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Dear Phil Rothfield, I have a question to ask you: Do you or do you not like rugby league?
It’s a simple question. Yes or no will suffice. Do you or do you not like rugby league?
I know you’re the chief rugby league writer at the Daily Telegraph, so naturally I would assume you’re an avid fan of rugby league.
However, I ask you this question because of the relentless negativity of your articles about rugby league.
For example, in the Telegraph, you’ve published an article describing the Rugby League World Cup as a farce.
Your evidence?
Australia beat America 62-0.
Australia beat Russia 114-0 in 2000
Australia beat France 74-0 in 1994.
Australia beat Papua New Guinea 82-0 in 2000.
Is that seriously all the evidence you can provide?
You claim that for twenty years administrators have made excuses. The game will never be international.
However Phil, you fail to acknowledge the neglect International rugby league suffered as a result of the Super League War.
You fail to acknowledge that there was no World Cup for eight years between 2000-2008.
You fail to acknowledge how much more successful the 2008 World Cup was to 2000. You fail to acknowledge many of the great games throughout the current tournament.
You also state that Channel Nine and Fox Sports aren’t broadcasting the World Cup because they’re not interested. What is your evidence for this?
Isn’t it a good thing that networks other than Channel Nine are interested in the competition?
You then complain that the tournament is shown at one or six in the morning. The FIFA World Cup, Olympics and Rugby World Cup are also often shown at these times.
The tournament is being played in England. There isn’t much the RLIF can do about that!
Your suggestion that only four nations should participate in the World Cup is an example of the shortsighted sensationalism that you are famous for.
How is it beneficial for the game, when only four teams can compete in a so-called World Cup?
That was the structure of the World Cup for almost 40 years. It wasn’t exactly a World Cup.
At least the game now is showing some ambition about the future. The RLIF will pull a profit from this tournament. Isn’t that something to be celebrated?
So once again I ask you Mr Rothfield, are you or are you not a rugby league supporter?
You are the chief rugby league writer at Sydney’s best-selling newspaper. Your column is syndicated in most other News Corp tabloids.
It is one thing to be balanced in your reporting, another thing entirely to call the Rugby League World Cup a farce, especially considering the weakness of your argument.
A yes or no answer will suffice.
Yours, Raymond Nassif
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