1) A successful England gets sports fans talking
Watching the final at my sister’s house with half a dozen sports fans – some of whom were into rugby union and none of whom knew much about league – I prepared them for the worst: “We will be 18-0 down at half-time so enjoy the build-up” etc. They were at first intrigued, asking questions and seeking rule clarifications, but by the second half they were voicing opinions and, like me, absolutely gripped. Even the Scot present was jumping up and down, screaming at the ref and charging at the screen in those last few desperate seconds. The next morning, and throughout last week, football folk I work with commented – unprompted – on “the rugby”. They meant the Rugby League World Cup final. England intrigues and a strong England unites.
2) The England team in 2021 will look nothing like this one
This England team missed their chance. In four years, it will be completely different. There will be no Sean O’Loughlin or Chris Heighington as both will be 39 by then; nor Kevin Brown or James Roby (both 37), James Graham (36) and probably no Chris Hill or Ryan Hall either (both will be 34). Sam Burgess, Josh Hodgson and Gareth Widdop will be 32 and hopefully taking on the Smith/Cronk/Slater roles for one last hurrah. Less certain is how relative international newcomers Luke Gale (who will be 33 in 2021), Jermaine McGillvary (33) and Alex Walmsley (31) will be by then. Having all been in their early 20s before going full-time in Super League, they may be at their peak. Here’s hoping.
3) The big three should stop pillaging the rest
It is abundantly clear that Australia are still too good and Australians will not go to one-sided non-contests. The ARL could make one simple gesture to improve the international game: stop pinching the opposition’s best players. The Kangaroos squad had five players capped by other nations: Regan Campbell-Gillard (Fiji), Josh McGuire (Samoa), Tyson Frizzell (Wales), Felise Kaufusi (Tonga) and Josh Mansour (Lebanon). Rather than leaving the players to choose money and glory over heritage and loyalty, the ARL could incentivise them to stick with their Tier 2 nation. In the meantime, just don’t pick them. England and New Zealand must do likewise.
4) We need more international fixtures but within competitions
A series of mid-season Tests has been announced, but there is no sign of the Pacific Cup in the 2018 calendar and the European Championship format is yet to be confirmed. Last year, there were more than 100 international matches around the world, easily a record, which should be surpassed in 2017. While the World Cup was going on, hosts Chile beat Argentina in the final of the Latin American Championship, with Colombia squeezing past Brazil in the third-place play-off. Argentina also beat Chile in two women’s 9s games. It is hoped all four nations will provide a strong South American presence at the Emerging Nations World Championship in Sydney next October. The first ENWC since 2000 will feature 16 teams, including Canada, Malta, Greece, Hungary and Philippines. The growth of the mid-season window, to encourage all nations to play then, seems paramount. It doesn’t really matter if the teams are star-packed or residents-only: that should not stop matches being marketed like hell to the diaspora.
5) We need neutral referees
Everyone watching the final with me was flummoxed when they discovered the referee was Australian. Even opting to appoint the best refs to the top games, the only fixture requiring someone outside that group was Australia v England, twice. Once Aussie Matt Cecchin did the opener and Englishmen Ben Thaler, Phil Bentham and James Child got the next three England games, we knew an Australian was going to do the final. Fair enough, as the English referees were over-officious and generally disappointing. But was Kiwi Henry Perenara, who did New Zealand v Scotland, really incapable of doing the final? This should draw attention to the shameful situation where there is no French referee in Super League and hardly any Kiwis in the NRL, let alone anyone from other nations at elite level.
6) The world rankings are unreliable
Before the tournament, Scotland were fourth despite not having won a game since 2014, Serbia were ranked higher than Papua New Guinea and Malta were a place above Lebanon. After their heroics down under, Tonga have risen from 11th to fourth, and the top six looks about right with Fiji in fifth and Samoa sixth. It is right that points are given for playing games, as more active nations should be rewarded, but the weighting given to World Cup and friendlies is clearly not working. Scotland (10 without a win) and France are still above Lebanon, PNG and Ireland. The positive is that 48 nations are now ranked, including newcomers Argentina, Colombia, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong, while re-constituted Germany (28th) have had their affiliate membership restored.
