One Year Ago: The 2017 World Cup

[Burns]

On Friday 27 October 2017, the World Cup Opening Game between England v Australia marked the beginning, of well, what was an odd tournament.

What are your memories? Where are we now? Was the World Cup a success?

I travelled overnight on bus from Sydney to Melbourne to watch that Opening Game. I remember being blown away by AAMI Park as a first time visitor, but disappointing in a crowd of around 22,000 and a cringe ‘Opening Ceremony’. The match itself was alright at least and showed that’s England would be competitive.

I then volunteered at the town Sydney games with wayfinding, and again was disappointing at how amateur hour the entire operationals side felt. The people who were in charge were predominantly people with no real interest in Rugby League and just did event management.

The World Cup itself for me and it’s legacy? It showed that the Nth Hemisphere is falling further behind the Pacific, as France and Scotland were awful. Ireland however were entertaining.

USA was sad, but PNG were a delight for their home matches. Tonga has been discussed in depth on this forum, and not much more needs to be said.

The Final. I don’t think I’ve rewatched a minute of it. That ankle tap on Kallum Watkins will stay with me for life, who knew what could have happened.

All in all. It was kinda meh wasn’t?

 

[taipan]

Read an article from NZ, stating rugby league numbers up after the World Cup
www.newshub.com
There has been strong growth in the number of children playing the game-nearly 1,000 more since NZ co hosted last years World Cup.
Inclined to agree the crowds and organisation In Oz seemed ordinary compared to NZ and PNG.
The usual negative media types were out in force prior ,which didn't help.
Still unsure what the final profit figure ended up as.

Think the 2021 RLWC will be a far bigger success.

 

[kiwileaguefan]

Read an article from NZ, stating rugby league numbers up after the World Cup
www.newshub.com
There has been strong growth in the number of children playing the game-nearly 1,000 more since NZ co hosted last years World Cup.

Don't be fooled by those figures....adult numbers are in the decline...and I believe junior numbers are down in Auckland.

With the WNRL, surely we will see a big jump in female numbers.

For me if the RLWC was reduced in numbers it would have been better.

Was great to see the rise of Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Ireland. But then balanced by the disappointment in NZ, Wales, USA and Scotland.

To be fair I thought France did ok considering the pool they were in.

 

[taipan]

Don't be fooled by those figures....adult numbers are in the decline...and I believe junior numbers are down in Auckland.

With the WNRL, surely we will see a big jump in female numbers.

For me if the RLWC was reduced in numbers it would have been better.

Was great to see the rise of Tonga, Fiji, PNG and Ireland. But then balanced by the disappointment in NZ, Wales, USA and Scotland.

To be fair I thought France did ok considering the pool they were in.

Not fooled.Senior numbers are struggling in areas here.Just children was my reference.

 

[Leigh Howlett]

A bunch of us Country Bumpkins travelled to BrisVegas for the final, Qld the Sunshine State mmmm!, we were there for 5 days ad the sun never shone once, being the Joker in the pack I wore GB jerseys all the time, at the Brisbane airport while wearing a Hull FC jersey people thought I was a Pom!.
Walking from our base at Auchenflower down to Suncorp I was wearing an Old John Smith's sponsored jumper from at least 20 years ago and you'd be surprised at how many responses I got from fans either driving past or meeting them outside the ground.
Even though I'm a born and bred Aussie. I was hoping for the sake of International RL that England would win, so close yet so far, was on the edge of our seats all game but what disappointed me was the lack of singing from the English supporters, I think they were scattered too sparsely around the ground despite them being there in droves.

 

[LeagueXIII]

Senior numbers are down because players are coming to Ausralia looking for opportunities. The Auckland league will attempt to address this by implementing a semi pro league in the next year or so.

 

[deluded pom?]

A year ago tomorrow we were at the airport waiting to board a plane to Auckland. Fantastic experience attending the New Zealand v Samoa and Samoa v Tonga matches and then off on a tour of New Zealand.

 

[Springs09]

A bunch of us Country Bumpkins travelled to BrisVegas for the final, Qld the Sunshine State mmmm!, we were there for 5 days ad the sun never shone once, being the Joker in the pack I wore GB jerseys all the time, at the Brisbane airport while wearing a Hull FC jersey people thought I was a Pom!.
Walking from our base at Auchenflower down to Suncorp I was wearing an Old John Smith's sponsored jumper from at least 20 years ago and you'd be surprised at how many responses I got from fans either driving past or meeting them outside the ground.
Even though I'm a born and bred Aussie. I was hoping for the sake of International RL that England would win, so close yet so far, was on the edge of our seats all game but what disappointed me was the lack of singing from the English supporters, I think they were scattered too sparsely around the ground despite them being there in droves.

`lol where were you? I specifically remember going to the fan zone on Saturday and not only was the sun out but it was quite hot.

