Oh hey howdy partner and cowabunga dudes, the Rugby League World Cup is heating up and, wouldn’t you know it, the good old boys from the US of A have more than earned their stars and stripes.
They’ve gotten themselves a berth in the tournament’s quarter-finals and a likely showdown with Cup heavyweights Australia.
Yep, the game of thirteen a side, six down, no huddle iron man football is finally hitting the big time in the land of the free as Terry ‘ten toes’ Matterson and his men storm the pages of the New York Times and have Barack Obama clearing space in his schedule.
These are heady times indeed.
Even if they do lose their final pool match to Scotland, no longer will US rugby league have to live off its past glories of Greg Smith, Manfred Moore, breaking Willie Mason’s ankle in Philadelphia and throwing that outrageous forward pass at the Coca-Cola Sevens many moons ago.
They have now hit the big time, and surely any future Northern Hemisphere tours will need to clear space for a whirlwind 32 stop North American leg.
Well… yes, no and maybe.
The US Tomahawks’ presence at the World Cup is a bit like that of your cousin’s new girlfriend, the one he meet online in a retro video game chat room a week earlier, at your wedding.
A lot of people think they shouldn’t be there. Others just ignore their presence, with the only person taking any interest in them being your weird Uncle Chuck who latches on to anyone who comes within a five metre radius.
But I’ll be damned if chat room chick isn’t belle of the ball!
I must admit, I too was sceptical about the T-Hawks.
The infighting stateside in the lead-up to the Cup between the USARL and AMNRL had left an unpleasant, Natural Ice style bad taste in many rugby league fans’ mouths.
Then came the unveiling of the squads, which many felt excluded players plying their trade in the US in favour of those playing in lower leagues overseas and qualifying via heritage rules.
Somehow the current squad of US players, cobbled together from everywhere from Cudgen to Connecticut to Hawaii, and with their third head coach in twelve months, has given American rugby league something it has never been able to capture.
Respect.
For a long, long time USA rugby league has been viewed in the same light as the Equatorial Guinea Olympic swimming program.
Despite the hard work of many in the country, it was doomed to fall into the ‘Wacky’ highlights category, which included this World Cup where the organisers had failed to make accommodation contingency plans for the US past their third pool match.
In short, they were meant to turn up, wear the funny Uncle Sam hat, let Wales win their pool and go home.
Now they’ve got NRL clubs scouting their players, the Wiggles writing songs about them and a likely quarter-final against Australia.
Granted, a US win against the Kangaroos would make the ‘Miracle on Ice’ look like beating your 96-year-old Nanna in totem tennis.
But still, what a moment? And what better way to cap off their belated cup appearance?
Recently I read about the famous song ‘Yankee Doodle’, and how it was actually penned by a British physician to make fun of the US soldiers with whom Britain was fighting with in the French and Indian Wars.
The American soldiers were mocked for being ‘above their station,’ as they dared to think themselves the equal of one of the world’s most powerful armies despite being a largely rag tag militia of men chucked together and using third-rate equipment.
Sounds awfully familiar doesn’t it?
And we all know how that one finished for the world’s most powerful army…
Denno
Guest
Great effort by the American team to get to the Quarters ... It was always going to be tough against the Aussies, but they tried hard all game. They didnt put the cue in the rack so to speak. Hoping they qualify for the next world cup, and the promotion of the game continues in the states.
Denno
Guest
He played Queensland Cup, a "Second Division comp" in Australia .. damn good player. Hopefully he gets a run in the Super League, or the NRL, but he is president of his own club in New York.
Denno
Guest
That isnt milking the rules, that is tactical play .. totally different
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Kate, it's a good idea for at least trying but having to sign up all that info for all this, is a bit much. Plus I don't want the US govt knowing my details :)
kate
Guest
Recognize the USA Tomahawks Rugby League team with a White House visit after the Rugby League World Cup https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/recognize-usa-tomahawks-rugby-league-team-white-house-visit-after-rugby-league-world-cup/p4gYZm4C Help get the word out!
Jz
Guest
You can watch the Usa Jamaica Canadian games on the Canadian wolverines web site
Patrick
Guest
I am not sure the redcoats were ever the "World's strongest army" ever at any point. That era, you are looking at the French, Frederick William's Prussians, Austrians, Russians all being well ahead of the British, but whatever. Who knows what is going to happen once Americans get to bear their flags and start yahooing? But instinct tells me that it will be something between Rocky IV and a Chaser skit.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
History means nothing if you have the vision and dedication to do it. Just look at the Melbourne Storm, never once living off their non-existent history. Compare that to some of the NRL's older clubs like Souths who took 40 years to enter the modern world. Good luck to the USA.
Sleiman Azizi
Roar Guru
LOL
In Brief
Guest
I had dinner with Colin Scott once, the first Australian to play NFL, and he thought that if American footballers played either rugby code in the same way they play American football there would be serious injuries, even deaths. This is a guy who went to Hawaii university with Paul Sironen and a couple of other leaguies. Scott, who was a junior rugby representative, was the only one to make it. Basically he said NFL isn't a sport, it is business. These guys tackle to maim. If you see some of the leg breaks from helmet to knee contact, I think taking the sideline might be smart move.
Johnno
Guest
Not since Kangaroos V Russia at RLWC has there been such a big game in rugby league. Watching Ian Rubin charge into the Roos, priceless lol. Good luck Sideshow Bob vs the Roos. Go the Tomahawks.
Silver_Sovereign
Guest
Its certainly not a team of Neville Nobodies. Sideshow Bob former Titans winger, Big Eddy P from Souths, Clint Newton solid player at all stop in his career and grand final winner with the storm, Joe Paulo from the Eels, JR Paulo also from Eels etc. Looking forward to it
Glenn Innes
Guest
Agree Dave American Football is a gigantic wank to put it crudely - the only reason anyone outside North America takes a second look at it is because of the power of Americah culture - if it was an Argentinian game everyone would dismiss it for what it was. That is not to denigrate the athletes who play it they are very good at what they do it is just unfortunate that what they do is so is interrupted by such long periods of inactivity. Also comimg from a League background players taking dives and running over the sideline to avoid taking the hit is a bit hard to take given it's supporters on this site keep telling us it is a tougher game than League (another complete wank in my humble opinion) But I don't like thse chance of either Rugby game making serious inroads in the States - we are talking about a very insular culture - immigration from Latin America will see soccer make some inroads but sadly it will be a tough gig for the Rugby games.!
Tom
Guest
"Milking the rules" shaking my head...
Col Quinn
Guest
Boring
Statler and Waldorf
Roar Guru
he looks like he knows what he is doing in the stands? :)
Renegade
Roar Guru
That's odd considering Ryan McGoldrick hasn't played a game..... I guess you would have known that if you actually watched the matches. This post is a great example of tro11ing gone wrong ;)
clitgod
Guest
I think what he was trying to say was that america has the talent pool and population to overcome our 100 years of rugby league experience if they decided to take it seriously!
crashy
Guest
That Ryan McGoldrick i the US fellow seems like he knows what he's doing. Who does he play for in the US and and what junior team did he learn to play RL?
Pot Stirrer
Guest
Agreed, Imagine if the game did take of, wed be losing all our players to the money in the US.