7) Scheduling needs to consider TV audiences
There is little that can be done about a World Cup in Australia – we know kick-offs are going to be early in the morning. But I’d like to think the RFL flagged up England’s quarter-final in Melbourne and semi-final in Auckland kicking off in the afternoon local time, meaning 5am starts in the UK. This slashed the potential BBC audience to half what it would have been three hours later. These decisions have potentially enormous economic consequences and must be challenged.
8) If tournaments are spread around, at least let fans get to games
Yes, Australia is a big place. But there seemed little thought for the travelling fan. A game in Townsville on Saturday night was followed by an early afternoon kick-off in Cairns, a five-hour drive away. I must have been one of the very few tragics to make that journey. North Queensland Cowboys play on Saturday evenings so fans can drive all day to get there, stay over and drive back on Sunday. So why also have a Townsville double-header on a roasting Sunday afternoon? And two games in different cities in New Zealand on the same day, not once but twice? Really? You are kidding me!
9) One semi-final is going to be an epic, so ensure it’s a full house
Four of the greatest World Cup games since the tournament format returned in 1995 have been semi-finals: Australia v New Zealand in 1995, Wales v Australia in 2000, England v New Zealand in 2013 and Tonga’s late comeback against England will never be forgotten. England even put up a decent fight against the Kiwis in 2008 but most English fans were so bereft of hope by then they didn’t notice. The 2013 double-header semis at Wembley worked superbly well and may be repeated in 2021. With the final going to Wembley or Old Trafford and potentially an England quarter-final at the Olympic Park, the 2021 World Cup looks like being “primetime”.
10) The season needs to allow for recovery
Squeezing a six-week World Cup into the normal close-season had English clubs returning to training while the group stage was still going on in Australia, and internationals arriving back in the UK less than two months before Super League kicks off. Coaches understand their players’ needs for mental and physical rest and recovery, and a break from the game. But some players were back training a week or two after returning from Australia. With the season stretching ahead for 11 months – a month of friendlies, and two months of play-offs and internationals sandwiching an eight-month league – they will be at breaking point next autumn. Super League will need to start earlier in 2021 and later in 2022 to give the World Cup participants some breathing space.
11) Don’t spread the World Cup too thinly
While the matches in Papua New Guinea and New Zealand were a huge success at this World Cup, the organisers of the 2021 tournament need to be careful if they are tempted to take games outside England. The 2017 event was hosted by three nations; the 2013 World Cup was played in four; and the 2000 World Cup, ludicrously, was in six. We were told that the 2021 World Cup would only be in England, as that is where the funding is for, and there are 40 interested venues. Yet there is already talk of France hosting a group and games being played in Limerick. The games in France were among the most successful in 2000 and 2013, so should be again. However, the 2017 World Cup showed that games need to be focussed around passionate areas and that every host city needs at least two games, preferably three, to build up awareness. Groups need to be centred in a region to allow momentum, and each nation to connect with a base. One game here, another there, doesn’t work.
12) Getting to a World Cup should be a fair challenge
With more countries than ever attempting to reach the next World Cup, the qualification process – expected in the next month – will be comprehensive. As with other sports, there will be inequalities between regions who have differing numbers of places and aspiring nations. But hopefully there will be no repeat of qualification for 2017, where Tonga only had to beat the Cook Islands in a one-off fixture, and Lebanon and the USA only needed to play two games to qualify, while Italy played nine, as did Russia who, along with Serbia (eight) still missed out. Qualification will start next year and be done by December 2019 with most lower-ranked nations having to come through two series.
13) New names give domestic leagues new impetus
Before the World Cup I had never heard of Tonga half-back Mafoa’etata Hingano, Papua New Guinea winger Justin Olam, Lebanon centre Adam Doueihi, or Fiji centre Taane Milne. I’d never seen Kumuls star Garry Lo play for Sheffield so had no idea how extraordinarily explosive or evasive he was. I’d not seen the fierce tackling of Scotland lock James Bell, or USA full-back Corey Makelim’s unique effervescence. By the end of the group stage I was a big fan of them all. Watching the NRL in 2018 (which may end up being broadcast here on Fox app, Sky Sports, Premier and FreeSports) – and Lo for Cas – will be enriched by looking out for these fellas, and many more talents who emerged at the World Cup.
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