With critics of the Rugby League World Cup lining up, it’s time for fans to give them a reminder – we watch the game, not the politics and goings-on surrounding it.
And that fact should not be lost on this World Cup, nor the benefits it will have.
I read a newspaper article that said it didn’t like the World Cup for the very perceptions we are talking about combating, and suggested a reduced format that separated top teams from lower-ranked teams, effectively making these teams invisible.
This sounded good in principle if you want to reduce the disparity in the short term but it was also very limiting, especially for the future potential of the tournament and rugby league globally.
Everyone understands the concept of good and not so good teams. It’s not unexpected.
At the same time, it’s good to see them go round. After all, it’s a World Cup. Everyone is involved.
Eligibility rules will have zero influence on my enjoyment of the World Cup.
I will be watching the games and it’s bringing me joy seeing the passion and anticipation of the World Cup, and just how much wider the influence of this tournament is this time round on all levels.
I am seeing comps in Canada and USA, Jamaica and across Europe. Sure, none of those comps are repped a great deal at the World Cup at the moment, but isn’t this the point about the re-investment aspect of the World Cup?
If those countries had players who were good enough, living and playing in their own country – they would use them. This is the challenge for the future… but still, I am not concerned with eligibility.
I just don’t think it should prevent the enjoyment of those games. Actually, it should not prevent the enjoyment of the entire tournament and the many intangible benefits and stories to come out of it.
It makes zero sense to criticise this tournament when you look at its achievements before a ball has been kicked.
1. Most successful already in ticket sales and profit (for reinvestment).
2. Most talked about, even in spaces, areas and mediums not usually associated with rugby league.
3. Most supported in the wider community.
4. Most anticipated.
Sally Bolton and her team have done a fantastic job promoting this event. Also, the group promoting the Wembley semi-final is doing well.
I fail to see how anyone can bag the relevance and appeal of this tournament, especially when orgniasers are well on their way to filling Wembley, Old Trafford and the Millennium Stadium.
The opening game at Millennium has sold around 50,000 so far – although actual numbers are hard to come by, the entire lower half of the stadium is full and sections in the top half are selling out.
Wembley and Old Trafford have sold 50 and 60,000 tickets respectively, with over four weeks to go until either fixture.
France’s game against New Zealand in Avignon has sold out, as has England’s clash with Ireland at the John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield, while the RLWC ticketing website has been getting 30,000 hits per day – and rising.
And how can one bag the actual games themselves?
The pundits who trot out the fallacy of lopsidedness each year are doing the sport on injustice. It’s a world tournament – not every team is going to be in the top echelon.
The organisation of this tournament has been very smart, with the semi-final double header at Wembley a particularly good move.
You are almost guaranteed to be seeing Australia, New Zealand and England play on the same night, and find out who the finalists are on the same day.
Even more importantly, holding the games at Wembley will attract people who have never been to a rugby league game before, with most tickets of the tickets sold so far going to people in and around London.
The culture among league fans themselves is to buy late, and the smaller amount of tickets than usual sold in the heartland for this game speaks of people making sure England actually make it.
If England get there, sales will skyrocket.
In Cardiff, they have put up World Cup banners in the city centre, while banners are also up across the North of England. Some people may say that’s not reaching far, but this level of presence has NEVER happened for rugby league before.
There was a Parliamentary luncheon for the World Cup where many members of Parliament attended. There was a message from the Prime Minister. The Mayor of London being involved and promoting it.
There is a buzz about the tournament in England, and it’s only starting to ramp up. The interest in the England/Italy and New Zealand/Cook Islands games were a taste of the anticipation to come.
At the end of the day, this tournament is about promoting rugby league across the globe, as far and wide as we can.
It may pale into comparison with football’s World Cup, but you do have to start somewhere. Besides, the barometer is not football’s or union’s World Cup – the barometer is our last World Cup.
Rugby league needs to stop comparing itself to other sports and beat our own marks.
