The pool matches of the Rugby League World Cup concluded on Monday night. France, ranked fourth in the world, went down 22-6 to the Samoans, ranked eighth.
It, like the majority of the matches so far, was a hard-fought and close game, where either team looked likely to win until the final stages.
But an issue that must concern the Rugby League International Federation is not the closeness of the matches, but the identities of the winners.
The teams which had seemed most likely to challenge rugby league’s big three have all had sub-par showings in the 2013 Cup.
Fourth-ranked France won one match, a one-point victory over sixth-ranked Papua New Guinea. PNG, along with fifth-ranked Wales, won nothing.
This, other than the need to rearrange their ranking system, must be a concern for the RILF.
On the other hand, Scotland (ranked 11th), the USA (12th) and Italy (13th) have been the surprise packets of the Cup.
The Scots are unbeaten, and the USA have lost only once – to Scotland. Italy have one win, one draw and one loss.
Yes, I know the draw is not equal and is engineered to allow for such results and everyone doesn’t play everyone… etcetera, etcetera, but bear with me.
In recent times, considerable effort has been made to develop the game in France, Wales and PNG. Before the Cup, it looked like it was working.
The game was said to be growing in France and Wales. PNG have a team admitted to the Queensland Cup in 2014.
Looking through the squads of each side, most play in their home countries and very few have qualified on heritage grounds.
However, a couple of groups of fringe NRL and Super League players knocking off the French, the Welsh and the Kumuls can’t be the preferred outcome of the RILF, especially after the work that has been put into these nations in recent years.
The eligibility rules for the 2013 World Cup, of which I am a fan, allow for a lot more top quality players to take the field when they may have otherwise been watching it from home.
This is a good thing.
But when France, a team with all but two members who live and play in France each week (mostly for the same Super League side), can be trumped by a cobbled-together Samoan side it shows there is still a lot of work to do.
Is this more Rugby League World Cup bashing? Hardly.
Overall, the tournament has been and will continue to be a success. The amount of debate it has generated alone, not to mention the quality of the football and the money earned, is good for the international game.
The crowds of the semis and final are expected to be 70,000-plus and are heading towards sell-outs.
It is the first tournament in a long time which could realistically be won by one of three countries. This brings excitement to the World Cup.
The performances of the ‘minnows’, the USA and Italy in particular, will have positive impacts for the growth of the game domestically. This is the point of the World Cup.
From the 1950s to the early 1970s, the Rugby League World Cup had only four participants. Now, all of the 14 participating countries have established domestic leagues.
Hopefully the 2013 edition is an example of a code in transition, to a time when established leagues in several nations provide players for the game’s showpiece event.
Ed Norton
Guest
The reason why there are more Australians with polynesian heritage than PNGnian heritage is because its more easier for Polys (samoans, tongans, fiji) to migrate to Australia (thanks to NZ) then it is for pngnians. Its very expensive to travel to Aus from PNG in comparison to NZ.
duecer
Guest
Ra, Meryck is not saying that at all. He is saying that countries like Italy and US who have virtually no players that were born or have parental links there make it grossly unfair to the countries that do, like most Polynesian teams.
Bob Anderson
Guest
I don't understand the article writer saying he supports the 2013 eligibility rules and then complains that teams with fringe NRL "heritage" players are beating teams with domestic French, Welsh, and Papuan players. I think the writer is trying to have it both ways without providing any constructive solutions.
Joe Dirt
Guest
Wales have been the major flop of this WC, espically as they were co-hosts. this has lead to the ridicilous situation where the Aussies will be playing a QF in North Wales in front of 3K.
Dan Wighton
Roar Guru
The side is basically the Catalans Dragons with a couple of other dudes (Greenshields and Theo Fages). You would have thought they would have an advantage over other sides that had never played together, like many of the island nations. The positive with the French side is that they are very young - guys like Morgan Escare have been going great (he is only 20).
Dan Wighton
Roar Guru
There are already a few signs that international Rugby League will get a boost from the Cup. With the success of the USA campaign there is talk of a French tour and more matches between the USA and Canada. There is also the promise of more sponsorship money.
