RLWC 2008 Rumours

[MRLA]

There's a Dutch club around the corner from me, here in Sydney!

 

[Giallorosso]

Now as we all know the rugby league world cup can never be a BIG BIG tournament like the football world cup or even the the rugby union world cup at international level but here on the east coast of australia it will be a BIG deal because we Aussie's love our league but having double headers will be a disaster!!

As would having it as a pre season comp fpr a start that would be in jan/ feb and it's way to hot especially up in QLD.

When the pommies have the rugby league WC they usually play it in Oct/Nov right at the begiining of the Football season when Superleague is finished we should do the same.

They should also limit it to 6 or 8 teams as the part-timers that represent some of the nobody teams will embarrass themselves.

This is not a BIG internationall sport like football or union so we should not try to become otherwise the anti-league media will have field day.

 

[Big Mick]

i'd like to see just Australia, New Zealand and England certainties.

I'd like to see like the Soccer World Cup system qualifying.

in which you have your European division divided into pools and get say 4-5 qualifiers from that.

then you have your Pacific division in which USA would also be a part of, in which 3-4 qualifiers from that.

I think that'd help the game develop in those countries, because they would be playing on a consistant basis.

 

[yankeeboy]

Does anybody know what countries wish to try to obtain a place in the cup?

 

[hutch]

Now as we all know the rugby league world cup can never be a BIG BIG tournament like the football world cup or even the the rugby union world cup at international level but here on the east coast of australia it will be a BIG deal because we Aussie's love our league but having double headers will be a disaster!!

As would having it as a pre season comp fpr a start that would be in jan/ feb and it's way to hot especially up in QLD.

When the pommies have the rugby league WC they usually play it in Oct/Nov right at the begiining of the Football season when Superleague is finished we should do the same.

They should also limit it to 6 or 8 teams as the part-timers that represent some of the nobody teams will embarrass themselves.

This is not a BIG internationall sport like football or union so we should not try to become otherwise the anti-league media will have field day.

at least 12 teams, otherwise what is the point, we might as well have a 6 nations tournament. i dont think they would embarrass themselves, rather they would be proud to represent their country and would work hard to improve before the next world cup. we dont want to be compared to the soccer world cup or the rugby union world cup, and why cant it grow into a big world event. the union world cup started small, they got 17000 to the semi final in australia when australia were playing. we have to start somewhere. there are about 30 countries that now play league, maybe not at an overly compeitive level but they still play it. i dont think countries based out of australia should compete, play an emerging nations tournament. if the emerging nations tournament is in australia which is doesnt have to be, maybe these games could be the double headers.

this thread was meant to be for people who have heard rumours, but it really seems as if there are none out there. when are we going to have some announcements, press releases etc.

 

[Misanthrope]

Hmm... well, I see a lot of good discussion, and not so many rumours. Heh.

I like some of what's been suggested. Double headers might do in some cases, but I understand Jeffles' point about having as many games in other places as possible. Hopefully Perth do get a game or two, since it's clear they love their league over there despite the NRL not loving them back.

I'm hoping for at least twelve sides, simply because it'll showcase the multicultural appeal of league, without having too many 'easybeats'.

 

[hgfds]

After the roasting they received from the last wc where teams without a domestic comp participitated in the wc surely they wont make the same mistake again,so it looks like italy,malta ,greece etc are out unless they can get something happening quicly
competing teams,
australia
england
nz
france
png
wales
tonga
ireland
fiji
lebanon
cook islands
scotland
usa
georgia
russia
japan
serbia
teams with probable domestic comp in 2006
west indies
south africa
holland
germany
argentina
morrocco
samoa
aussie teams
italy
malta
greece

 

[screeny]

As far as rumours go, the last thing I heard about the WC was that they were thinking abolut having it as a pre-season affair (disaster!) and that a special company had been commissioned to carry out a feasability study....but that was months ago and still no announcements. The finger just has to be pointed at the ARL, Love and Carr.

Would the RFL and Lewis have allowed this much time to pass without announcements etc?

 

[DIEHARD]

Ah the good old feasability study...

 

[TinghaInMotion]

Yes lets waste money on a study instead of using it towards putting on the WC.

Thats RL administration in 2005.

Does anyone have an email addy for the ARL, Love or Carr so we can yell at them?

We should just let Gallop and the NRL run everything. The ARL are just incompetent.

 

[Unknown Pleasures]

Things that should happen:

The United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland to have no more than 2 teams (preferrably one).

3 pools of 4, one of which should be based in New Zealand. Alternatively, they could go 4 pools of 3, with each pool playing a double round robin within the pool. This would work better for determining Quarter Finalists, and would create more games. With this plan, you could have 6 team in the knock-out stages: 2 pools to have 2 (harder pools), and 2 pools with one (easier).

Games to be played all over Australia. Until the finals, no games should be played in Brisbane or Sydney, with possibly one exception for a game including Lebanon.

Qualifiers being held in 2007 to determine nations competing.

The pool containing Australia to play all over the country, with games in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Launceston.

Other pools to be held in NZ and regional NSW/QLD.

The quarterfinals (or round of 6) to be played in Melbourne and Christchurch.

Semis in Brisbane and Auckland. Third place game to either be in Sydney or in Melbourne. Final at Telstra Stadium.

