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Now that the big boys of the tournament are set to hog the limelight in the semi-finals, what happens to the rest of the little guys whose teams got bundled out early?
Do they go and visit the Millennium Dome? Hang around and watch the finals? Head straight back to work walking some pampered corgis for the rich and famous?
Well I’ve got a better idea – let’s get them together!
Quite often with international rugby league the ‘Big Three’ term used to describe perennial powerhouses Australia, New Zealand and England is rolled out more often than a butchered national anthem.
It can be a source of frustration at times, as it is often used to talk down the international rugby league scene.
However, it’s undeniable that if you look at the squads of these three they do have significantly more depth in their roster than the other competing nations.
This is not to say that the other eleven competing nations don’t have any quality players, in fact there are some bloody great players in there.
It’s just that many of the tier-2 onwards teams also contain a slice of Superstar-extender.
So if we took the best parts from each of the other eleven teams in the cup and put them all together, what would it look like?
Based on form at the tournament and excluding any players possibly soon to be coming to you in a Maroon or sky blue jersey (i.e. no Milford, T Sims, Taufua etc) or switch allegiances in the next 5mins, here’s how I think the Leftovers United would look.
My Rugby League World Cup ‘Best of the rest’ team
1. Morgan Escare (France)
2. Matt Russell (Scotland)
3. Konrad Hurrell (Tonga)
4. BJ Leilua (Samoa)
5. David Mead (PNG)
6. Danny Brough (Scotland)
7. Craig Priestly (USA)
8. Remi Casty (France)
9. Paul Aiton (PNG)
10. Ben Flower (Wales)
11. Dale Ferguson (Scotland)
12. Jason Bukuya (Fiji)
13. Joseph Paulo (USA)
Interchange
14. Charlie Wabo (PNG)
15. Sauia Matagi (Samoa)
16. Ukuma Ta’ai (Tonga)
17. Eloni Vunakece (Fiji)
As you can see it’s no too difficult to put together a classy looking side, and provided they didn’t let David Mead kick for goal I believe they could give any footy team a run for their money.
So, what to do with them?
In the past I haven’t particularly been a fan of uninterested ‘Rest of the World’ Sides playing in hastily cobbled together rainbow jerseys, and including a team like the above in an established tournament like the Four Nations would be a mistake.
However, with the ‘Big three’ continually being put on a pedestal by rugby league’s media I think a select side like the above would jump at the chance to play one of the big boys and knock them off.
Better yet, imagine if the match could somehow become a part of the World Cup tournament itself, like if England got knocked out in the semi-finals and played the above side in a match before the final.
Personally I think it would be quite the spectacle, and it would be magnificent to see how good players like Escare and Priestly are when they’re not forced to tackle for three quarters of a match.
And, if nothing else, would stop another seventeen or so tourists wasting their cash visiting the Millennium Dome…
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