Rugby League World Cup 2017 Thread

No Worries wrote:Woods with no case to answer

Mannah probably contributed by putting the ball down for one of those amazingly quick play the balls.

Dip wrote:

Mannah probably contributed by putting the ball down for one of those amazingly quick play the balls.

Almost certainly!!

yeah its a fucking joke woods and klemmer didnt get charged

Dip wrote:Amazing to think that not that long ago Wales, and to a lesser extent France, were considered worthy enough to extend the tri-nations to 4 nations. Also didn't USA have a half time lead against Australia a few years ago in a tour match in the US. The stronger teams are blowing these teams off the park in the first 15 minutes and coasting from there.

Yes,

The amount we have fallen over last few years is upsetting, have always played above our stations due to severe lack of interest and player pools in the national game, there simply is no decent level playing anywhere in our country at club level! No team not even near championship level and i all starts there

I was looking for junior clubs for my lad to join in the summer, he is 7 so plays union for under 8s but they don't have any league clubs until u15s level? I find that astonishing

There must be around 100 clubs running entire mini and junior sections within a 15 mile radius of where we live, yet you have 1 league club which starts at u15 level? How can you sustain player development when there are zero teams around?

back to the world cup

we are also missing nearly all of our ESL players White, Flowers, Rhys Evans, Larne Patrick, Dudson no world beaters but can do a job

long gone are the days of Harris and Briers

Welshy wrote:

Yes,

The amount we have fallen over last few years is upsetting, have always played above our stations due to severe lack of interest and player pools in the national game, there simply is no decent level playing anywhere in our country at club level! No team not even near championship level and i all starts there

I was looking for junior clubs for my lad to join in the summer, he is 7 so plays union for under 8s but they don't have any league clubs until u15s level? I find that astonishing

There must be around 100 clubs running entire mini and junior sections within a 15 mile radius of where we live, yet you have 1 league club which starts at u15 level? How can you sustain player development when there are zero teams around?

back to the world cup

we are also missing nearly all of our ESL players White, Flowers, Rhys Evans, Larne Patrick, Dudson no world beaters but can do a job

long gone are the days of Harris and Briers

Still ahead of Tonga and PNG on the rankings at least!!

I know that next year there are 16 confirmed teams but is there any reason it can't be opened up further? Is there any reason why it can't be opened to lets say 28 teams? I know some teams would get flogged by the top tiers. Like imagine if Aussies competed against Latvia or Chile but I think more matches between the lower tiers would be amazing to watch!

This year Ive only watched one Aussie and English but I've made sure I have watched all the PNGs, Togan and Fijian games I really think they've been incredible to watch!

Mighty Fishes wrote:

Still ahead of Tonga and PNG on the rankings at least!!

Not for long mate, we have very, very little in terms of young up and coming talent! Morgan Knowles will be quality but pretty much nothing after him

Welshy wrote:

Not for long mate, we have very, very little in terms of young up and coming talent! Morgan Knowles will be quality but pretty much nothing after him

knowles tried his guts out but i'm not sure he has much more in him


Regan Grace didn't get much of chance because you guys never had any bloody ball but he'll have something to offer in the future

MF, wales would put 60 on the likes of chile & latvia, i think 16 will be a good number for a while

we probably need to offer atleast 1 more pacific nation a team, the cook island obviously a few nrl players with heritage but even a few of the really small nations have some notable players


be interesting to see if canada can go past USA before the next WC with the wolfpack

leaguegod wrote:MF, wales would put 60 on the likes of chile & latvia, i think 16 will be a good number for a while

we probably need to offer atleast 1 more pacific nation a team, the cook island obviously a few nrl players with heritage but even a few of the really small nations have some notable players


be interesting to see if canada can go past USA before the next WC with the wolfpack

Yeah completely agree, even going to 16 teams there will be some thrashings.

I'd expect (or hope) with USA/Canada scheduled to host the 2025 WC, that they both invest in some improvement before then.

I do understand MF's sentiment though, I've thoroughly enjoyed this WC and I couldn't care less if blokes are calling on tenuous family links because it has made for a better tournament.

