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Why the Rugby League World Cup final doesn't matter

Roar Guru
1st December, 2017
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Joe Lovodua of Fiji at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup (NRLPhotos/Scott Davis)
Roar Guru
1st December, 2017
49
1326 Reads

The result of tonight’s World Cup Final isn’t important.

It doesn’t matter whether Australia cruise to victory or England cause a huge upset.

This World Cup hasn’t been about winning. It hasn’t been about technical excellence, or flawless completion rates, or pinpoint kicking tactics.

No, those things haven’t mattered at all.

Instead, this World Cup has been about culture and the harmonious joy that only a sport like rugby league can provide. About the little guys: Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Lebanon. The underdogs who, despite perhaps lacking the class of Australia, more than made up for it in heart and raw tenacity.

These teams are the ones who personify this World Cup campaign. It’ll be remembered for Fiji captain Kevin Naiqama’s tears of pride when singing the national anthem, a display that made even the toughest men dab their eyes too. For the guys who turned their back on the big dollars and notoriety of established league nations to represent their heritage.

Joe Lovodua Fiji Rugby League World Cup 2017

Joe Lovodua of Fiji at the 2017 Rugby League World Cup (NRLPhotos/Scott Davis)

For when Tonga finally beat big brother New Zealand in a nail-biting match between the pacific warriors, sending the sea of red fans in the stands into a delirious frenzy. Then Fiji toppled the Kiwis a week later to astonishingly advance to the semi-finals.

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For when Lebanon, with a squad majorly made up of amateur footballers who played for nothing more than love for country, scored their first ever World Cup win over France.

Or when the Papua New Guinea crowd erupted like a long-dormant volcano every time larrikin winger Garry Lo crossed the tryline for their side.

You see, at the conclusion of the last World Cup in 2013, international rugby league was considered a joke. A farce. Nothing more than three competitive teams and a bunch of also-rans to make up the numbers.

Four years later, it’s those same also-rans that have provided us with the moments of the World Cup that captured our hearts and attention.

More than that, they’ve reminded us what rugby league is really all about.

It’s about mateship, unity and inclusion. About getting back up when you’re knocked down and celebrating the underdog. The scoreboard doesn’t matter: every game is an achievement to be celebrated.

And so, with that in mind, it doesn’t matter who wins the final. It’ll be an enthralling match no doubt, but the outcome is irrelevant to the real result of this World Cup.

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Because thanks to the little guys, rugby league is truly the real winner.

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