Nicky C
Guest
Oikee - ''Nicky, you do realise that France Catalans play in the super league, much like Brisbane Broncos played in the NSW comp, now NRL.'' - Umm yeah I do..whats the point? Take it from an Irishman - they donnt produce players in Ireland of SL quality. League in Ireland is like aussie rules in London. These ''little island nations are not swamping the NRL'' - Very, very little Islanders come over to Australia and the NRL to play League. Its more like Australian and NZers of Island stock who are ''swamping'' the NRL. I am just saying that nations that produce their own players should be given priority in the future of the international game. These nations are authentic and have cultural bond with their people. Teams like PNG should not be ridiculed because they don't have enough Australians of Papuan heritage running around in the NRL. In fact they should be applauded by developing their own players - no matter what standard.
Nicky C
Guest
I'm a league man with my own vision of the game. We need to build the international game from the ground up not the other way round!
Ra
Guest
nick c another boring hierarchical boring non leaguie trying to tell leagies how to run our game, or ru meryk under another name
Ra
Guest
so you are saying Meryck that all those Polynesians, Poms and Kiwis based in Australia for work purposes should not be allowed to play for their own nations. You and In Brief are obviously not interested in growing our game. Take us out of the game and the NRL and SL dies.
Mike from tari
Guest
They don't need help they need proper selections.
Tigranes
Guest
Rubbish karlos we're 4th right now
oikee
Guest
Nicky, you do realise that France Catalans play in the super league, much like Brisbane Broncos played in the NSW comp, now NRL. France should be powerful, and they should have players streaming into other teams and even the NRL. They have not progressed, that is their own fault. Same as Wales and Ireland, who have a number of teams they could send players to super league clubs, if they were any good, maybe they are just no good. You only have to look at the little island nations swamping the NRL to see the progress that can be made, if these countries want to make progress. PNG are a classic example of not being good enough because they dont have enough players in the NRL. All these nations need to wake-up, become serious or move aside, get knocked out by emerging nations. We cant baby sit these weak countries forever, while we have the likes of Russia, China ,America and Canada to concur, as well as Serbia and Jamaica. As the yanks would say, time to step up to the plate.
karlos
Guest
Not sure how the rankings are worked out, but I know the Wallabies only have to win 1 or 2 games a year to be in the top 2 or 3.
Ka
Guest
He may be a tr0ll but he has a point
Relic
Guest
PNG kumuls won't hurt a fly in international rugby league. They should be ranked last. They really need help.
cantab
Guest
I'm with you, but Jez that will make for a good post/during game riot.
cantab
Guest
I know there is a lot more money on Moresby than there ever has been, but I don't see much real progress in the country, crime, corruption, wealth disparity and administrative incompetence is as bad as it's ever been . Like many things in PNG it's a case of one step forward and several steps backwards. The only way I believe the Kummuls will become a force is if you ID talent in PNG and then get it out. I think trying to develop professional level talent in PNG will fail, so many issues that you wont face anywhere else.
Cathar Treize
Roar Guru
Hope PNG get to play their pool games in Port Moresby in 2017. With Lloyd Robson field being upgraded to 25,000, it would be a perfect opportunity and give them some home ground advantage :)
Mike from tari
Guest
Papua New Guinea were very disappointing, I have been unable to work out if they went to the World Cup to win some games or did they go to get experience, for too long the game has been influenced by Politicians & people with their own agendas & despite what Lam has stated the PNG team was not picked with the best players. I want to know why no players from the Intrust Super Cup were picked, some consider this the 2nd best comp in the world, yet they picked players playing 2nd division in England probably on a par with ISC reserve grade, they even had a player from Parkes, we all saw Tommy Butterfield when he won the Man of the match in the major semi final say on channel 9 that he hoped to be picked for the Kumuls, we had Joe Bond who was on the Broncos books, Rod Griffin & the prop from Burleigh but these proven players were ignored, Why! Mal Meninga on his nice wad of money from his ex broncos mates on the PNG Bid Team should have made sure that the best team was picked but he failed, in PNG many people turned off their TV's in disgust.