World Cup Momentum

[Perth Red]

Some thoughts on peoples ideas:

1. PI combined team, no thanks. offers nothing and doesn't help the Pi nations develop at all. What we do need is Australia, NZ and England playing IN Fiji, PNG, Tonga and Samoa regularly
2. NRL expansion. There are some real opportunities to develop the international game on the back of SL and NRL expansion. needs investment but spin offs could be huge for domestic and international RL. Long term the introduction and strategic involvement could be:
SL - Wales and Toulouse added to SL. investment in Welsh RL jnr programmes and elite academy
NRL - PNG and Wellington added to NRL. Perth to be funded to include sth Africa in its development when added. WARL could set up an elite jnr academy in SA with the SARL and offer scholarship places to the best Sth African RL jnrs into the pirates team. Pirates could play a pre season game in SA and the NRL could support some marquee Sth African Ru signings to the Pirates if talent to convert to RL is there.
3. International comps- We must have a GBvOZ Ashes tour series back
Itinerary could be:
GB v Aus 3 test Ashes series
GB v NZ 2 tests
GB v PNG
GB v Fiji
GB vTonga or Samoa

Oz v GB 3 test Ashes series
Oz v France 2 test series
Oz v Wales
Oz v Ireland

Then we have 6 nations Oz,NZ,Eng winner of europe cup, winner of Pacific cup, PNG when in Sthern hemi, France when in Northern hemi

RL World Cup

Pacific Cup/European cup acts as qualifiers for winners to 6 nations and qualifiers for RLWC

Would look like
2013 RLWC
2014 GB Ashes tour series Down Under, Pacific Cup/European Cup (6nations qualifiers)
2015 6 Nations Europe
2016 Oz Ashes tour series Europe, Pacific cup/European cup (RLWC qualifiers)
2017 RLWC Oz/NZ

 

[Dav0c]

I know it's a long way from now but would it be better for the game if NZ/Aus host the next world cup or South Africa?

 

[Kurt Angle]

Is that a joke?

Serbia should host it before South Africa.

 

[Dav0c]

Apparently they're the only other nation that has put a bid in.

 

[Springs]

Some thoughts on peoples ideas:

1. PI combined team, no thanks. offers nothing and doesn't help the Pi nations develop at all. What we do need is Australia, NZ and England playing IN Fiji, PNG, Tonga and Samoa regularly
2. NRL expansion. There are some real opportunities to develop the international game on the back of SL and NRL expansion. needs investment but spin offs could be huge for domestic and international RL. Long term the introduction and strategic involvement could be:
SL - Wales and Toulouse added to SL. investment in Welsh RL jnr programmes and elite academy
NRL - PNG and Wellington added to NRL. Perth to be funded to include sth Africa in its development when added. WARL could set up an elite jnr academy in SA with the SARL and offer scholarship places to the best Sth African RL jnrs into the pirates team. Pirates could play a pre season game in SA and the NRL could support some marquee Sth African Ru signings to the Pirates if talent to convert to RL is there.
3. International comps- We must have a GBvOZ Ashes tour series back
Itinerary could be:
GB v Aus 3 test Ashes series
GB v NZ 2 tests
GB v PNG
GB v Fiji
GB vTonga or Samoa

Oz v GB 3 test Ashes series
Oz v France 2 test series
Oz v Wales
Oz v Ireland

Then we have 6 nations Oz,NZ,Eng winner of europe cup, winner of Pacific cup, PNG when in Sthern hemi, France when in Northern hemi

RL World Cup

Pacific Cup/European cup acts as qualifiers for winners to 6 nations and qualifiers for RLWC

Would look like
2013 RLWC
2014 GB Ashes tour series Down Under, Pacific Cup/European Cup (6nations qualifiers)
2015 6 Nations Europe
2016 Oz Ashes tour series Europe, Pacific cup/European cup (RLWC qualifiers)
2017 RLWC Oz/NZ

That's close to what I'd have with a few exceptions.
I don't like having 4/5/6 Nations where all the big teams are involved as it's basically just one pool of the world cup. It makes the RLIF look like they are doing something to help the smaller nations while really they are just throwing one to the wolves every year.

