Wales become full RLIF members

[The Tank]

http://www.cymrurl.com/news/2010/2010-5-2.html

They've also been handed an automatic placing in the 2013 WC.

 

[Non Terminator]

If Wales got this one, I'd love to see the Cookies get the other.

 

[Coleworld]

Thats an interesting read it looks like they have done some great work over there to get the game up and running. The battle between France vs Wales to get into the 4Nations is going to be very interesting.

 

[KiwiStorm]

Great news - also interesting to note on the Welsh RL site, that the World Cup will have some games in Wales, as well as England - all the more reason for automatic qualification.

 

[The Tank]

According to the BBC website the other spot may go to either Cooks or Lebanon.

The other automatic place is likely to go to either Cook Islands, who lost in the final of the 2009 Pacific Cup to Papua New Guinea, or Lebanon, who narrowly missed out on qualification for 2008.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_league/8667818.stm

 

[CQ Italia]

According to the BBC website the other spot may go to either Cooks or Lebanon.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_league/8667818.stm

Yeah it will be Cook Islands (lebanese deserve it over them)

Pool A (Euro) RLWC Qualifiers - Lebanon, Italia, Serbia & Russia.

 

[RedVee]

Good competition for France, should do them both some good fighting for the 4th spot in 4Nations in future.

 

[raiders fan forever]

dumb question IMO but whens the next RLWC does it happen every 2-4 years??

 

[pcpp]

dumb question IMO but whens the next RLWC does it happen every 2-4 years??

Next World Cup is in 2013, then every 4 years after.

I'm happy that Wales are in the next World Cup, like all World Cups the hosts/co-hosts get an automatic spot.

However, I still think only having 2 qualifiers are a huge step back. The qualifying series last time was fantastic.

 

[raiders fan forever]

Next World Cup is in 2013, then every 4 years after.

I'm happy that Wales are in the next World Cup, like all World Cups the hosts/co-hosts get an automatic spot.

However, I still think only having 2 qualifiers are a huge step back. The qualifying series last time was fantastic.

thanks!
yeah WC qualifiers are always exciting and bring on upsets which also means underdogs in WC always attract interest and a new fan base

 

[deluded pom?]

So how may full members of the RLIF are there now?

 

[Non Terminator]

11 I think.

 

[bowes]

12 full members:

Australia
New Zealand
Papua New Guinea
Fiji
Samoa
Tonga
Cook Islands
England
Wales
France
Russia
South Africa


Lebanon and USA clearly deserve it if Russia have it, though a few years ago South Africa and Samoa had it without any RL played in their country, they've since restarted the game there.

 

[Non Terminator]

Wait.
If Wales are, how the f*ck are Scotland and Ireland not?

 

[raiders fan forever]

yeah thats what i was thinking teams like Japan should start hitting up the sport

 

[Evil Homer]

Wait.
If Wales are, how the f*ck are Scotland and Ireland not?

Wales are way ahead of Ireland and especially Scotland.

 

[roughyedspud]

i would'nt say way ahead..

 

[Evil Homer]

How many pro clubs does Ireland have? How schools playing? How many juniors? I like the work Ireland are doing, but if a genuine born and bred Ireland side took on a similar Welsh side, the score would be 50-60 points in favour of the Welsh.

 

[East Coast Tiger]

At least. Ireland has roughly the same number of conference clubs as Wales but that's where the similarities end. They have no juniors, less students and obviously no pro or semi pro clubs. Ireland has so few semi pro players that a Wales v Ireland born and bred game would be pretty much pros v amateurs. The whole structure of the game in Wales - from schools and juniors, through to the under 18s Crusaders side and Wales under 16s, 18s and 19s, the Welsh Students and Wales A and up to the Scorpions, Crusaders and the national team - is vastly superior to those others. They also have more history and more history of success than Ireland and Scotland, and they can attract better crowds and therefore finance themselves more effectively.

 

[yakstorm]

Great to finally see, though that said it should have happened years ago honestly.

As said before realistically Lebanon should be added sometime soon, they tick all the boxes with a domestic league, student competitions, regular internationals, government approval, and are relatively self-sufficient.