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Recently, the RLIF have taken a number of measures to ensure the strength of the international game.
This includes the introduction of the women’s World Cup and expansion of the Rugby League World Cup to 16 teams, along with the announcement of the USA and Canada as joint hosts of the 2025 tournament. However, there is one key element that the governing body are missing.
That key element is a pathway that will introduce up-and-coming nations to new opponents and stronger competition. It’s an idea previously implemented alongside the 1995 and 2000 World Cups – the Emerging Nations Tournament.
During its short-lived tenure on the calendar, it has provided a springboard for a number of minnow nations to make their World Cup debuts including the Cook Islands, Russia and the USA.
If the RLIF are to take the international game seriously, the Emerging Nations Tournament must return to the Festival of World Cups.
With the Rugby League World Cup expanding to 16 teams in 2021, a host of rugby league-playing nations will take their chance at securing their spot in a bid to bring home the Paul-Barriere Trophy.
It will open the possibility for the likes of Cook Islands, Canada and Russia to compete at the highest level. However, for those nations that miss out on qualification, they are left to their own devices without any regular, meaningful competition. If an avenue isn’t introduced, the international game will no longer garner any real competitiveness and the RLIF will continue to chase their tails by propping up the same nations, every time the World Cup comes around.
The opportunity for 12 nations from around the world to battle it out for the Emerging Nations Cup in the north of England at the end of 2021 is one in which the RLIF must not pass up.
Smaller countries deserve the reward of meaningful international competition. I propose that the tournament be consisted of four countries from the Asia-Pacific (Niue, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu), one from the Africa-Middle East (South Africa), four from Europe (Russia, Serbia, Spain and Ukraine) and one from the Americas (Jamaica).
It would leave the next best from the four confederations to battle it out for two remaining spots giving Thailand, Morocco, Belgium and Chile the right to compete for their shot at the big guns.
By opening up the international game to smaller, developing rugby league nations, it will only help to strengthen rugby league from both a talent and business perspective.
If the RLIF is to take itself seriously, they must open an avenue for lower-ranked nations to compete with the upper echelon of rugby league-playing nations. It is time to revive the Emerging Nations Cup and give these countries the right to regular, competitive, international rugby league.
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