Most of the tournament was a disappointment. Opening ceremony, nearly every crowd in Australia, the scheduling/organisation, crowds for Kiwis games, the performance of Wales/Scotland/Samoa/Italy, the size and behaviour of the final crowd. Positives were the obvious Tonga and PNG as well as USA using several homegrown players plus the quality of football was quite good specifically the Tonga v NZ/England games and the final.

Compared to 2013 it was very disappointing.

 

[hutch]

Highlight for me was being in Brisbane for the final. Not so much the game or the crowd but meeting people from different parts of the world who love rugby league, giving me hope (and confirmation) that rugby league is an international game and it’s not all about the nrl, something I’ve always believed in.

 

[deluded pom?]

Highlight for me was being in Brisbane for the final. Not so much the game or the crowd but meeting people from different parts of the world who love rugby league, giving me hope (and confirmation) that rugby league is an international game and it’s not all about the nrl, something I’ve always believed in.

Don’t stop believin’. Hold on to the feelin’.

 

[Leigh Howlett]

`lol where were you? I specifically remember going to the fan zone on Saturday and not only was the sun out but it was quite hot.

Most of the tournament was a disappointment. Opening ceremony, nearly every crowd in Australia, the scheduling/organisation, crowds for Kiwis games, the performance of Wales/Scotland/Samoa/Italy, the size and behaviour of the final crowd. Positives were the obvious Tonga and PNG as well as USA using several homegrown players plus the quality of football was quite good specifically the Tonga v NZ/England games and the final.

Compared to 2013 it was very disappointing.

Saturday we went to the Races at Doomben, the only time I go to the horse racing is when I tag along with the betting tragics!, I'll try and post some photos I took before the game, we were in a pretty good position around the 1/2 way mark and not too many rows back.

 

[expansionist]

Oh wow ive got so many memories..

Went to TSV, Cairns, AKL, BNE (live in BNE). My boy absolutely loved it, for 4 weeks we went from games to games, and lived and breathed the rest on TV. Taught him so much about the game and being young after that tournament he now has NO entrenched negativity about international RL. For him part of the charm was simply the exotic and far flung places in the world on show. It was a lightbulb moment- wow they play my game there???

My boy (who is spoilt) got to meet so many players from Tonga, Fiji, Australia, USA, Scotland sides, hundreds of photos, Cam Smiths boot, followed Fiji around to 3 games.. basically became Fijian. We streamed the fijian selection trials, and followed them through to the end. Huge poster he made, and stuck all the photos from all the players on it (from game 1 in TSV) so by game 2 we had the poster made with all players photos on it, and then he got signatures from all of them.. interviewed by Fiji TV..

I met some of the RLWC senior execs on all my flights... hilarious. They oveheard my boy telling the hostie where we were going, so got talking, and soon wished they hadnt after realising that far from being just a fan going to a game - they were talking to one of the worlds leading uber nerds of internaitonal RL.

The best thing that will live with me forever is the feeling of excitement, and the absolute joy in my young boys lives they experienced. I treasured the trips, experiences with my 2 young boys the shared love of the game and the global backyard.

They both came away from it telling me they couldnt wait until next years world cup!!!! What?????!!!!!! i have to wait 4 years????

By the time of the next WC my eldes will be 12 and possibly no longer wants to hang out with dad or maybe not even a RL fan (hell be playing that horrible union next year at school as brisbane private schools forbod RL - dont get me started)

but whatever happens the memories, and the sheer shared delight of that tournament will always have a special place in my heart. Brought me closer to my kids and also to my first love - international RL

 

[Perth Red]

The DH in Perth was a lot of fun with so many travelling England fans at the game. The final was a great weekend, game was a bit dull (does Wayne Bennett know how to coach offence?) but the whole show on the day was well worth the trip over for. Overall it was a great tournament brought alive by the fans of Tonga and PNG and the large travelling England contingent. Featured many great games and was a joy to watch. Crowds in Australia were disappointing but that's to be expected here.

 

[Perth Red]

Even though I'm a born and bred Aussie. I was hoping for the sake of International RL that England would win, so close yet so far, was on the edge of our seats all game but what disappointed me was the lack of singing from the English supporters, I think they were scattered too sparsely around the ground despite them being there in droves.

Yeh it was part of the disorganisation of the tournement for me, they should have had a couple of England supporter blocks at every game assigned.

 

[RL The greatest game]

The final itself was a very tough game.
Cameron Smith is a shadow of the player he was before the final. It took a hell of a lot out of him.

 

[Pommy]

On Friday 27 October 2017, the World Cup Opening Game between England v Australia marked the beginning, of well, what was an odd tournament.

What are your memories? Where are we now? Was the World Cup a success?

I travelled overnight on bus from Sydney to Melbourne to watch that Opening Game. I remember being blown away by AAMI Park as a first time visitor, but disappointing in a crowd of around 22,000 and a cringe ‘Opening Ceremony’. The match itself was alright at least and showed that’s England would be competitive.

I then volunteered at the town Sydney games with wayfinding, and again was disappointing at how amateur hour the entire operationals side felt. The people who were in charge were predominantly people with no real interest in Rugby League and just did event management.