I'd have:
2014 - England/GB Lions Tour (3x Aus, 2x NZ, 1x PNG, Fiji, Tonga/Samoa), Pacific Cup (PNG, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, USA), Euro Cup (France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon)
2015 - European 6 Nations (England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy/Lebanon), Pacific 4 Nations (Australia, New Zealand, PNG/Fiji/Tonga/Samoa/Cook Islands/USA), Trans-Tasman Test Series, Pacific Cup
2016 - Kangaroo Tour (3x England/GB, 1x France, Wales, Scotland/Ireland), Kiwi Tour (3x England/GB, 2x France, 1x Scotland/Ireland), RLWC Qualifiers
2017 - RLWC

Automatic qualifiers for the WC would only be Australia, NZ and England. All other teams fight out for spots in the super pools/lower pools.

This way I think guarantees more meaningful matches between the big 3 (eg 6 games guaranteed between the Kangaroos and England, compared to only 3 at the moment), more games for the smaller nations, plus more games between the big 3 and the smaller nations.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Why would you have a Euro 6 nations, and only a pacific 4?

Strength wise it should be the other way around.

Also, there ain't no changing the next 4 years, proposals should be 2017 onwards.

Also, the intermitant years, why have in 2014 (18) Only Eng/GB as the only northern hmispehere side allowed to travel down under, and in 2016(20) Oz the only southern team to go north.

They can only play one nation per week, I'd have all southern nations nations go north in one year, and all southern nations go south in the other.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Apparently they're the only other nation that has put a bid in.

I know they've put a bid in, but we don't have to award it to them. We definately are not better off letting them hosts a WC.

 

[Springs]

Why would you have a Euro 6 nations, and only a pacific 4?

Strength wise it should be the other way around.

Also, there ain't no changing the next 4 years, proposals should be 2017 onwards.

Also, the intermitant years, why have in 2014 (18) Only Eng/GB as the only northern hmispehere side allowed to travel down under, and in 2016(20) Oz the only southern team to go north.

They can only play one nation per week, I'd have all southern nations nations go north in one year, and all southern nations go south in the other.

I know that there's no changing it, I was simply stating what I would have.

The reason I would only have a Pacific 4 Nations is because I'd have an Australia-NZ 3 match series the same year, as well as a Pacific Cup. So that would have Australia and New Zealand playing 6 games.
England don't have a main rival in the northern hemisphere so I would just have a 6 Nations, giving them 5 games each.

I had Australia and NZ go North in 2016. The reason that I'd only have Aus/NZ/Eng go on tours is because the schedule and organising all those teams would be hell. It would be much easier to have European/Pacific Cups in 2014 and RLWC Qualifiers (which would pretty much be the same thing) in 2016.

 

[Kurt Angle]

OK, this would be my end of year cycle

2018 - RLIF 4 nations (Southern hemisphere cycle), with warm up tour

Premise is 4 team single round robin + final of Australia, NZ, Eng and Oceanic qualifer assumed to be fiji

week 1 warm up games - all vs non-qualifying oceanic teams

Australia vs C.I
NZ vs Samoa
England vs Tonga
Fiji vs PNG

Then 4 nations is played - 5 weeks international schedule

2019 - concurrent regional championships

Oceanic Championship 2 x 3team single round robin, + 2 semi's and final

Pool A
Australia
Fiji
Tonga

Pool B
New Zealand
PNG
Samoa

5 weeks

Also European Championship, 4 team single round robin + final

England
France
Wales
Qualifier (assumed to be Ireland)

4 weeks

Both schedule to finish on same weekend, so Euro's statr a week after Oceanic

2020 - RLIF 4 nations (Northern hemisphere cycle), with warm up tour

Top 2 oceanic teams, assumed to be Australia & NZ, and top 2 Euro teams, England and France

Warm up week

Australia vs Wales
England vs Ireland
France vs Scotland

NZ vs ?? (Doubt we'll get NRL players playing for Italy outside of world cup, maybe NZ can fly via USA and play them.

Then again single round robin tourney

5 weeks

2021 - World Cup

6 weeks

---

Easier appendages to what we have, thus cheap additions.

No horrible "5 nations schedules"

No longer than 5 weeks outside of world cup, preventing player burnout.

A minimum of 11 games per year for TV.

 

[Springs]

If they want to prevent player burnout they can reduce the NRL and ESL seasons. The international game needs to start taking precedence.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Yes it should be a goal.

But whilst an NRL season alone makes around $300 million, and the international games makes around $10 million, we know whose giving the orders.

We aren't going to shift from 26 rounds and 4 post-season games to 18 rounds and 10 post season games straight away.

That's why my proposal is a very small shift with what I believe to be a maximum return.


