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There is a vocal team of people who dislike the Rugby League World Cup.
Some of these people have legitimate concerns. Some of them do not. Some of them are not even fans of rugby league. More disturbingly, some of them are.
The playing roster of this anti-World Cup team ranges from professionals plying their trade in the mass media to local amateurs who are passionate but are rarely around come the second-half.
The skills and talents of this strange team vary. Some are literate enough to put out surprisingly readable arguments while others rely on a rush of adrenalin to barge their way through the mistakes they and their team continually make.
Let’s have a look at some of the so-called plays this team uses and see if we can’t consign them to the strategy dustbin.
1. Only three nations – Australia, New Zealand and England – can realistically win the World Cup
This is not an argument against the World Cup but rather a statement about the World Cup. Furthermore, it is one that is readily admitted to by the vast majority within the rugby league world.
If one were to use football as an example, despite the massive number of teams competing, only a handful can actually win their World Cup.
More telling is the fact that even less have won it.
As to the reason why they are the only ones realistically capable of winning, well, that is very simple: of the nations being represented, these three have the longest and most consistent histories within the game.
All other nations have interrupted histories or are just beginning theirs.
2. Teams feature players who were not even born in the countries they are representing
Perhaps the most enduring of plays, this is nothing more than the opposition intercepting the ball and running in the wrong direction with it.
There are a number of ways to negate this attack.
The intellectual approach is to say that the idea of nationality is a lot more fluid than when the concept of the nation state first arose. International migration has seen to it that individuals with multiple cultural and national identities are everywhere.
In other words, players are a lot more flexible and can play in any number of positions depending upon the needs of the team.
However, the opposition, known more for its brawn than its brain, is likely to ignore that there has been a stoppage in play. They’ve knocked on but still believe they have the ball in their hands…
The rule-based approach is to say that none of the players are playing for teams that they are not eligible for.
This counter-attack seems weak until it merges with the next counter which is hindsight: it is easy to have tighter eligibility rules when you have the luxury of a player depth developed through long history.
Minnow nations do not have this depth, nor do they have the infrastructure or the history. Hence the term ‘minnow’.
Even then, the more established nations have not been shy in borrowing the services of the odd mid-season signing from overseas…
3. Only Australia and England have professional domestic competitions
Another statement masquerading as an argument, the opposition uses this as a dummy play except that they perform it so well, they fool their own players into tackling themselves.
The fact that the bulk of World Cup players come from the NRL and the Super League is a non sequitur. If the World Cup is to be of relatively high quality, then where else are they going to come from?
4. The World Cup is nothing more than a glorified tournament trying to be bigger than what it really is
One of the more stranger offensive strategies, this attack is the same as saying that it is not a good idea for players to exercise because they only become bigger and faster and stronger.
You don’t score tries by not moving towards the tryline and kicking a penalty goal when the opposition has four players in the sin-bin is self-defeating.
5. The World Cup is only successful because of Sonny-Bill Williams
That’s like saying you only won because you scored more points than us.
Sonny-Bill Williams is an international sporting superstar, a player that has become bigger than any of the sports he plays.
It just so happens that one of the sports he excels at is rugby league. It is also an interesting co-incidence that this year’s World Cup is a rugby league one.
Strange how that works out…
The Placebo Effect is a well known scientific fact. With it, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup naysayers think that this small sample of vitamins and minerals in their kit bag is a vial of growth hormone.
Through this, they act as if they were the league’s top line breakers and try scorers. Alas, all they ever do is fumble the ball while at dummy-half.
Good luck to all involved in this year’s World Cup.
You are certainly doing nothing wrong.
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