Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:28 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

The point is that they are coming from a very different place in terms of handling the pandemic and the proportion of people infected etc. They look at us, and I think at some point this week we had the highest infection rate in the world, I'm not surprised they're a bit spooked. Add in the number of postponements we've had and they have all the reasons/excuses they need - they've been given an open goal. We need to get our own house in order before getting on our high horse.

I blame the clubs here and not the board though for the current situation. Teams are taking the mick, pure and simple and bending the rules to their advantage.

On a side note regarding the Aussie model and how they must be spooked about travelling to countries with high covid rates (not other sportsmen, just league players though for some reason), when will they let people travel without quarantine? Stop locking down places with even a handful of cases? It really fascinates me because if the answer is when Covid has gone, they could be waiting for decades. That’s why the people that say ‘push it back a year’ just kick the problem down the road IMO. Ultimately it’s a great excuse.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:08 pm  

Over 75% of players in the NRL said they’d have no problem whatsoever travelling here for the World Cup, when asked in a recent survey.

So if they picked a squad of 24, around 6 may pull out and the poor buggers would need to put dross like Wighton, Valentine Holmes, Gutherson etc in to the squad as back up.

Player welfare by backside.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:19 pm  

It is clear that the NRL has forced this decision. The Australians were the only competing nation not to sign the participation agreement - NZ had. But the NRL are clearly much more powerful than the people in NZ who are responsible for international rugby league and must have been forced to make this changed decision.The participation of other Australian and New Zealand representative sports in other disciplines is now well known and documented and none of these other international sporting organisations has hidden behind the covid excuse. Of course we appear to be in the grip of the virus in this country but we have made many concessions to appease the Australians. So please let’s see this for what it is. It is blatant self interest by those in control of the NRL.

That said, the IRL must now decide what to do about it. Personally I would go ahead without them (always assuming that we can get enough players from the Southern hemisphere to participate). If we feel that we can’t then a one year postponement isn’t necessarily the answer. There would be minimal media coverage and, for what it’s worth, it is my opinion that in making their countries fortresses, Australia and New Zealand, will be vulnerable in the near future to the kind of exponential virus infection rates that the rest of the world has suffered due to their low vaccination rates. They will also be competing with third world countries for vaccine supplies. We may have the worst effects of covid behind us in a year’s time but I doubt that will be the case in Australia.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 7:33 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Me too but I hoped that last year as well. This time next year we could be sat here with another variant, that is running even more freely through the population, so where do you draw the line? Other sports have their stars travelling the globe so why are the NRL different? (I know the answer to that).

We’re going to have to get an answer from the Aussies about what is acceptable because it’s not going away. So will they take 20,000 cases a day? 10,000? 2,000? If they’re hoping it goes to zero, we best get that World Cup 2050 sorted out. They pull out of a tournament in mid July that starts in late October, citing that things ‘aren’t improving’. Well they’re not in Mid July but do they know something we don’t about where we could be in late October?

It is so self obsessed it’s embarrassing. I stand by my comment that as a British Rugby League fan, I wouldn’t entertain another NRL/Origin game until such a time that they start to look at the wider game. It’s each to their own on that score but that’s certainly my view.

And mine.

I’ll bet my bottom dollar ARU, All Blacks and the Aussie cricket team come over. There really is no excuse. If we delayed until summer 2022 I bet my other bottom dollar the NRL will do the same and kick off about origin and the season being disrupted.

For me, crack on. Let all the players from the NRL choose they’re representation from heritage. Ban the Aussies and NZ from all international competitions for 10 years. Do not give any game they play international status. It’s about time the bodies stuck up to those arrogant, self centred pr1cks

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 8:18 pm  

100% Warrior wrote:

And mine.

I’ll bet my bottom dollar ARU, All Blacks and the Aussie cricket team come over. There really is no excuse. If we delayed until summer 2022 I bet my other bottom dollar the NRL will do the same and kick off about origin and the season being disrupted.

For me, crack on. Let all the players from the NRL choose they’re representation from heritage. Ban the Aussies and NZ from all international competitions for 10 years. Do not give any game they play international status. It’s about time the bodies stuck up to those arrogant, self centred pr1cks

This

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:03 am  

Why don't the Australia and New Zealand rugby league authorities be honest and say that they simply do not want to come over here to participate in the competition instead of claiming that they are protecting their players from the pandemic when apparently the players want to come is pathetic!

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:18 am  

afootingmiracle21-12 wrote:

Said this for ages....there needs to be another SL break-away with new branding.

• Super league has been lost to womans footbal, netball and fantasy football leagues, just like the Rugby WC, due to our ineptitude and failure to trademark it!
• The word 'league' also has negative connotations....just listen to how some in the southern based media say the word 'league' is derisory.
• Most of the media make it clear it is the northern game, and perpetuate old stereotypes of whippets, coal mines, deprived northern towns and eddie wearing!

We need to go the same way as france....ditch league and rebrand the whole game as Rugby XIII, spoken as Rugby thirteens.

It would cause confusion to loads of casual JCL union fans who watch six nations etc to watch our game and realise the product is better, without the negative connotations and the job union has done to it! It would create a new product...imagine a marketing campaign where you went out to buy 1 second slots on national prime time advertising just with a black screen and RUGBY XIII...Its coming! Then expand with occasional adverts showing class snippets of action.