4 nations already exist so structurally committing to the warm up games for the minnows sees more games, and will generalyl prevent blow outs as they are warm ups

Regional cups will see less travel.

With this and the warm up games.. everyone else playing 3 years out of 4, hence ensuring players don't drift in and out of big 3 sides.

Very small changes that you'd expect the clubs to tolerate, but committing 10+ nations to a sound international scene.

 

[deluded pom?]

The only automatic qualifiers for 2017 should be the 4 semi finalists from 2013. If this doesn't include the host nation/s then expand to cover that possibility. I don't see why Aus, NZ and England should be ring fenced unless they make the final four or are the hosts. It's just another example of tier 1 and tier 2 BS. It's virtually certain that all three would qualify by one criteria or the other for the foreseeable future anyway.

 

[Perth Red]

Springs you have to remember that the internationals are a source of funding for rfl, nzrl and RLIF so the 6 nations needs to include the big three to draw the crowds and make the money. Eng v Ireland will never make as much money as eng v aus

 

[Diesel]

I know it's a long way from now but would it be better for the game if NZ/Aus host the next world cup or South Africa?

In theory it'd be great however the 2017 WC needs to grow, 2008 and 2013 will go down as the WC's that grew the RLWC.

I read an interesting article that the 2021 WC should be in SA. If SA can prove itself somehow then they could be a great untapped market in a generation

 

[Springs]

Springs you have to remember that the internationals are a source of funding for rfl, nzrl and RLIF so the 6 nations needs to include the big three to draw the crowds and make the money. Eng v Ireland will never make as much money as eng v aus

Why? In my schedule I already have the big 3 playing each other numerous times on tour. I don't see why England can't play the other European Nations without having to play Australia and NZ as well.

That kind of thinking holds the game back. Are we going to be too scared to have tournaments that don't include Australia and NZ for the rest of our days? Why even have European and Pacific Cups then?

The only automatic qualifiers for 2017 should be the 4 semi finalists from 2013.

Yeah I agree with that.

 

[Perth Red]

The euro and pacific cup should be for tier2 teams to test themselves against each other, qualify for 6 nations and RLWC and give new nations competition. Reality is the big 3 draw the crowds, make the money and drive the media interest. Eng v Scotland without Scotland's NRL players is a hammering in front of a small crowd, does nothing for international RL.

 

[Kurt Angle]

Then Scotland should have their NRl players at the end of the season.

I also don't agree that they should be tier 2 tourney's.

Fiji has openly declared it wants to play the big 3, probably because they feel that tis the last component to becoming a big 4 team.

Tonga and Fiji if playing either a World Cup or Pacific cup every two years are less likely to drift to Aus and NZ, increasing the pedigree and credibility or our international sides.

Likewise, to add credibility and money to the pacific cup is going to require Australia and NZ... without them it is a small fry tournament, which is what Fiji now wants to rise above, and players swapping out of Tonga and Samoa are deterred by.

 

[Springs]

The euro and pacific cup should be for tier2 teams to test themselves against each other, qualify for 6 nations and RLWC and give new nations competition. Reality is the big 3 draw the crowds, make the money and drive the media interest. Eng v Scotland without Scotland's NRL players is a hammering in front of a small crowd, does nothing for international RL.

Who said Scotland wouldn't have their NRL players? The whole point of these teams having more regular games against the big 3 is so the smaller nations get more consistent, both in playing quality and the members of their squad.

I don't see how England v Scotland in a Euro 6 Nations would be any different than England v Scotland in a 6 Nations including Aus and NZ.

 

[Evil Homer]

The euro and pacific cup should be for tier2 teams to test themselves against each other, qualify for 6 nations and RLWC and give new nations competition. Reality is the big 3 draw the crowds, make the money and drive the media interest. Eng v Scotland without Scotland's NRL players is a hammering in front of a small crowd, does nothing for international RL.

](*,)

There's no such thing as a 'tier 2 team'. We need to forget about that concept ASAP.

 

[roughyedspud]

Who said Scotland wouldn't have their NRL players? The whole point of these teams having more regular games against the big 3 is so the smaller nations get more consistent, both in playing quality and the members of their squad.

I don't see how England v Scotland in a Euro 6 Nations would be any different than England v Scotland in a 6 Nations including Aus and NZ.

on whether teams like scotland get their NRL players for "minor competitions" like the european cup...


we need to bring in a rule where by "heritage" players MUST play in "minor comps" to be eligible for "major comps" eg 4nations & world cups...