The future of international rugby league?

[imported_global13]

I'd like to hear what others may have heard, read, have inside knowledge, know etc, etc about future rugby league internationals. What tournaments, tours, series, games , whatever are on the agenda? I know there are plenty of places to locate upcoming events but so many seem never to eventuate. Does the RLIF have a plan, why is the international rugby league calender so haphazard, are the NRL and ESL going to set aside weekends for internationals , why don't the developing nations get exposure to the best eg kangaroos?
I'm not after anybody's grand scheme or proposed structure ( do the powers that be even read these forums), I just want anything concrete , anything that may be in the works, anything the controlling bodies might be toying with. Don'tget me wrong, I love the plans for internationals I see on this and other forums but reading peoples great ideas depresses me 'cos the ones making the decisions don't appear to be interested in our visionbecause they are afraid of change, of taking chances, of upsetting the applecart.
So if anybody can place a few pieces in the international rugby league jigsaw puzzle we can see how many missing pieces there are,
cheers, Global13.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

Hey there global,
i cant fill in all the spaces but ill help you where i can. From what i know, quite a few people of a high standing do read these forums. Some of us have been quoted in newspapers before, a whole segment on the number one radio station in Sydney was devoted to a thread on the old WORL forums. A lot of gossip stories stem from this site, and i know that Steven (Yakstorm) has told both Tas Bateri and David Moffett about the rleague.com website...
To answer the international aspect and its future, i will say the following. Some of this may be a bit inaccurate, but i think most of it is right:
-The Student university games in Europe will be held soon and many countries like Russia will be participating in the rugby league competition
-A France team have just signed up a few Penrith grade players, which will strengthen their comp. Good crowds and good sponsorship have been reported throughout france this year
-The World 7s (or 9s, not sure) will be returning in 2002/2003
-The American national league is gaining some attention in the local media. Future plans are to expand the game throughout America to areas such as California, Hawaii and Utah
-A wales vs lebanon game is planned to be played in lebanon later this year. It will be viewed by a number of delegates, including representatives of the lebanese gov't
-The lebanese league competition is 'slated' to get off the ground in the next 1-2 years
-The state of origin game 3 was shown live throughout america on fox (surely a step forward)
-It has been proposed that a five nations setup (similar to the rugby comp) is set up in the near future
The Fan.

 

[imported_global13]

Thanx MFC, I'm just troubled by the tentative nature of many of these fixtures. I remember the USRL going to jacksonville and all the big plans, overseas teams playing there and then some sort of split. The world 9's or 7's in south africa then nothing. The kangaroo tour , no french game cos the 'roos wanted it as a warm up and the french felt they'd be underdone so zilch. The tri series a few years back originally had pacific island teams as undercards but again nothing.
None of the governing bodies appear to work together, no leadership, nothing ever set in concrete. No wonder we can't get internationals televised ( unless australia is playing) because the media have no idea about upcoming games. There's no build up to internationals , no hype , just " who's australia gonna beat this time " if anything.
Hopefully the kangaroo tour will spark it up again ( I know the french are trying) but then again I thought the RLWC would do it also. Even the next RLWC is hazy- where, how many teams, we're becoming a joke because of it ,
cheers , Global13.

 

[Cronulla_Mania]

No worries global....i just have one word for you..RLIF
They are a joke, there is no structure in place and gooses like Greg McCallum are on the board. From my understanding, they don't even have a website! We never hear boo from them, they have no future plans and are only interested in satisfying the wants of the poms and the australians without furthering the game internationally. Yakstorm has met Tas Bateri a few times, he probably has a bit more info about just how the RLIF justify their ridiculous actions...
I do feel that some are countries are starting to take matters into their own hands regarding promotion. They have given up trying to get help from the RLIF, i think that league has a big future in europe,usa and lebanon....as long as they get a foothold. Traditional areas such as France should also re-emerge, given a bit of expansion and growth...
But yeah, alot still depends on the 'yahoos' that run the RLIF
The Fan.