Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:09 pm  

This is nothing short of arrogance and self importance from the Aussie NRL clubs refusing to accept responsibility for players quarantine when they return. Excuse after excuse after excuse. The Aussie RU side, All Blacks, cricket, football and Olympic teams are all travelling abroad to countries with high CV19 rates. They’re reasoning and excuses are beyond belief.

I don’t watch NRL. I don’t watch Origin either. I can’t stand the over inflated egos of them. Personally I’d crack on without them. Let the other nations cherry pick their talent. I’d also heavily fine them and ban them from tournaments for 10 years.

[Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy]

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:16 pm  

I'm as peed off as everyone else with the stance of Aus and NZ and the way that NRL arrogance is devaluing the international game.

However, for the RFL and SL to comes out with the holier than thou statements and attitudes today is as arrogant. If I was Aus and NZ, I'd point out that half the scheduled fixtures this weekend in SL have had to be postponed because the virus is running out of control again, just as it's decided to lift all remaining restrictions aka "freedumb day".

Maybe Aus and NZ have got a point?

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:25 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

I'm as peed off as everyone else with the stance of Aus and NZ and the way that NRL arrogance is devaluing the international game.

However, for the RFL and SL to comes out with the holier than thou statements and attitudes today is as arrogant. If I was Aus and NZ, I'd point out that half the scheduled fixtures this weekend in SL have had to be postponed because the virus is running out of control again, just as it's decided to lift all remaining restrictions aka "freedumb day".

Maybe Aus and NZ have got a point?

Their situation would be totally different though. There’s good investment behind the World Cup and bubbles in hotels and training facilities would be in place and I’m sure an intense testing regime. The World Cup would have everything Superleague cannot afford.

It also wouldn’t have a couple of teams in hiding and picking and choosing fixtures around a Challenge Cup final but that rant is for another topic.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:45 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

I'm as peed off as everyone else with the stance of Aus and NZ and the way that NRL arrogance is devaluing the international game.

However, for the RFL and SL to comes out with the holier than thou statements and attitudes today is as arrogant. If I was Aus and NZ, I'd point out that half the scheduled fixtures this weekend in SL have had to be postponed because the virus is running out of control again, just as it's decided to lift all remaining restrictions aka "freedumb day".

Maybe Aus and NZ have got a point?

I have to agree with you

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:54 pm  

Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy wrote:

I'm as peed off as everyone else with the stance of Aus and NZ and the way that NRL arrogance is devaluing the international game.

However, for the RFL and SL to comes out with the holier than thou statements and attitudes today is as arrogant. If I was Aus and NZ, I'd point out that half the scheduled fixtures this weekend in SL have had to be postponed because the virus is running out of control again, just as it's decided to lift all remaining restrictions aka "freedumb day".

Maybe Aus and NZ have got a point?

That's only an issue until August 16th when self-isolation ends for double-jabbed people.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:56 pm  

Much as I dislike the NRL's parochial attitude to the game, nevertheless. this is me too (apart from the podcasts)

sergeant pepper wrote:

When it comes to the NRL I'm the opposite. I'll watch every game and spend my week listening to podcasts about it etc. It's just better. The players (on the whole), the fitness, the tactics, the production, the stadia etc. It's what the game should be and then you switch to Cas Vs Hudds and it's like watching a knock-off version of the game.

People are complaining that the sport is dying out. Well, if their predictions come true, the NRL will be the only game in town anyway. Despite some blow-out scores, the NRL, in my opinion, still provides great entertainment. My view, clearly not shared by many here, is that it is the best televised sport on the planet. Earlier I watched a good contest between Canberra and Parramatta. Will Hull and Huddersfield be as good? I doubt it, but I'll watch anyway.

I don't think it's a 'weird obsession'.

And I don't watch the NRL on Sky, as I swore decades ago never to give Sky a penny, I have a laptop subscription to NRL dot com.

I get that people are peed off and are lashing out at the NRL, but I'm not going to stop watching it.

And, as I said before, the WC should be postponed till next year anyway.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:01 pm  

moto748 wrote:

And, as I said before, the WC should be postponed till next year anyway.

Will Covid be gone next year?

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:02 pm  

I hope the situation will be improved, NK.

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:11 pm  

moto748 wrote:

I hope the situation will be improved, NK.

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.

[Wigan6/Leeds1 Andy]

Re: Official - Australia & NZ pull out of World Cup : Thu Jul 22, 2021 5:20 pm  

NickyKiss wrote:

Their situation would be totally different though. There’s good investment behind the World Cup and bubbles in hotels and training facilities would be in place and I’m sure an intense testing regime. The World Cup would have everything Superleague cannot afford.

It also wouldn’t have a couple of teams in hiding and picking and choosing fixtures around a Challenge Cup final but that rant is for another topic.

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.