The World Cup itself for me and it’s legacy? It showed that the Nth Hemisphere is falling further behind the Pacific, as France and Scotland were awful. Ireland however were entertaining.

USA was sad, but PNG were a delight for their home matches. Tonga has been discussed in depth on this forum, and not much more needs to be said.

The Final. I don’t think I’ve rewatched a minute of it. That ankle tap on Kallum Watkins will stay with me for life, who knew what could have happened.

All in all. It was kinda meh wasn’t?

My biggest memory is everyone falling over themselves about how good the pacific had got when in reality it was no such thing.
Stack teams full of Australians and Kiwis and yes they will get better.

 

[deluded pom?]

Oh wow ive got so many memories..

Went to TSV, Cairns, AKL, BNE (live in BNE). My boy absolutely loved it, for 4 weeks we went from games to games, and lived and breathed the rest on TV. Taught him so much about the game and being young after that tournament he now has NO entrenched negativity about international RL. For him part of the charm was simply the exotic and far flung places in the world on show. It was a lightbulb moment- wow they play my game there???

My boy (who is spoilt) got to meet so many players from Tonga, Fiji, Australia, USA, Scotland sides, hundreds of photos, Cam Smiths boot, followed Fiji around to 3 games.. basically became Fijian. We streamed the fijian selection trials, and followed them through to the end. Huge poster he made, and stuck all the photos from all the players on it (from game 1 in TSV) so by game 2 we had the poster made with all players photos on it, and then he got signatures from all of them.. interviewed by Fiji TV..

I met some of the RLWC senior execs on all my flights... hilarious. They oveheard my boy telling the hostie where we were going, so got talking, and soon wished they hadnt after realising that far from being just a fan going to a game - they were talking to one of the worlds leading uber nerds of internaitonal RL.

The best thing that will live with me forever is the feeling of excitement, and the absolute joy in my young boys lives they experienced. I treasured the trips, experiences with my 2 young boys the shared love of the game and the global backyard.

They both came away from it telling me they couldnt wait until next years world cup!!!! What?????!!!!!! i have to wait 4 years????

By the time of the next WC my eldes will be 12 and possibly no longer wants to hang out with dad or maybe not even a RL fan (hell be playing that horrible union next year at school as brisbane private schools forbod RL - dont get me started)

but whatever happens the memories, and the sheer shared delight of that tournament will always have a special place in my heart. Brought me closer to my kids and also to my first love - international RL

Great story. If you can afford to send the kids to private school you could always bring them over to the U.K. in 2021 . Going to a WC in a foreign land is a fantastic experience.

 

[Matua]

Highlight for me was ... nope there wasn't one. Kiwis had a crap coach, our best player split because of the coach and took one of our best backs with him, the NZRL banned Jesse Bromwich yet brought in convicted wife beater Fonua-Blake into the team, yet despite that I still thought the Kiwis would go ok. I was wrong.

 

[thorson1987]

Really enjoyed being at the two games in Sydney.

The Lebanese and England fans were great.

My main gripe with the tournament was having games played simultaneously, having to watch one on the TV and the other on the laptop was a pain in the arse.

 

[Jim from Oz]

Oh wow ive got so many memories..

Went to TSV, Cairns, AKL, BNE (live in BNE). My boy absolutely loved it, for 4 weeks we went from games to games, and lived and breathed the rest on TV. Taught him so much about the game and being young after that tournament he now has NO entrenched negativity about international RL. For him part of the charm was simply the exotic and far flung places in the world on show. It was a lightbulb moment- wow they play my game there???

My boy (who is spoilt) got to meet so many players from Tonga, Fiji, Australia, USA, Scotland sides, hundreds of photos, Cam Smiths boot, followed Fiji around to 3 games.. basically became Fijian. We streamed the fijian selection trials, and followed them through to the end. Huge poster he made, and stuck all the photos from all the players on it (from game 1 in TSV) so by game 2 we had the poster made with all players photos on it, and then he got signatures from all of them.. interviewed by Fiji TV..

I met some of the RLWC senior execs on all my flights... hilarious. They oveheard my boy telling the hostie where we were going, so got talking, and soon wished they hadnt after realising that far from being just a fan going to a game - they were talking to one of the worlds leading uber nerds of internaitonal RL.

The best thing that will live with me forever is the feeling of excitement, and the absolute joy in my young boys lives they experienced. I treasured the trips, experiences with my 2 young boys the shared love of the game and the global backyard.

They both came away from it telling me they couldnt wait until next years world cup!!!! What?????!!!!!! i have to wait 4 years????

By the time of the next WC my eldes will be 12 and possibly no longer wants to hang out with dad or maybe not even a RL fan (hell be playing that horrible union next year at school as brisbane private schools forbod RL - dont get me started)

but whatever happens the memories, and the sheer shared delight of that tournament will always have a special place in my heart. Brought me closer to my kids and also to my first love - international RL

Brilliant stuff!

All we need to do now is clone you and your two lads x 1,000,000,000 and international RL will be all set to take over the wooooorld !!!