2008 World Cup Details - Terrible News

[brendothejet]

I see people on here talking about absolutely nobody teams as though they had a chance to make it.

a twelve team tournament will just guarantee that ireland and scotland get in as well...

forget japan and south africa you idiots. the World Sevens in 94 don't count...

 

[phonetic]

my setup:

New Zealand
Australia
England
France
Papua New Guinnea

West-European Cup Winners: Wales
Pacific Cup Winner: Cook Islands
Mediteranean Cup Winners: Lebanon
East-European Cup Winners: Russia
Atlantic Cup Winners (i.e. USA, Jamaica, South Africa, Argentina): USA

I don't think we can be rewarding the best of the 'Atlantic Cup' with a place at the WC. South Africa and Argentina? They seem a bit mythical to me, maybe I can be proven wrong?

The winner of that zone should go through to play a runner up in a stronger group.

In fact I'd group Europe together and take the top two. Then top 2 from the Pacific, then winner from Atlantic Cup plays the 3rd strongest European side.

Wales and Ireland would probably qualify through Europe
Cook Islands and Fiji possibly through the Pacific.

Then USA could play off against Scotland or Russia for the last spot.

Who knows how they're going to go about it. It sure makes for interesting discussion in the meantime however.

 

[brendothejet]

I agree with Phonetic. Make the USA or these fictional sides that only exist in out of date web pages on rleague.com such as Argentina and South Africa play off against a Europe side.

i think Scotland, Russia or Serbia deserves a chance at half a qualification spot, simliar to how we got into the soccer cup. It is fairly obvious that Wales and Ireland will take two spots from Europe, but those other sides deserve a go against the Yanks, who will realistically have to defeat a pack of nobodys to win.

having said that I'd love to see Nate "seabiscuit" Smith out here. Ian Blake. DArrr HAHA!

 

[Pig Champion]

The qualification route (or desired route) seems superb and I can't understand people bagging it.

All the nations which play RL, and which have a domestic comp or set up, can be involved, so Serbia can have a tilt at the finals. That they know they have zero chance of qualification isn't important.

Also the likes of Malta etc will be tested. Are they for real or are they only making the right noises to try and get into the WC? If they aren't invited to qualify due to inferior criteria will they give up? Interesting to see.

The onyl thing that's a bit rubbish is 10 teams. A serious tournament just cannot have uneven groups...but sheesh, RL refuses to be serious sometimes.

I agree. On a much larger scale the soccer world cup have tons of teams attempting to qualify who probably never will, but that doesn't stop them trying.

If a nation is for real in it's rugby league development it will stick with the game for the long haul. Not just emerge prior to a WC then disappear again.

Yeah, 10 teams is somewhat strange, surely 12 would have been easier to facilitate. Maybe if a press release came out with the justification it would appease us.

 

[knights 2004]

Aust
NZ
Eng
France
PNG

+

Tonga
Samoa
Wales
Ireland
lebanese

 

[phonetic]

Aust
NZ
Eng
France
PNG

+

Tonga
Samoa
Wales
Ireland
lebanese

I think Lebanon would be a boon for the whole event. I imagine a lot of the Lebanese in Australia (Sydney especially) would really get behind them. So I do hope they qualify, but they face some stiff opposition in Europe.

I wonder if they could attract a full strength team for qualification games.

I'm not sure if your Pacific candidates will be there in 08 though.

 

[hutch]

Fantastic!!

the World Cup is on its way!!

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

exactly right. we whinge when we dont hear anything, we whinge when they make a decision and we dont agree with it, but we all have the games best interests at heart (there are exceptions). but you know what, we are getting a world cup, which if successful is likely to grow into a bigger event in the future. we have to start somewhere, and we are starting completely over, the previous world cups are wiped away.

lets all support it and make it succesful. international rugby league is the best!!!!!!!!!

 

[hutch]

the post should be renamed, 2008 world cup - details. not terrible news. how is it terrible that our world cup has been confirmed. as gasnier once said, "f**k me fire up!!!"

 

[screeny]

the post should be renamed, 2008 world cup - details. not terrible news. how is it terrible that our world cup has been confirmed. as gasnier once said, "f**k me fire up!!!"

Yeah, but what's the second half of Gasnier's sentence??!! That has some relevance in terms of this thread....

 

[screeny]

But the RUWC had uneven groups. Oh wait, now I see what you are saying :lol:

The qualification will be pointless if they have no chance in hell of making it. There needs to be a chance of a small team being able to win through - so I think the number of teams should have been higher.

I didn't follow the RUWC at all so I didn't know that. Well, whatever the sport, uneven groups in a WC finals is a bit uneccessary in my opinion.

I disagree entirely with your second point.

If Serbia are in the qualifiers, with two Euro spots available, how on earth do you create a qualifying process that gives everyone a hope of qualifying for Australia '08?

Serbia can, possibly, beat Holland and definitely Germany and that's it. They have no chance against Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Lebanon, Russia, Georgia. Absolutely no chance. But being part of a WC qualification process is a step forward.

The next step for the Serb management is - don't shoot me for saying this - getting some expat Serb Aussies or English passionately involved. Without that quick fix of talent they have no chance.

 

[griff]

well not pointless, but the more positions that are potentially open to minnow nations the more impetus there is for nations to take up RL.

Places like Serbia having to go through the pretence of getting thrashed 200-0 by Wales in a WC qualifier isnt going to really help them.