Having said that, some of the non-NRL players have really impressed me throughout the comp thus far.
For all the NRL teams that are looking at the under 20yo's and trying to scout the next big thing, I think a few of them could do themselves a favour and look at some of the older or more established blokes that would slot right in.

The winger that looked like Mansour actually went well too, looked like a decent player.

Why does the world cup need to be even? I mean, every world cup no matter the sport has floggings and generally come down the to the same few teams every year.

Personally, this is the most amount of games I have watched in a RL world cup and I have really enjoyed it. Having NRL players in the pacific island teams has really got me to watch them, and the pacific island teams have been fucking great to watch - even Samoa has had some good moments even if they havent won a game.

I still find it fucking stupid that a team can win 2 games and no go through yet a team that hasnt won any can go through.

Maybe they can look at wins/losses and ignore the pool standings in the future.

Pieman wrote:The winger that looked like Mansour actually went well too, looked like a decent player.

Why does the world cup need to be even? I mean, every world cup no matter the sport has floggings and generally come down the to the same few teams every year.

Personally, this is the most amount of games I have watched in a RL world cup and I have really enjoyed it. Having NRL players in the pacific island teams has really got me to watch them, and the pacific island teams have been fucking great to watch - even Samoa has had some good moments even if they havent won a game.

I still find it fucking stupid that a team can win 2 games and no go through yet a team that hasnt won any can go through.

Maybe they can look at wins/losses and ignore the pool standings in the future.

They are going to 16 teams from the next WC onwards so I am assuming they will revert back to a more standard and more even 4 pool system.

leaguegod wrote:

knowles tried his guts out but i'm not sure he has much more in him


Regan Grace didn't get much of chance because you guys never had any bloody ball but he'll have something to offer in the future

Knowles will turn into a top quality lock I reckon, only 21 Same with Grace, but we have almost nothing outside the older guys who missed the tourny, so they will be tying their guts out with nothing

Ralph could go okay if he gets moved into the squad more regularly, maybe a move to the ESL

Oz Sport Mad wrote:

Yeah completely agree, even going to 16 teams there will be some thrashings.

I'd expect (or hope) with USA/Canada scheduled to host the 2025 WC, that they both invest in some improvement before then.

I do understand MF's sentiment though, I've thoroughly enjoyed this WC and I couldn't care less if blokes are calling on tenuous family links because it has made for a better tournament.

Having said that, some of the non-NRL players have really impressed me throughout the comp thus far.
For all the NRL teams that are looking at the under 20yo's and trying to scout the next big thing, I think a few of them could do themselves a favour and look at some of the older or more established blokes that would slot right in.

I mean yeah there would be floggings and embarrassing moments for countries but I would love to see a pool with like Bulgaria, Chili, Solomon Island and Uruguay. To me that would make for some exciting footy and I probably would be more inclined to watch one of those games rather than Australia vs France

Has Gagai scored a try at all this tournament?

samoa were minus a few players but still very disappointing all tourney. a few of their players looked to have enjoyed the breaky buffet a bit to much too, most noticeable is papali, i know he is always a big boy, but he still always looks pretty fit, he was legitimately atleast 15 KG's over his normal playing weight this tourney and it showed.

there is clearly still a huge amount of difference between the professionalism in camp despite the fact samoa was full of first graders.

100%, Papalii in particular is grossly over weight

Mighty Fishes wrote:Has Gagai scored a try at all this tournament?

1 I think

leaguegod wrote:samoa were minus a few players but still very disappointing all tourney. a few of their players looked to have enjoyed the breaky buffet a bit to much too, most noticeable is papali, i know he is always a big boy, but he still always looks pretty fit, he was legitimately atleast 15 KG's over his normal playing weight this tourney and it showed.

there is clearly still a huge amount of difference between the professionalism in camp despite the fact samoa was full of first graders.

Ever felt so under underpaid at a job that you go “fuck that, I’ll drink my underpaid wages at the Xmas party in 1 night” I assume that’s Papallii’s thought process at the buffet while playing for a tier 2 nation.

Wow, Fiji!! What a game. Fitting that it was 4-2. Same score as Eels last GF win!