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Australia and New Zealand withdraw from RLWC

Jim from Oz

Juniors
Messages
724
Can someone please summarise what Troy Grant says? Thanks

(Will listen when I can, just snowed under with work!)
 
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Messages
246
Do you really think Covid will be under control by next year?

Delta variant is moving across countries that were vaxed

Next year we may see another variant or two pop up

Vaxes are around 12 months behind the variants

This cycle may go on for a decade
when asked when are we gonna open up, if not now when? well my answer is open up more next March.
 

Jim from Oz

Juniors
Messages
724
OK I have now listened to that podcast. Troy Grant comes across really well.

Some points:

* IRL is still hoping France will back 2025 RLWC but nothing confirmed. Incredibly, as of early 2020 there was NO bidder for this tournament, and it was Troy Grant's idea and initiative to take it up with the French.

* IRL is STILL working on the mythical 8-year international RL calendar and they hope it will be agreed to and released by year end. It will be condensed by one year in the 2022-25 period because of the 2021 RLWC postponement; it will also include the qualification pathways for the 2025 RLWC.

* The 2023 RL World Cup Nines is still "on track". No venue or date mentioned.

* IRL still hoping to increasingly commercialise and professionalise all their operations, but progress is slow.

* Most incredibly, Troy Grant and the entire RLWC board are ALL volunteers.
 

KaivitiBati

Juniors
Messages
9
OK I have now listened to that podcast. Troy Grant comes across really well.

Some points:

* IRL is still hoping France will back 2025 RLWC but nothing confirmed. Incredibly, as of early 2020 there was NO bidder for this tournament, and it was Troy Grant's idea and initiative to take it up with the French.

* IRL is STILL working on the mythical 8-year international RL calendar and they hope it will be agreed to and released by year end. It will be condensed by one year in the 2022-25 period because of the 2021 RLWC postponement; it will also include the qualification pathways for the 2025 RLWC.

* The 2023 RL World Cup Nines is still "on track". No venue or date mentioned.

* IRL still hoping to increasingly commercialise and professionalise all their operations, but progress is slow.

* Most incredibly, Troy Grant and the entire RLWC board are ALL volunteers.
Hope they can get the 3 other Home Nations & France along with US, Canada & Jamaica more games against their Pacific Counterparts say during Autumn they play 4 games something like this in addition to the Euro A:
1) Scotland v US
2) Scotland v PNG
3) Scotland v Cook Islands
4) Scotland v Samoa

5) Wales v Canada
6) Wales v US
7) Wales v Fiji
8) Wales v Tonga

9) Ireland v Jamaica
10) Ireland v Canada
11) Ireland v Samoa
12) Ireland v Cook Islands

13) France v Fiji
14) France v Tonga
15) France v PNG
16) France v Jamaica

17) US v Canada
18) US v Jamaica
19) Canada v Jamaica

Edit:
Forgot to add a Spring Tour of the North after the Oceania Cup
1) Fiji v US
2) Fiji v Canada
3) Fiji v Scotland
4) Fiji v Ireland

5) Tonga v Jamaica
6) Tonga v US
7) Tonga v Ireland
8) Tonga v Scotland

9) PNG v Canada
10) PNG v Ireland
11) PNG v Wales
12) PNG v Jamaica

13) Samoa v France
14) Samoa v Wales
15) Samoa v Jamaica
16) Samoa v US

17) Cook Islands v Wales
18) Cook Islands v France
19) Cook Islands v Canada
20) Cook Islands v Maori
 
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Coastbloke

Bench
Messages
4,051
Would love to see png tour uk and France ,and tonga as well. We need to see the other nations get proper tours.

When you think of Tonga in 2019, I think a Tour of Europe would be pretty successful. 3 Tests against England, 2 against France and 1 for Wales. England stadiums could be the 25, 000 pax like Wigan and Huddersfield..

Pretty sure PNG has done a couple of Tours to France and I reckon Samoa and Fiji would go alright too...
 

KennySterling

Juniors
Messages
1,067
When you think of Tonga in 2019, I think a Tour of Europe would be pretty successful. 3 Tests against England, 2 against France and 1 for Wales. England stadiums could be the 25, 000 pax like Wigan and Huddersfield..

Pretty sure PNG has done a couple of Tours to France and I reckon Samoa and Fiji would go alright too...
PNG toured England & France in 1987 and 1991.