Playing games in Tasmania would be a disaster. The NRL seems to have no ambitions of basing a team there, so why bother playing WC games there?
Sydney and Brisbane are the main RL heartlands so they need to have the majority of the matches. The last thing we want to 5,000 people at Melbourne showing up when you could get 4 times that in Sydney or Brisbane.
Also as for the UK and Ireland, if the home nations are split up then if all four are among the top 10 or 12 countries they should make it.
The WC has to have the best teams competing, not just the teams we want to see in it.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Ah the good old feasability study...

Yup.

I mean, this is surely just lining the pockets of some old RL player.

I can understand governments needing feasability studies to get a decision.

But the ARL ?

I mean FFS, it's not like they do a lot now a days anyway, they don't run a comp anymore.

If over the course of a year Carr and Love don't have their finger on the pulse of RL, knowing where it's strong and where it's not, then WTF are they doing for 52 weeks of the year ?

 

[Jeffles]

I'm holding out on commenting until June-July when the preliminary announcement is due.

 

[yankeeboy]

I'm not talking about holding games such as USA-Lebanon outside of the heartlands; that game wouldn't draw any crowds.

However, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, etc. all get large crowds to see the Wallabies; there is no reason why they wouldn't come out to see the Kangas.

 

[Resident Warrior]

The tournament should be co-hosted with New Zealand with the final to be played in Australia, this should be one of the first requirements for me at least, since Rugby League is not that big in New Zealand the added exposure would do it some good.

I think we should forego some qualification for the WC and instead reward countries that are making some progress like the USA, Lebanon and Malta. To incourage them.

GB should be split back into seperate nations.

 

[southsman]

For Financial reasons I feel the World Cup should only have 10 Teams .
2 x 5 Country Pools .
The more teams and the more games played will add huge costs . Lets keep the games in our heartlands. We cannot afford to have teams flying all over the country . Games in Sydney, Gosford, Wollongong, Canbera, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast , Townsville and Melbourne. If we can sustain good sponsorship and have a well structures world cup then yes lets think about Perth and Adelaide.

No chance for Tasmania or Darwin... Forget about it. The more venues the more costs involved with signage and so on.

Australia
England
Ireland
Lebanon .. If not Lebanon then lets try Georgia/Russia/USA
PNG



New Zealand
Wales
Tonga
Somoa
France

 

[Kurt Angle]

For Financial reasons I feel the World Cup should only have 10 Teams .
2 x 5 Country Pools .
The more teams and the more games played will add huge costs . Lets keep the games in our heartlands. We cannot afford to have teams flying all over the country . Games in Sydney, Gosford, Wollongong, Canbera, Newcastle, Brisbane, Gold Coast , Townsville and Melbourne. If we can sustain good sponsorship and have a well structures world cup then yes lets think about Perth and Adelaide.

I agree, 2 x 5 teams... a 10 team tournament. + top 2 of each = semi-final, then final.

The reason for the, only the Australian side will draw crowds outside of the heartlands.

This will give Australia 4 pool games.

Again, it doesn't have to be big.

Australia draw with England perhaps for the 'big' pool game, opening ceremoney.. perhaps in Melbourne.

Australia will get 15,000 for Hindmarsh stadium in Adelaideand a nice crowd at Members Equity stadium in Perth.

Their 4th pool game perhaps in Newcastle or Canberra.

Leaves a Brisbane semi-final for Australia + Final for Sydney.

That means Australia will play in each of the state capitals + Canberra or Newcastle... that's a good spread.

Australia
England
Ireland
Lebanon
PNG

New Zealand
France
Tonga
Wales
USA

 

[Ari Gold]

i like it....

 

[southsman]

Sydney and Brisbane people won't be happy but nice ideas. Just worried about the cost.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Sydney and Brisbane people won't be happy but nice ideas. Just worried about the cost.

I think the ARL/NRL has to look at better ways of deriving revenue. The fact is once we get GC, the East coast is saturated with teams, and really only leaves a relocation from SYdney to CC for revenue maximisation.

The ARU have shown a proven method of drawing revenue from outside its traditional states.

For starters, get this out in the open.

The World Cup does not need to make a big profit. It just has to avoid a loss.

A profit means a cashed up RFL, ARL and RLIF

The RFL and ARL can have all the money in the world, they won't do anything effective with it because... well, they are the RFL and ARL.

The RLIF has never had any money so we don't know what it can do with it. You can't lose what you don't have.

However, popularity can be garnered from the other states by a vehicle that will suceed with even a small amount of marketing.

The national side... in a world cup.

We don't need the volumes of 40,000 at Subiaco and 30,000 at Adelaide oval.

We need 15,000 at Hindmarsh and 20-25,000 at Members Equity.
With full or close to full gates and a tournament sponsor, these games will be worth while.

This world cup should be used as a vehicle to promote the Kangaroos in Australia. After the mess SL caused in Adelaide and Perth, I don't see an NRL presence there for along time if ever.

However, the Kangaroos can still be popular enough to ensure Green Jersey with Gold V's are sold in these places.

It's a shame an athlete the calibre of Darren Lockyer is unknown in half the country.

The AFL states can ignore NRL club sides, and players like Sherwin, Skandalis, Campbell, etc all they want, that's understandable.

They should however respect the Kangaroos and players like Lockyer.