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'Selfish, parochial and cowardly' - Rugby League World Cup implodes
By AAP
Rugby Football League chairman Simon Johnson has savaged Australia and New Zealand as "selfish, parochial and cowardly" over their decision to pull out of the World Cup.
Organisers are frantically trying to work out their next step after being caught on the hop by the joint decision of the holders and New Zealand, which came just seven days after it was announced the tournament would go ahead as planned.
It provoked an angry response from the RFL, the governing body for professional rugby league in England.
"The World Cup organisers have bent over backwards and turned double somersaults to meet every single requirement that was asked of them, by the Australians particularly," Johnson said.
"To have those assurances completely dismissed, I am angry about this.
"This is a selfish, parochial and cowardly decision which has been taken by the Australian and New Zealand leadership."
The decision comes a week after the NRL relocated its competition to Queensland following fresh COVID outbreaks in NSW and Victoria but Johnson says the rugby league authorities in Australia are bucking the trend as the world emerges from lockdown.
"I would have some sympathy for them were I not aware that right now Australian athletes are in Tokyo for the Olympics, that New Zealand men's cricketers have played in England this summer and that the rugby union team from Australia will be coming for a series of internationals in October," he said.
"So, if their sports' governing bodies are comfortable with the arrangements that are made, why are the rugby league authorities not satisfied with that?
"I think the impact, particularly for women's rugby league and wheelchair rugby league will be particularly devastating.
"And I cannot escape the irony of a country which only yesterday was awarded the Olympic Games for 2032 and which promotes itself as the home of sport, has taken a decision that might well cause a fatal blow to the development of women's rugby league and wheelchair rugby league."
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Latest Comments
33, unlikely?
It’s actually an interesting question, how does his RL career impact you perception of his ‘rugby age’?
I’d imagine he’s fresher than a 26 yo rugby player, he’s fitting and done more k’s, but had less impacts (unsure of his injuries).
Anyway, your conclusion doesn’t really hit the mark. What you’ve not asked yourself is would he be better at 33, with 6 years under his belt, than 28/9, and only 2 years experience. If he really is considering it a major goal of course, he may just want an Olympic medal and leave etc.
Still, in relation to your topic, what I suspected would be his thinking is the ever increasing value in playing in Japan. Perhaps he’d try and give this first WC a go, trying to make it in the All Blacks, obviously playing Super Rugby, then he’d take a much bigger contract in Japan? Learn how to run around people with better accuracy and consistency (rofl), and then return to NZ as an improved player to Australia 2027, with the hope to fine tune further and make the most of his marketability in the bonanza that America 2031 is going to leave behind. 33 is still prime earning age and who knows what the MLR market is going to be like them, if teams have started to have major backers etc.
It’s all about the money afterall (yes, I wasn’t referring to his ability re USA31’)!
Go to commentsNo, just an overly zealous fan who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
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