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Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2010 6:18 pm
by keithroosters
12 teams was the number i was expecting. 14 came out of no where. the RFL was pushing for 16 in their business plan. as stated, 14 was a compromise. it has a lot to do with the home nations. growth of RL in wales is at an unprecedented level of late and they rank (in most fans books) as in the second tier along with france and PNG. Australia is an isolated country where you have to cross significant distances to get to other RL countries (excluding PNG but i dont want to get into the socio economics of that). with britain hosting it the RFL needs to find the right mix of allowing wales, ireland and scotland to host their pool games without over extending like the 2000 rlwc.
i agree with most of the comments in this thread (can always rely on jeffles for brutal honesty). the last thing i want to see is heritage teams rewarded. i was vehemently against the scraping of the domestic quota for the 08 rlwc. The game in lebanon is bearing fruit with a brilliant structure in place in teh schools and junior system. the US would use domestic players along with france, wales, PNG, AUS, ENG & NZ (i would have put russia in this group if it wasnt for their "internal restructuring"). in an ideal world, these 8 countries would be the only auto qualifiers due to their domestic efforts. the inequity between them though is quite large. rewarding say, cook islands (western sydney) or samoa for fielding teams entirely of heritage players is generally frowned upon by your average international league fan.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 11:07 am
by keithroosters
Massive prize awaits winners of 2010 rugbyleague.com European Cup
A place in the 2011 Four Nations beckons France, Ireland, Scotland or Wales when they compete in this year’s rugbyleague.com European Cup, details of which were announced by the Rugby League European Federation today.
The chance to play against England, Australia and New Zealand in the UK next year is the prize on offer for the winners of a tournament which kicks off on October 9, 2010 with matches in France and Scotland.
The opening weekend sees France host Ireland while the Scottish Bravehearts play Wales in a repeat of the 2009 rugbyleague.com European Cup final, which Wales won 28-16.
France, as official hosts for the 2010 rugbyleague.com European Cup, are also at home for their next two matches against Scotland (October 16) and Wales (October 23). All France’s matches will be broadcast live on French TV by Orange.
The rest of the itinerary sees Wales entertain Ireland on October 16 and Ireland take in Scotland a week later. The tournament will be run on a mini-league basis with the top team at the end of Week Three joining England, Australia and New Zealand in next year’s Four Nations.
“The stakes for matches involving these four nations has rarely been higher and I’m sure the chance to take on Australia, England and New Zealand will bring out the best in all the players involved in the rugbyleague.com European Cup,” said the RFL’s Director of Development Gary Tasker.
“It is a sign of the growing stature of international Rugby League that France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales will go into the tournament in confident mood. It promises to be a fantastic competition.”
With home advantage for all three matches and a team drawn largely from players at Engage Super League club Catalans Dragons, many of whom will have benefited from recent international experience against England in the Gillette Fusion International in June, France will start the 2010 rugbyleague.com European Cup as favourites.
However as reigning European champions Wales will be strong contenders while Scotland and Ireland, both of whom played in the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, will not want for motivation this autumn. Scotland, Wales and Ireland will each play one home match during the tournament.
Italy and Lebanon, who both took part in last year’s rugbyleague.com European Cup, will participate in the 2010 European Shield later this year.
Details of venues, squads and kick-off times for the 2010 rugbyleague.com European Cup will be announced in the next few months.
2010 rugbyleague.com European Cup schedule in full:
October 9
France v Ireland
Scotland v Wales
October 16
France v Scotland
Wales v Ireland
October 23
France v Wales
Ireland v Scotland
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 5:17 pm
by Jeffles
The mid-season Test between Australia and NZ next year could be played at Christchurch!
Do it! I've never been there.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 5:53 pm
by the crow
there should be a home and away test like RU after the SOO
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 6:09 pm
by Simmo79
The only reason RU plays so many tests is because their club season is so short and uneventful. The NRL is big enough to keep tests as a nice afterthought.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 6:34 pm
by Egan
Jeffles wrote:The mid-season Test between Australia and NZ next year could be played at Christchurch!
Do it! I've never been there.
It's a sh*t hole...
Even the kiwi on this forum will admit to it...
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 6:36 pm
by IanRitchie
murder capital of new zealand.
with that said, i'm planning on heading down to the roosters game later this year.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 8:20 pm
by keithroosters
yeah its all but signed on the black dot. it will be a one off though as nzrl make between 400,000-500,000 by selling their game to australia each year. jim doyle is looking to build up significant cash reserves whilst also investing funds into developing the game in nz.
AMI stadium officials were seething when eden park was awarded the four nations double header at the last minute. they thought their bid was across the line. this is to somewhat make up for that.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 8:54 pm
by IanRitchie
god i can't wait for that eden park double header. who's in?
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 9:27 pm
by keithroosters
its worth noting that the game at parramatta stadium is actually a double header aswell. samoa will play tonga followed by australia v PNG
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:28 pm
by keithroosters
http://www.rugbyleague.com/rugby-league ... er-to.html
news from the RLIF meeting last week:
THE RLIF's MAIN DECISIONS:
• No cornerposts in the NRL next year
• An Asia-Pacfic Rugby League Federation to be formed
• Wales made full member of the RLIF.
• Colin Love retained as chairman. David Gallop retained as secretary.
• Two extra places, one from the northern hemisphere and one from the southern hemisphere, to be created on the RLIF Executive.
• Tonga and Samoa to play as curtain-raiser to Australia-PNG at Parramatta Stadium on October 24.
• Australia to play Cook Island, Fiji or Lebanon in October.
• European Cup may be renamed European Championships because there is unlikely to be a final.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:35 pm
by IanRitchie
keithroosters wrote:
• No cornerposts in the NRL next year
f**k you andrew voss.
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 10:48 pm
by Jeffles
IanRitchie wrote:god i can't wait for that eden park double header. who's in?
Me. For sure. Cannot wait. Will you still be in NZ?
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Tue May 11, 2010 11:06 pm
by IanRitchie
Jeffles wrote:
Me. For sure. Cannot wait. Will you still be in NZ?
i'm likely to be here long term - the missus is coming here now.
i guess we'll sort it out when it actually begins to matter, but when i buy tickets i'll pick up an extra one in my allocation for yourself i suppose?
Re: International Rugby League
Posted: Wed May 12, 2010 9:20 am
by Jeffles
Thanks. That'd be great.
Do Americans also say "gettum onside?"