The Rugby League World Cup has been an enormous success, showing that there is a genuine appetite for international rugby league.
Now with the World Cup behind us, the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) must start building an international calendar which helps to showcase international rugby league.
The RLIF should promote regional competition and give tier two and developing nations the opportunity to play against the big three while also providing regular test matches.
The first component of a new calendar for international rugby league is the midyear test period. Mainly concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere, it will build new rivalries and also play matches around big holidays in key growth markets.
The midyear test period kicks off in March with a St Patrick’s Day test to be played between the United States and Ireland. Rotating hosting rights on an annual basis, matches could be taken to US cities such as Boston and Philadelphia as well as the Irish capital of Dublin.
With a large American expat community and both nations on the brink of competing with the top tier-two nations, it will provide the Hawks and Wolfhounds not only with necessary experience but help to grow the game in the respective countries.
(NRLPhotos/Scott Davis)
The midyear test period recommences on the last weekend of May running until July for six and a half weeks. European Championships will be held as well as an Americas Cup competition and three-week Mediterranean Cup. In addition a playoff between the sixth and seventh European nations will determine who joins the European Cup while Canada and the United States will play on Canada Day and the Fourth of July as part of the Americas Cup.
The breakdown of the respective midyear tournaments is as follows:
Americas Cup: Canada, Jamaica, United States.
European B Championship: Belgium, Malta, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Ukraine.
European C Championship: Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Norway.
European D Championship: Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Turkey.
Mediterranean Cup: France, Italy, Lebanon.
The NRL must also break away for Pacific tests during the State of Origin standalone weekend, allowing for matches between New Zealand and England, Samoa and Tonga, and Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Should the Rugby Football League be concerned with travel for England, the Cook Islands can join the other five Pacific nations.
(Photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)
The pride and joy of the international rugby league calendar will be the end of year season running from October to November.
It will kick off annually with test series featuring Australia and New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, and Papua New Guinea and Fiji on a home-and-away basis.
Tours will take place biennially during even years, with Australia and New Zealand either playing England or the North American nations.
This means that in a given year Australia could tour England for The Ashes while New Zealand play Canada and the United States in two tests each. The allocation of tours would be swapped every two years with hosting for series featuring England rotating.
While these tours are being held, a series of regional tournaments will also be contested. The Pacific Cup will feature the Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales will all compete for the European Cup.
(NRLPhotos/Dave Acree)
In addition to this, the Asian Cup (Hong Kong, Japan, Philippines, Thailand), Balkans Cup (Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Turkey) and Nordic Cup (Denmark, Norway, Sweden) will all be held. Meanwhile, a Pacific Shield tournament between Lebanon, Niue, Solomon Islands, South Africa and Vanuatu will run over five weeks.
In the off year the big three nations will square off against tier-two nations within their region. Australia and New Zealand will contest the Pacific Challenge against Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga, playing each one of the nations. England will then join the European Cup.
The international period will culminate in the Festival of World Cups every four years, headlined by the 16-team Rugby League World Cup as well as the Women’s World Cup and Emerging Nations World Championship, both of which will feature 12 nations.
No longer should countries like Tonga play one test match every non-World Cup year. Australia shouldn’t be taking years off anymore. Change is afoot.
The RLIF need to adopt a new international calendar and encourage global expansion off the back of World Cup success. By providing all member nations with regular test matches, it will only help to boost the legitimacy of the international game and allow the greatest game of all to reach a truly global audience.
Crosscoder
Roar Guru
In addition monies in the form of grants have been made to the RLEF for European development by the ESC. Ignoring of course foreign Govts who not only give the code official recognition,but provide grants and facilities. Yes the RLIF makes up the bulk ,but as has been shown in places like Ukraine,Serbia and Lebanon,Govts have become involved ,as well as local businesses. The Scottish situation appear to be the exception rather than the rule.Development there has been a dog's breakfast.I doubt if Scotland would be ranked no14 based on their RLWC efforts of late. You can have the money,it's what you do with it on a practical basis.The ARU had $38m at one stage, now they are scraping the money barrel.and grassroots development becomes affected.