It would be nice to see the Kumuls tour again and Fiji & Tonga/Samoa making their first proper fully-fledged tours to Britain & France having been World Cup semi-finalists. Could it be financially viable ?

Championship teams such as Bradford, Halifax, London, York, Featherstone, Barrow, Newcastle and Widnes would surely be able to promote such fixtures and then test matches would be the icing on the cake.
 

Gomersall

Juniors
Messages
71
The huge elephant in the room now is that the NRL have already blocked players from repping other nations at the WC. No way IMO will they allow their players to go off on tour unless it’s the Kangaroos or Kiwis.
 
Messages
14,167
The huge elephant in the room now is that the NRL have already blocked players from repping other nations at the WC. No way IMO will they allow their players to go off on tour unless it’s the Kangaroos or Kiwis.
It's called being insular by the NRL.
The real fear is that these players who want to play for PI nations and then beat Australia will undermine SOO, which is a bit earner for the game here.
When i think of the NRL and the ARLC i think the term to describe them is invertebrates.
 
Messages
246
There are only 5 RL playing nations. You can't have a WC like soccer and RU do with 5 teams. If nobody wants to do the WC over 4 years then something i've said before on here, have a club world cup instead. I don't like nation v nation sporting contests much, i've had to face reality regarding them of course, but nations can cease to exist tomorrow, or borders changed, cities and towns are far more likely to stay in existence unless there's a natural disaster. Imagine a group in a WC of Parramatta, Brisbane, Warrington and Wigan. How fantastic that would be, have a 16 team WC, top two from each group goes into the quarter-finals. Top 10 from the NRL and top 6 from SL qualify for the WC.
 

Perth Red

Post Whore
Messages
65,408
There are only 5 RL playing nations. You can't have a WC like soccer and RU do with 5 teams. If nobody wants to do the WC over 4 years then something i've said before on here, have a club world cup instead. I don't like nation v nation sporting contests much, i've had to face reality regarding them of course, but nations can cease to exist tomorrow, or borders changed, cities and towns are far more likely to stay in existence unless there's a natural disaster. Imagine a group in a WC of Parramatta, Brisbane, Warrington and Wigan. How fantastic that would be, have a 16 team WC, top two from each group goes into the quarter-finals. Top 10 from the NRL and top 6 from SL qualify for the WC.
yes because the last full world club challenge was such a success :) You get to watch clubs for 8 months of the year, 2 months for internationals isnt too much to ask. I much more enjoy international comps than club comps these days.

ps there isnt only 5 RL playing nations.
 

Tigers1986

Juniors
Messages
1,315
And in contrast to the RU argument, there's only 4-5 strong nations in RU atm as well. NZ, South Africa, England, France and Ireland. Wales on the improve but inconsistent.
 

Matua

Bench
Messages
4,528
It's called being insular by the NRL.
The real fear is that these players who want to play for PI nations and then beat Australia will undermine SOO, which is a bit earner for the game here.
When i think of the NRL and the ARLC i think the term to describe them is invertebrates.
I don't think that's the fear at all, Oz have instituted specific rules to allow PIs to play SOO and for an island team, it's not going to undermine Origin. It's probably a net positive for Oz internationally because it will likely cannibalise the Kiwis.
 

stryker

First Grade
Messages
5,277
There are only 5 RL playing nations. You can't have a WC like soccer and RU do with 5 teams. If nobody wants to do the WC over 4 years then something i've said before on here, have a club world cup instead. I don't like nation v nation sporting contests much, i've had to face reality regarding them of course, but nations can cease to exist tomorrow, or borders changed, cities and towns are far more likely to stay in existence unless there's a natural disaster. Imagine a group in a WC of Parramatta, Brisbane, Warrington and Wigan. How fantastic that would be, have a 16 team WC, top two from each group goes into the quarter-finals. Top 10 from the NRL and top 6 from SL qualify for the WC.
We did something like this before and every NRL club flogged every SL club.
International Tests have to be the pinnacle again. f**k SOO, it is the trial series to make the real rep side.
 
Messages
246
Very sad time for the game, not surprising, just sad. RL remains a tiny sport played in a handful of places for very good reason and it has nothing to do with the quality or fun of playing the game on the pitch.
I guess the IRL got wind the clubs were going to stop NRL players from going. f**k you Vlandys and the NRL.
Apparently the NH nations have a written agreement with NZ and Oz that they have to come up here every November in order to guarantee that the British Lions will tour the three major SH nations every 4 years.
 

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