would have been so good!

from my information Ireland,Scotland and wales acn not qualify as only 2 places will be open to Europe after France and England get automatic entry.

Aus
NZ
England
PNG
France
Wales
Ireland
Then your guessing.......even Lebanon have to qualify through the European group.
What about Russia and Serbia who have done the hard yards for years???
Sacrifice them for South Africa,Italy,USA,Japan,West Indies or Greece?

In my personal opinion (disclaimer against any official party) this is a big cop out and the qualifying games will be a farce with no structure or thought put behind it.
We have missed a great oppertunity to truly go global and show the other code how many nations are actually playing League.

Shakes head in dismay

 

[***MH***]

I am pretty sure the poms are playing as Great Britain & Ireland from now on seeing how poorly the 200 World Cup went for them when they played as 4 nations.

So the 10 teams might be:

GreatBritain.....Australia.........NewZealand......France.....PNG........Russia......USA.......Lebanon.........South Africa..........Tonga

I know Tonga & South Africa may seem out of place but I think they are better options than Cook Islands or NZ Maori or some other obsure team who can muster 13 blokes to play RL.

Great Britain don't participate.... They split into England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales... Even then Ireland, Scotland and Wales might have to qualify to make it!

 

[BatiFan]

Im with you Yanto, but great to see we will actually have a World Cup again.

As for comments from Colin Love, do you think he even knows that nations such as Portugal, Jamaica, Argentina, Samoa and South Africa have started playing rugby league?

 

[Ari Gold]

from my information Ireland,Scotland and wales acn not qualify as only 2 places will be open to Europe after France and England get automatic entry.

Aus
NZ
England
PNG
France
Wales
Ireland
Then your guessing.......even Lebanon have to qualify through the European group.
What about Russia and Serbia who have done the hard yards for years???
Sacrifice them for South Africa,Italy,USA,Japan,West Indies or Greece?

In my personal opinion (disclaimer against any official party) this is a big cop out and the qualifying games will be a farce with no structure or thought put behind it.
We have missed a great oppertunity to truly go global and show the other code how many nations are actually playing League.

Shakes head in dismay

Greece, Italy and WI can't make it. What's wrong if USA or Japan make it?

You have to build from the ground up YANTO, if this 2008 world cup failed i'd doubt we'd ever have another one, so they are taking the safest option. I'm 100% sure that they would know better than you if a 10 team WC is more viable than a 12 team WC.

 

[ucantseeme]

Great Britain don't participate.... They split into England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales

If the Poms want any chance at winning they will play as a united GB & I team. If the RLWC was going on now how would you rate their chances if they took out Brian Carney, Keiron Cunningham, Iestyn Harris and called themselves England. Besides having teams like Scotland and Ireland featuring with some NRL ring-ins whose surnames start with "Mc" would damage the integrity of the tournament not to mention weakening GB to the point where instead of a 3 horse race it becomes a 2 horse race, between NZ & OZ.

Similarly if the Kiwis were split into NZ and NZ Maori and other Polynesian teams it would weaken NZ to the point where OZ are assured of victory no matter what. GB and NZ need to be at full strength to have even a slight chance of beating OZ.

We have missed a great oppertunity to truly go global and show the other code how many nations are actually playing League.

A 10 team tournament is the smartest way to go. If you have more than that you will have cricket scores which will kill the integrity of the tournament. Remember how everyone on this forum mocked the integrity of the RUnion WC when OZ beat Namibia 142-0. It would be the same for league except more savage as league doesnt have the cash for comment deals set up with various media outlets to shield it.

Let's be honest, no matter how many teams they have only 3 are capable of winning. It's the Tri-Nations with 7 new challengers, the Dec-Nations.

You know, like triathlon and Decathlon.....;-)

 

[hgfds]

12 teams would not sacrifice quality lebanon,fiji,scotland would not be much behind no 8 9 10,lets hope some of these nations exert pressure on the rlif over the next 3 months