pillga
Guest
The Scottish rugby union made $9m in 21 days during the recent internationals and will do the same during the next 6 nations tournament It will repeat this every year for as far as the eye can see and all this profit will be spent in developing and running the game in one rugby nation the IRLF has $7m to spend over 4 years of which it will cost $250000 to run head office each year only leaving $1.5m a yearto spend on rugby league development divide this by the 40 nations that are members of the IRLF and you have $37000 to spend on wages for development officers flights and accommodation for traveling officials to international meetings , insurance, ground hire, new jumpers etc etc in each country So Riley given these facts can you explain how is the best way to develop the game further in a rugby league nation as powerful as Scotland who came into the world cup ranked no 4 one rugby code has $18m to spend and you are going to be given $37000 for the other Although i must say i am amazed on how much rugby league development is being successfully done on the key boards of Roar articles
Johhno
Guest
Has the RLIF said they are doing these tournaments and ideas that the writer suggests?
Mack
Guest
Good points Don. It’s all very good having these plans but the reality is very different. Crowds in developing countries for international league are not large enough nor are there enough viewers or even broadcast rights to fund international league.
Don
Guest
The problem is money. Take the case of Ireland. The RLIF will make about $7m out of the World Cup. The Irish Rugby Union spends more than ten times that every year. At Ireland's last home test match 876 people showed up. And that was a good result. The RLWC wasn't broadcast on any local tv networks and there are no plans for it to be broadcast into the future. The Irish comp is an amateur set up with a lot of Aussie ex-pats playing footy in front of zero spectators. If the RLIF are serious about developing a semi-pro or professional Irish comp it will cost probably four or five million a year minimum. Soccer has massive fanbase in Ireland but the local comp still struggles to break even.. It would be great to see, but where are the RLIF going to find the $20m-$30m a year it would take to fund northern hemisphere football across Ireland, Italy, and Lebanon? Getting a few hundred or a few thousand people through the gates two or three times a year just isn't going to cut it. Aussies don't bother showing up to watch Test football, so what is there to suggest people in Dublin or Rome will?
Nat
Roar Guru
I'm all in favour of building on the exhibition we just witnessed. Although when someone with the dedication of Cooper Cronk retires from rep footy due to the required commitment I become mindful of the amount footy we, the fans, want from our best players. 35 top level games in one season is a sure fire way to end someones career physically and/or mentally. Now with my fanboy hat back on. I like the idea of using our best to promote the game in 'developing' locations like Canada and Nth America. Possibly, like we do with PNG, take a PM13 team to Latin America. Although, Like Robert Burgin has been at pains to point out, there has to be a large marketing spend. That's not an NRL responsibility so the mid year tests should be used to raise revenue and sponsorship toward the cause and a cost split between ARL, RLIF and the RL Dept host nation. Without this, it really becomes a junket and without an ROI, (KPIs including game development - more clubs, attendance, Sponsors/TV). In 2021, the WC will be in England and hopefully they build on their success this year and by 2025 in America, it could be a true, strong international World Cup for the attention of the worlds biggest sporting appetite.
Fred
Guest
Should be some good games in the Mediterranean Cup too!
Fred
Guest
Great to hear Ireland is playing the US!
QConners
Roar Pro
I love the concept and the enthusiasm of these ideas. However I think one issue that's most likely going to be brought up, is the cost issues for these minnow nations. Much of those games mentioned will struggle to have any sort of broadcasting, and thus will lack any sort of sponsorship and financial backing. Tours featuring Australia, NZ and England are definitely a good way to promote the game because broadcasters will definitely buy rights to those games and thus sponsors will jump on board as well. I suggest that to combat that problem and add to your idea, that a Six Nations tournament be held every 4 years between the World Cups. The winner of the Pacifif Cup and European Championships(the year beforehand) would be added which creates further importance to these competitions and will entice broadcasters and sponsors to buy, and people to watch. The two runners up from each comp can then play mid year the next year for the last place. The year after the Six Nations, World Cup Qualifying can begin as well as more tours for Australia and NZ to nations that have already qualified, such as the UK and Pacific Islands.
Rob9
Guest
The NRL must do nothing but worry about it’s own domain, in which the interests of Lebanon, Ireland, Tonga, the US etc don’t exist. The NRL has enough challenges on its landscape without attempting to balance the growth of the international game as well. Take a look at Super Rugby which is a competition that attempts to do this. It’s not exactly a thriving professional league of engaged and captivated local fans.
Not so super
Guest
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