It would do what 'the hundred' is doing for cricket, but would also help us nick those union fans on the fringes, if done correctly.

But, like the hundred, it also needs to be done as part of a brave re brand, appealing to new people and giving people in different regions a team to support- to appeal to wider new fan base but also dispel the myth that we are just run down northern towns that detracts investors...and gives us only Heinz big soup and bachelors peas.

We can be parochial and backward thinking no longer. We need to be brave, and all the clubs need to embrace it.

IMO we need to rebrand most teams, still playing in the usual towns, same grounds and initially to largely the same fanbase, but allowing them to play an odd game in their wider region each year, to create opportunity for growth

Imagine a SL of the following;

Leeds Rhinos
Liverpool Saints (St Helens rebrand, still based at Langtree park in St Helens etc, but showing presence)
Manchester Fords (Salford rebrand on the same premise as Saints, with Fords being a throw to Salford) If Salford are too parocial and not brave enough then a new Manchester club.
Cheshire Wire (Warrington rebrand- same premise)
Lancashire Warriors or possibly Wigan Lancs (due to the strength of the Wigan brand)
Hull East Yorkshire
London SW Broncos
Tyne Thunder Newcastle rebrand, promoted to SL
Wales / Celtic Crusaders Back at Wrexham, where they were successful and actually starting to get crowds.
Catalan Dragons
Toulouse Olympique who will probably be in next year anyway

Most of those clubs are already in place and ready to go, but with some smart re-brands you are appealing to huge areas of the country, rather than a few hundred thousands in deprived northern towns.

You may add another one or possible 3/4 teams to that on a franchise model and on the basis of appealing to wider areas.
It Toronto can sort themselves and ultimately get Ottawa in, they would get places.
If cas sorted a new ground you could have West Yorkshire Tigers....otherwise if they want to remain parochial in their hovel of a ground they would play in a strong re-formed British Championship

British champions get the opportunity to apply for a SL licence should they wish every 3 years, upon condition of appealing to a wider area. Ie/ if york came in they'd be York North Yorkshire - Sheffield - South Yorkshire etc.

Yes it takes a huge mindshift, yes you need to be brave, but do that and the game can survive.....carry on and we're dead in the water in 10 years, back to semi pro and amateur.

Sadly its a commercial world, and the SL i have put together there would command probably twice the amount of the new deal, plus more as it grows....simply on the basis of population you are appealing to. Same consideration with sponsors. Some say its pie in the sky, it'll never happen because fans would be in arms, but IMO i would be prepared to lose the 20-40/50% who can't see the bigger picture....they can be replaced rather than hold the game back and ultimately kill it!

If you're that childish and parochial you won't go if your team re-brand to represent a wider area, your a massive reason why the game is dying in the first place. Ultimately the game has to lose some of this deadwood to survive IMO.

You do of course realise that The Hundred is going to fail and is awful for the existing Counties, right?

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Fri Jul 23, 2021 7:28 am  

Mal Meninga has given his blessing to Australian players who may wish to play for other nations - James Tedesco for Italy for example. And Josh Hodgson has said that he will come and play if selected. Apparently the clubs cannot legally stop their players from coming if selected. And the RLPA - the Australian players’ association- is angry because they were not consulted by those who made the decision on their behalf. This competition is bigger than any one nation - even Australia- and it should go ahead as planned. I would relish an England v Tonga or Samoa final and it would get a full house! Bring it on!

I am not sure if it is true but I was told at the weekend that the Japanese have been threatened with multi million dollar fines by the OOC if they postpone the Olympics. There should be similar sanctions against Australia and NZ. In fact, I believe that they should be barred from competing in international RL for at least another World. Cup cycle so the fact that they wouldn’t be involved in the next one after this would not create the “oh my gosh” moment that we are having now. Let them watch their players involved with other nations compete fir the games greatest honour from their safe, covid free armchairs.

If they think that covid is going away soon i.e. within the next 12 months, they are dreaming.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Fri Jul 23, 2021 9:57 am  

We need to remember that whilst the UK is around 70% double jabbed, the likes of Australia are struggling to hit double digits, and that rugby players, officials and their familes will be way down the pecking order.

Until the world is vaccinated in sufficient numbers, then international tournaments will be subject to restrictions or boycotts, and those that take place will be a lesser event than they otherwise would have been.

Its a tough call for the organisers, as without the two biggest attractions, the world cup will be a much poorer event to follow.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Fri Jul 23, 2021 11:01 am  

muttywhitedog wrote:

We need to remember that whilst the UK is around 70% double jabbed, the likes of Australia are struggling to hit double digits, and that rugby players, officials and their familes will be way down the pecking order.

Until the world is vaccinated in sufficient numbers, then international tournaments will be subject to restrictions or boycotts, and those that take place will be a lesser event than they otherwise would have been.

Its a tough call for the organisers, as without the two biggest attractions, the world cup will be a much poorer event to follow.

Which is having little impact on the numbers of infections with double-jabbed infections set to outpace unvaccinated infections for the first time. So again, it isn't going away any time soon. The current runaway rise in cases has come during a heatwave, the very time it's supposed to go down naturally. Extrapolate that to the winter months and perhaps factor in whatever new variants have arrived by then and I think we can all work out what the situation is likely to be.

You either accept the risk is not going away and work to the best protocols to minimise it or give up on life. I suppose ultimately it's each to their own.