WC 2013 Format

[adamkungl]

Of course they're last in Pacific but last in Pacific is still better than Russia, who are rubbish and not only haven't expanded they've gone backwards due to poor management

Though it's quite simple none of Russia, USA or the Cook Islands are good enough for a 12 team world cup but they're all good enough for a 16 team world cup, and anyone who would include Malta over Cook Islands in a 16 team world cup, despite it also being small, not playing in European international tournaments and not having a regular domestic comp, is crazy

Out of interest, who would be the most likely to get in a 12 team cup? I've been thinking (maybe hoping) that Lebanon and USA would be the next 2 teams in. I'm fairly sure Lebanon would be close to certainties, but who else would be before the US? Wales, South Africa?

 

[brendothejet]

Out of interest, who would be the most likely to get in a 12 team cup? I've been thinking (maybe hoping) that Lebanon and USA would be the next 2 teams in. I'm fairly sure Lebanon would be close to certainties, but who else would be before the US? Wales, South Africa?

South africa wouldn't make it anywhere near.

It would be USA/Lebanon/Wales fighting it out.

 

[bowes]

Out of interest, who would be the most likely to get in a 12 team cup? I've been thinking (maybe hoping) that Lebanon and USA would be the next 2 teams in. I'm fairly sure Lebanon would be close to certainties, but who else would be before the US? Wales, South Africa?

Wales and Lebanon for certain, Wales only narrowly lost to Scotland. But more importantly they will as of next year have a virtually all young Welsh SL reserve grade side who by 2013 will have started to make the first team in SL (they I assume will have a few Welsh RU converts but are nearly all Aussies in their first team at the moment)

Come to think of it USA would probably be 13th if they have their full team, they used to be absolutely atrocious, far worse than the Cook Islands or even Russia, but they seem to have got better starting with their test against the Kangaroos.

 

[bowes]

I agree about your point re Malta.

As i said, people on here just pull pie in the sky ideas and throw them up as bible.

So true that, and when you add Russia into the equation then suddenly this increases tenfold given some of the stuff said about them on here (I've heard Lokomotive Moscow suggested for SL despite the fact that our third tier NL2 clubs usually put about 70 on them in the Challenge Cup). I've seen too many RL expansionist hopes ruined by people like that pushing things too fast to have any time left for that kind of thinking, while I do want to see real development at a realistic pace.

As an example in the UK we had a team called Essex Eels who after one below average season in a local league played just in the RU off season they moved up to one of our national 4th tier leagues, even though that meant their players had to choose between RU and RL which meant they were left with 17 year olds in a league with some of the top amateur clubs in the country. As a result they lost half their away games by 100 points and 1 of their home games as well and by their second season they were paying two or three division lower northerners £100 a match to turn out for them due to not being able to raise more than about 6 players prepared to travel despite not having much money and still only raising 11 or 12 players for most matches and forfeiting a home match and yet despite all this whenever I said they should be demoted to a lower league I got tons of abuse from people saying they were doing great work for expansion (which at kids level they apparently were but they were making a new league look like a total joke when it least needed it). Eventually the club totally folded and ruined what could have been good if they'd stayed in their original league for a few years first, ye apparently it was wrong to even mildly criticise what they were doing. A similar situation occurred at Girondins de Bordeaux in France

BOwes I severely hope one day soon we both get to find out just who is better between Russia and the Cook Islands when they play each other... *Sigh*

Yeah so true that, would be better to see them play even if it's just in an emerging nations or a friendly test match/tournament to start with. Last time I can remember them playing was 1995 in the emerging nations, where Cook Islands beat Russia 58-20 and USA 64-6. Though of course this is too long ago to tell current form as the USA have certainly improved on this and Cook Islands are probably not as strong as then. Russia had improved but they've gone backwards again so unsure how they'd compare now

 

[Perth Red]

If countries keep developing there will be no need for a super pool. Australia aside most of the teams in this WC would have given Eng, NZ and PNG a good run for their money.