In terms of profits, estimates put it anywhere between $25-50 million. They have sold roughly 360,000 tickets so far. The maximum they can sell is about 500k, given stadia capacities, and they hope to reach 70 percent of that total.
The money generated is small bikkies compared to some, but again – at no point in the history of the sport has it generated such an amount at the World Cup.
Sure, $30 million won’t be spread around thickly, but it’s better than nothing and it’s more than ever before.
In terms of the townships and cities around the UK, there has been a lot of support from councils and stadiums in an effort to promote rugby league.
Television coverage for the tournament is also shaping up nicely, even in Australia where all 28 games will be shown live or delayed (and replayed) on Channel 7 and 7mate.
Meanwhile in England, the BBC is promoting this event like never before and has even signed on to broadcast the next World Cup.
Some people don’t realise how good this World Cup is for the sport, and how amazing a job the team behind the tournament have done.
With the critics silenced, we can all simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the game we love.
Bill Moi
Roar Rookie
5 years have gone since this article and nothing has changed! Those presictions from Von never eventuated and the "World" Cup has nove dived ever since! I love looking back to these articles
Marz
Guest
The RLWC is a success; no one that has taken the time to analyse the facts can argue with that. Clearly the RLWC is an expansion tournament to promote the game on an international level, so that people in countries like the USA begin to identify with the game. In response to such a tournament it is envisioned that countries alike will develop their own competitions so that one day eligibility may play its part. All those sledging the sport and the RLWC obviously don't grasp the fundamental value of promotion on a world scale. The event managers have done an outstanding job promoting the sport given the limitations. Sadly after reading posts past, I noticed excessive negativity focused around a comparison between the RLWC and all other "world" sports. To those doing this I ask: "Do you compare your older son with your younger son?" I should hope not! If a man has carbon in one hand and diamonds in the other and he asks you to take one... Most people would choose the diamond. Unfortunately if we only have carbon, and want diamonds, we have to wait a really long time while the earths pressure does it's thing... Promotional tournaments such as this are the pressure that morphs a developing game (carbon) into a developed game (diamond). Comprehend this... and If you don't have anything positive to say; say nothing.
wazman_nz
Guest
For alot of the players outside of the big 3, this is an opportunity for them to play in the World Cup of their sport. If they are lucky enough they may even get to play a game against one of the Big 3. Sure they may get a big score put up against them but they can go home to their families and tell them did you see me play against SBW, or GI or the Burgess brothers, for these players its an opportunity to rub sholders with the elite of their sport. I am sure that all league fans would agree that this tournament has been good for the game, what happens after its all over and we see the support and growth for the nations outside of the big 3 will determine if this has been one of the greatest World Cups for Rugby League.
Paul
Guest
Excellent piece nzmate. Agree totally. According to ARL statistics, there are approx 160 players involved in the RLWC and of those 120 are from the NRL. The remainder are from English Super League. In short, it represents only 2 competitions!!!! No amount of figure manipulations or bleating about an expanding game across the globe can mask the truth. Rugby League is over 100 years old and as such the notion that it is making its mark in countries such as Italy, Lebanon and USA is simply not correct. If it cannot expand in 100 years then I think perhaps it should re evaluate the product. RLWC, I think not.
League fan
Guest
So funny that they have sold over300,000 tickets and on track to make a 25 million pound plus profit. Make no mistake this world cup is going to be massive.
Glenn Iness
Guest
On rereading your drivel another point I must pick up on is comparing the seeding of a Tennis Tournament.In tennis the top seeds play the lowest ranked players in the early rounds the higher your seeding the easier draw you get - it is an elitist format (as any serious sporting event should be) they do not try to hide the inadequacies of the bums by having them all play each other.
Glenn Iness
Guest
In fact it reaches the absurdity that when someome who actually lives in London mentions that the tournament is a non event there some one provides video of a couple of paid talking heads and that is supposed to be evidence to the contrary.Like I said emotion taking over from common sense.