If the WC is so small that only the big nations can make it, they may give up or switch to union

 

[nadera78]

When the RLIF talks of 6 players having played in the local domestic competition for one year, does that mean the preceeding year or any year?

 

[screeny]

well not pointless, but the more positions that are potentially open to minnow nations the more impetus there is for nations to take up RL.

Places like Serbia having to go through the pretence of getting thrashed 200-0 by Wales in a WC qualifier isnt going to really help them.

If the WC is so small that only the big nations can make it, they may give up or switch to union

I see your point. Even with 12 places though, with five automatic entrants, 3 SH and 3 NH with the last a Rest of the World slot, Serbia still would have zero chance.

Some people just have to miss out!

I would still have liked 3 from the north and three from the south in a 12 team tournament though. Would have been just as competitive and more reflective of league's confidence and growth at the moment.

From the north one of Ireland, Lebanon, Wales and Scotland would have missed out, and from the south one of Tonga, Fiji, Samoa and the Cooks.

As it stands, it seems as though two of those will miss out.

 

[hutch]

When the RLIF talks of 6 players having played in the local domestic competition for one year, does that mean the preceeding year or any year?

pretty sure its any year mate

 

[IanG]

Speaking of NZ Maori that'd basically be the equivilant of Australia fielding an aboriginals team.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Speaking of NZ Maori that'd basically be the equivilant of Australia fielding an aboriginals team.

Talking about the Maori and Aboriginals rugby league . I think the ARL should have the best Aboriginal team to play PNG in a three match series .
Two games in North Queensland and one in PNG and vise versa . It would help the PNG Rugby league .

 

[YANTO]

I didn't follow the RUWC at all so I didn't know that. Well, whatever the sport, uneven groups in a WC finals is a bit uneccessary in my opinion.

I disagree entirely with your second point.

If Serbia are in the qualifiers, with two Euro spots available, how on earth do you create a qualifying process that gives everyone a hope of qualifying for Australia '08?

Serbia can, possibly, beat Holland and definitely Germany and that's it. They have no chance against Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Lebanon, Russia, Georgia. Absolutely no chance. But being part of a WC qualification process is a step forward.

The next step for the Serb management is - don't shoot me for saying this - getting some expat Serb Aussies or English passionately involved. Without that quick fix of talent they have no chance.

So deny Serbia the oppertunity??
FFS even Serbia play in the RU WC qualifiers but they are never going to win it.
The fact is they get to play in the world cup.
Why have they no chance against Georgia.?
They lost in Tbilissi but only by 30 points.Playing in Belgrade may be different.
Serbia have as much or if not more right to attempt to qualify as Lebanon,Wales,Scotland or Ireland by the fact they have had a domestic competition in place LONGER than these countries.

Anyway it looks like the European qualifying competition will begin this year with the Euro Nations "B" winners again going into the Euro Nations Championships (which will be minus England and France I believe).
This will then become the European WC Qulifying group.
Extract from the RLEF website.

Already scheduled are European Preliminary World Cup Qualifiers from April-June 2006, with the top nations from that going forward to meet the continents more senior European sides in home and away group fixtures commencing in October and November 2006 and completing in October and November 2007.


PS Screeny Serbia "can Possiblt beat Holland" even though they have failed at home and away in the last twelve months.

 

[milton]

So in that "B" Euro cup what are the teams that will be competing:
Holland
Serbia
Gorgia
Lebanon
Morocco
Estonia?
Germany
South Africa

 

[ali]

So deny Serbia the oppertunity??
FFS even Serbia play in the RU WC qualifiers but they are never going to win it.
The fact is they get to play in the world cup.
Why have they no chance against Georgia.?
They lost in Tbilissi but only by 30 points.Playing in Belgrade may be different.
Serbia have as much or if not more right to attempt to qualify as Lebanon,Wales,Scotland or Ireland by the fact they have had a domestic competition in place LONGER than these countries.

Anyway it looks like the European qualifying competition will begin this year with the Euro Nations "B" winners again going into the Euro Nations Championships (which will be minus England and France I believe).
This will then become the European WC Qulifying group.
Extract from the RLEF website.

Already scheduled are European Preliminary World Cup Qualifiers from April-June 2006, with the top nations from that going forward to meet the continents more senior European sides in home and away group fixtures commencing in October and November 2006 and completing in October and November 2007.


PS Screeny Serbia "can Possiblt beat Holland" even though they have failed at home and away in the last twelve months.

Why do you think France wont be involved? The tour to Aus sounds as though it's going to be after the French domestic season finishes in June. I assume if the ENC is going to double as World Cup qualifiers, then Lebanon will have to be involved. I'd still like to see a strengthening of the ENC next year, with England, France and Lebanon all involved. Add the Celts, Russia and a qualifier and suddenly we have a strong ENC. Leave the Med Cup for the lebanese Espoirs, Morocco and Serbia.

How it would work it terms of world cup qualifying I'm not sure. But I'd like to see all teams get a chance home and away in a pool like situation over 2 years. The others such as England and France can compete for the ENC, but only games between the qualifying nations count towards world cup qualification.

 

[screeny]

Yanto, you miss my point entirely. I am saying that Serbia will be in the qualification process - which is the most important thing for all nations. That Serbia have no chance of actually graduating to the finals is not the point.

As for no chance of beating Georgia, a 30-point loss in Georgia's first or second game doesn't signify much of a hope, although given a couple of Aussies then who knows?