RLWC 2013 terrific, but how can 2017 be even better?

I think it's time we split the Aussie team up they seem too strong for everyone, we should enter a Qld team and a NSW team, so have 4 pools of 3 teams so 12 teams in all e.g pool A Nz, Samoa and Wales, pool B Qld, Fiji and France, pool C England, USA and PNG, pool D NSW, Ireland and Scotland.. We will get more support for the Aussie teams when it state vs state.. In 2000 RLWC we saw NZ Kiwis and NZ Maoris 2 teams repressing from 1 country.. The top teams will b most likely will win and the 2 minors fight each other for a place in quarter finals and we should follow IRB qualifying policy for next World Cup which mean the teams which make the quarter finals qualify for next World Cup and the teams finishing 3rd in their pool will have 2 go back and play in qualifying tournaments.. Plus as a Fijian I would libe to see Australia pick 17 Aussies instead raping all the talents out of the pacific and NZ.. Papali and Hayne should have played for Samoa and Fiji while Tamou is a Kiwi not a Aussie.. Lets make it a even compition, the Kangaroos are like Real Madrid throwing money @ any to play for them...

I think your idea makes a lot of sense but I would tweak it slightly. I would keep the 5 team super group and have 2 pools of 4 as you say & thus having a 13 team event. However I wouldn't have an inter group match for the minnows it would simply be a round robin & then the 2 group winners would play each other for the right to play the 4th place team in the super group in a playoff to determine who would join the top 3 in the semis.

I guess the format used for this WC was a little confusing but at the present time I can't see a better option. The 16 4x4 format was tried in 2000 & it was a bit of a disaster. I don't think the game has grown significantly to be able to try that again. The big problem RL has always had is that there are 3 teams who are so much stronger than the rest and whilst this remains the case it will be pretty much impossible to find a format that keeps everyone happy. I think the hope has always been that a 4th country would emerge to challenge the big 3 with either France or Wales appearing to be the best equipped but unfortunately this still hasn't happened. I think the only way that something like this might happen now would be if the 3 Pacific Island teams came together and played as 1 unified team on a permanent basis. This would potentially then allow a tournament with 2 Pools of 5 teams with a blockbuster match in each pool plus the semis & Final.

On another note if we want to build the competition up in international rugby league then i think there would be a good opportunity to do this when SOO goes to standalone weekends in a break in the NRL season. The origin can be played on the Monday night but on the weekend leading up to these matches there can be matches between PNG, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji in a 3 week round robin tournament. Good quality rep games that these countries can look forward to every year

5K for a qf says it all old sport.

Surely what this tournament has shown is that games between the minnows can provide great entertainment but that the gap between the best and the rest is as big as ever. Since week 1 with the Eng v Aus game (and to a degree the NZ v Sam game) there has not been a single even vaguely interesting game featuring one of the big 3. Fiji, Ireland, PNG and France were dispatched with ease and Fiji are the 4th best team! The quarter final round has been the dullest by far. I'd have this in order to maximise revenue and meaningful games. Scrap the quarters and expand the group stage, bringing back the "super group". Group A: Aus NZ ENG SAM FRANCE group b and c with 4 teams each, each team again playing an interpool match. Have winner A play the group winner with most points, second place A plays winner of a playoff between 3rd A and the other group winner. Thus there's meaningful games throughout, big 3 assured of playing each other and you'd only lose 1 team.

You can have both. 16 teams, 4 pools of 4. Top 8 play in pools A and B. 9-16 play in pools C and D. The top 2 from A and B make the QF. 3 and 4 from A and B have to play against 1 and 2 from C and D to make the QFs. This ensures closer matches the whole way through. It would extend the tournament by one week but until their is greater competition at the top I don't expect there to be as much interest in the pool stage for these teams if you split them up

The Rugby World Cup generated profit both to New Zealand. The arguments you've suggested have been well discussed and rejected by the New Zealand government and economists. Some people might have stayed away during the world cup but a lot more came to New Zealand because of it.

Not denying there is anger from a few, but you also see that them reaching the qtrs has seen an amazing swing of support. Clubs like the Fight & Boston etc regularly tweet their support of the Tomahawks and the USARL facebook page (rival of AMNRL) also are making updates of the Tomahawks campaign. Perhaps they will listen after this tournament when everyone sits down and works things out. One of the great things will be the unification of the two competitions. Sure, some will be burnt and turn away from the game, others will have another go, and lots of new players will be attracted by the deeds of the Tomahawks. I have noticed even the USA 7's & USA RU are supporting the Tomahawks as the codes unite in their pride of a US doing well internationally. But long road ahead indeed.