Glenn Iness
Guest
Von Nuemann - Obviously you have not read many of my previous posts if you had you would realise I have had some furious debates with Union people about the merits of our sport.So let us address your accusations one by one (having dismissed the first lie) 'If Rugby League is not good enough for you" when did I say that? You know I never suggested any thing of the kind indeed if you ax you claim you have (but obviosly you are lhaven not) you would know that I am a lifelong supporter of the game and quite a long life at that I first went to Lang Park in 1966. Greatest World Cup of all time - Your quote not mine - I simply pointed out that there have been some very successful tournaments in the past under the more elitist format that I favour you have to have some emperical way of measuring these things if you are going to make these claims. As for playing the sympathy carrd rubbish you are the one subtley doing that - you are in favour of a tournament with fourteen teams half of which are Mickey Mouse outfits full of Australians.I
ralphco32
Guest
Who cares...enjoy life...if you don't like the product don't watch it. No one is putting a gun to your head!
Tua
Guest
We really do have to be careful about how we put our points across because they speak more of ourselves than what we say about others. Also it's a known fact that when we cannot come up with a plausible argument, we resort to personal abuse. I could be wrong, but I believe that Australia will edge NZ in a torrid and hard fought Final. Thank You
Ben of Phnom Penh
Roar Guru
Mate, you're going to pop a cog. Let it go.
James
Guest
So, being in England, are they going to be paying with those 2 meter deep in goal areas they seems to love so much in the north??? They play union in the northern hemisphere with full size in goal areas, so I never understood why Super League always seems to play on with the under 10s sized in goal. Even the NRL ones could be bigger, play the full sized union in goal and encourage as much kick and chase tries as possible.
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Should add the aim is to silence people like you. In a positive piece you brought zero to the table that could detract from the positives. It just goes to show how far you will go, to abandon reason for madness and try to obfusicate the actuality. After all you must question your devotion to criticism when you specifically came here to condemn irrespective of the substantiated positives.
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
We've moved on from here. Do catch up. But you displayed the comprehension skills of a hamster. So we'll leave it at that
Von Neumann
Roar Guru
Thats acording to you TREX. T rexs had a rudimentary type of feather, so in some ways that makes you look like a clown. But of course, your entire thing is to accentuate the things that dont look as pretty. Taken on its own your comment may mean something, but in reality where there's 1 million things going on at once, it means squat. But hold onto your ingrained belief. I bet you get uncomfortable when you read RLWC stories. It must be hard being like you. Is it just rugby league, or is it other sports too that get your goat? Wow....what an existence.....
nzmate
Guest
and?
TREX
Guest
Enjoy it mate it must be the only month outside of origin you feel like a king and then its back to bagging rugby union as you do for the other ten month of every year. Enjoy the RLWC as we enjoy similar events like the IRB 7's series, under 20 WC, Women WC, Commonwealth Games 7's.7's WC.
TREX
Guest
Those 15 players have all played in the local Samoan comp unlike all Australian playing for other nations in the RLWC.
russell johnson
Guest
The temptation to slag off the critics is very strong. The problem is it's like talking to cement when they're intransigent and insulting - a real waste of the little time you have on the planet, and when they're willing to engage it's like talking to sand you know it's a substance but there's very little to get a grip on. Then you realise that they're here for the cruelty and not the debate, but the saddest thing is people supposedly on our side passing them ammunition. I love anything that makes league stronger! I don't care what it is - and this is the only thing of any worth that yawnion has taught me and I thank them for that lesson! But they just don't get the message, do they: “If I wanted to hear about people and things I don’t know, don’t want to know and don’t care about I’d phone my mum.”
russell johnson
Guest
Kilaku Just because your sport is so wonderful doesn't mean that you shouldn't try to be more thoughtful towards people with less exciting things in their lives than yours! And then you woke up! I'm really grateful to you for being the the perfect example of the dreadful things that emanate from your sport from to to bottom, Thanks. puaka