A $60 Milllon Upgrades to Lancaster Park (AMI Park) in Christchurch and a new $200 Million dollar stadium in Dunedin were built by ratepayers under the promise of big games for the rugby world cup in 2011. One empathised with the locals disappointment on announcement that these two stadiums would get a quarter final each and no All Black games during the 2011 RWC. $256 Million was spent on Eden Park alone which was recognised back in 2004 (when the games were first announced) as a white elephant in the middle of suburbia. The biggest games next year look like being Rugby League and the odd All Black game as Super Rugby and the ITM cup crowds are dwindling. With the kiwis contributing capital to Stadium upgrades (that will never be returned), the taxpayer of New Zealand provided $31 Million whilst the IRB ripped out approx $150 Million The estimate of economic benefit was originally estimated (circa 2005) at $408 Million, revised upwards to $500 Million by Deloitte's year yet we all know the so called benefits of such events are never materialised for the good of the country. I've seen no evidence to suggest that the RWC was a big patriotic party with a massive hangover. An alleged 133,000 visitors to New Zealand came for the 2011 RWC. This is a mere drop in the ocean for the 2.2 Million people that arrive in New Zealand each year. Another thought would be that many tourists may have been put off by the event anyway and hotels were certainly not full during the event as even I was able to fly in during the middle of the tournament, have a couple of nights in Wellington and return with little evidence of additional activity, other than an overhyped leading segment for the first 20 minutes of TV news. Other than that, a bit of water cooler talk during work, and the odd flags it appeared business as usual. Those GST credits you peak of would be well and truly spent as GST debits for all the upgrades anyway. A business associate of mine, spoke of getting a lucrative temporary seat supply for a handful of stadiums (as he had a legitimate New Zealand business which demonstrated the money was spent locally). He subsequently imported all those seats anyway making a mockery of the amount of money spent. And lets not even mention Rugby League Park being effective gifted to the Rugby Union (after the 2011 Christchurch Earthquake), with domestic Rugby League now played at open grounds NZRFU are demanding a 35 000 covered seat stadium - guess what - they don't want to contribute a cent, providing the same rhetoric as they did prior to the RWC (build it and we will come). What a load of croc. The temporary stadium with a capacity of 18 000 has been in use from March 2014 and has been filled once. The people of Christchurch are hearty sick of the empty promises from the NZRFU while they demand top notch facilities all while some residents are still using portaloos in leaky houses. This RLWC will return a profit at no cost to the good people of the north of England and to the betterment of league worldwide. I for one am enjoying the open rugby.

Another post from Anthony Jackson Miller, an American rugby league international: https://www.facebook.com/notes/anthony-jackson-miller/usa-tomahawks-not-so-american/10151714306185687 There are many other posts from American rugby league players who are extremely upset with the Tomahawks selection process. If you want to discuss improving the world cup, than you need to hear these voices..

Boomshanka The upgrades to the stadiums ended up being worth it the RWC brought in 125,000 international visitors and injected around 700 million dollars into the New Zealand economy - so really the visitors paid for the upgrades as the country made the money back in GST.

You don't know so how can you make an assumption? Plus many Aussies would probably wait for Wembley and Old Trafford. So Joe Dirt, who are you? Trex, Anne, ahmad? It's pretty clear you're here to troll and not have a mature discussion. I like how the trolls all have their own little job to trash every aspect of this RLWC, and then the multiple personalities get together to back each other up. Quite funny but sad for them.

Well Joe, the USA team made a Foxsports USA TV show and the panel by all reports discussed the Tomahawks and were very positive, so I don't see how this could damage the code. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BZLMc59CcAIhCny.jpg:large

The author of this article is an Aussie academic based currently in the US not an American so I wouldn't say it was from an American perspective. And I wouldn't argue with his perspective though. I think most league fans would agree. The issue we have is you lot coming on here and saying the RLWC is a farce, a joke, not worth having etc, and when we don't roll over the way you want us to, then a few trolls resort to the old stereotypes and list a heap of rugby union statistics on why they're bigger than us, which once again reveal the true reason to troll and that is to belittle rugby league, tell us to keep in our place, you shouldn't develop, and so on. As I said to another troll, why not go lambast the USA Americas cup team who only had 5 Americans in the 24 man squad. Reading the profiles of all the other nationalities, it seems they sail for whom can afford to pay the bills. But despite the public knowing this, their comeback was well recognised in the US press and not many had a problem with the makeup of the team.

There are no organised tours etc: Here three and there are more (including the official one at rlwc2013.com) http://www.sportsnetholidays.com/events/rugby-league/rugby-league-world-cup/ http://www.sporttours.com.au/rugby/rugby-league-world-cup.html http://www.williment.co.nz/2013-rugby-league-world-cup-london/2013-rugby-league-world-cup The game at Limerick it was clear that no one travelled across for it; I personally know of at least a coach load from Wigan and the tours above include Limerick. FYI, The 2011 RWC ran at a $31 Million dollar loss underwritten by the New Zealand taxpayers and ratepayers who will pay for upgrades to stadiums across the country for many years. This RLWC is heading for a tidy profit and I'll be heading over later this week along with a handful of other roarers. Looking forward to a big crowd at Wembley and a full House in Old Trafford. After that - bring on 2017

great article. it shows just how much dmage this WC is doing to rugby league playing areas like the USA.

i doubt very many tourists have gone to this WC. You can see at the Aussie games there a very few aussies in the crowd. there are no organsied tours etc, at least not at this stage. the game in limierick it was clear that no one travelled across for it. This would have the ecomic impact of 6 rounds of league 3 football. nothing more.

Has there been an economic analysis of the Rugby League World Cup? That is how many foreign tourists have been attracted by the co-hosts England and Wales to watch this 6 week tournament and how much have they spent?