The world cup - Aftermath

[Druzik]

So as it turns out there is a $5 million profit and looks like its going to fund more tests.

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24681027-5006066,00.html

THE Rugby League International Federation will use the $5 million in profits generated by the World Cup to fund an expanded Test calendar.

And they've set their sights on matching the rise of rugby union's showpiece event with the RLIF keen to cash in on the foundations set by this year's World Cup, which will attract a sellout crowd of 52,000 to Saturday night's final in Brisbane between Australia and New Zealand.

"If you just cast your mind back to when the rugby World Cup started ... the semi-final was played in Sydney was played at Concord Oval in front of a crowd of 15,000 people,'' RLIF chairman Colin Love said.

"It was a modest success. But in the 21 years (since) that event has now become a major international sporting event.

"I believe the product we've got in rugby league is as good as in any other code and there's no reason why we can't head in that direction hopefully in a much shorter period of time.''

Despite this being the 13th staging of the World Cup, the tournament is being viewed as a stepping stone to bigger things.

It has left the RLIF with a kitty in excess of $5 million - much of which has come from healthy television deals - which Love says will be pumped back into the game to assist with the development of the emerging nations.

The most obvious consequence is the transformation of the Tri-Nations into a four-nations concept, with the Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand to be joined by another country on a rotating basis.

France will take part and most likely host some games in the 2009 tournament to be staged in the northern hemisphere, at which time a Pacific Nations Cup will be contested with the winner to become the fourth team in the 2010 four-nations.

Love said the timing of the Pacific Nations Cup would enable NRL and Super League players to turn out for those countries competing in the competition.

The expanded international program is all about improving the standard of the lesser lights ahead of the 2013 World Cup, which will likely be staged in the UK, though Love said Australia would also bid to host the event.

"What I'm keen to do is make sure that the international game maximises the revenue that it can earn from this event,'' Love said.

More than 220,000 fans - an average of over 14,000 per game - have attended the World Cup with television viewing audiences just topping nine million.

Rugby league's international calendar for the next five years excluding domestic Test programs and regional tournaments:

2009 - Oct/Nov - Four-Nations series in the northern hemisphere featuring England, New Zealand, Australia and France.
- South Pacific Cup with the winner gaining entry into the 2010 Four Nations.
2010 - Oct/Nov - Four-Nations series in southern hemisphere featuring Australia, New Zealand, England and the winner of the 2009 South Pacific Cup.
- European nations to contest qualifying series to determine who will join the 2011 Four-Nations.
2011 - Oct/Nov Four Nations in northern hemisphere.
- South Pacific Cup (no guarantee of Four-Nations berth)
2012 - No major series to be contested.
2013 - World Cup to be staged (venue to be confirmed) and to begin a fixed, four-year cycle from that point.

[Druzik]

The RLIF wants to take over the TV rights to tests so it can generate profits for them selves.

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24683371-5006066,00.html

Potentially a agood move in my eyes.

RUGBY League International Federation officials want to take over the television rights for all Test matches after announcing yesterday the World Cup had made a profit of more than $5 million.
The RLIF yesterday announced 9 million people in Australia had watched the tournament on TV and 243,349 live - with 120,000 pieces of licensed apparel sold.

Federation chairman Colin Love told The Daily Telegraph the 2013 tournament, to be held in Europe or Australasia, would be expanded to 12 teams.

The RLIF currently gets nothing from television rights to internationals outside the World Cup because they are included in the domestic deals of the NRL and Britain's Rugby Football League.

But from 2011, when the NRL deal is to be renegotiated, the Federation wants Tests to be left out so they can be sold separately to generate more profits.

"I think it's got to happen," the RLWC08 tournament director said.

"It's not a matter of taking games off anyone but it's a far better idea than individual countries negotiating television rights for their own internationals."

[Marv]

great news, I hope that the fans will help to make these games more popular too, the WC has shown people what the smaller nations can do.

[Druzik]

www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/sport/nrl/story/0,26799,24692200-5006066,00.html

IN the world of haka, we've learnt over the past month, crossing the halfway line is a sign of gross disrespect.
When Tonga played Samoa earlier in the league World Cup, some officials took it upon themselves to check the players' toes in relation to the whitewash with one player even being ordered to step back or face the consequences.

So when the entire New Zealand side walked five metres over the halfway line to perform the ceremonial dance before the World Cup final last night, the 50,559 fans at Suncorp Stadium should have known they were in for a memorable night.

Arm-in-arm, the Australians responded spontaneously by walking forward themselves and facing their enemies, nose-to-nose. On day two of the World Cup, something similar happened when the Aborigines took on the Maori.

That may have provided a sense of symmetry but the 2008 World Cup final bore almost no resemblance to the tournament that preceded it. The main difference being: Australia did not trample their opponents into the dust.

The 180 points to 16 that they had scored during their Pool One matches and the semi-final represented the one flaw in a well-run, professionally presented tournament that made more than $5 million.

It allowed critics to question the league's right to hold a World Cup, even when the 13-man game had been staging them longer than any other professional sport bar soccer. New Zealand's performance last night, then, gave the series the final piece in the puzzle of success and was without doubt the best thing to happen during the centenary of the game in both countries.

This wasn't just an upset. It was a milestone in the history of the game. and a fitting tribute to Albert Baskiville, the New Zealand promoter responsible for spreading rugby league outside the industrial north of England in 1907.

And after 100 misfiring years, Baskiville's gift to rugby league is finally doing him proud.

[Druzik]

So the world cup is finally over. In what has to be one of the greatest comback stories in world sport, where a team litterarlly at the bottom of the heap managed to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and usurp the world title from a team that held it for more than 30 yeras.

New Zealands win is nothing short of breathtaking. BUt not because of how they played, it wasnt the skill or the running or even the tackling. It was the passion. You could see that NZ and its players, during the National anthems and the haka, said 'no more, we will not be down trodden. We will fight to the death on this one'. and the did... oh how they did. Earlier in the year, Israel Folau was making freakish tries from the thurston and Lockyer plays, Ingliss and slater were acrving them up. And it did seem that way today, but new zealand hung in there. Persoanlly I think we now know where Englands hearts went... to the Kiwis. The england team lost badly in this tournament but the kiwis showed that with grit and determination anything is possible. The kiwis played 80 minute football and showed that even with 15 mins to go, if you hang in there anything can happen.

If anything this game showed the aussies are not invincible... that countirs like england need to go into a with a positive attitude and actually turn up to play... and you can win.!

BUt I think the real success of the WC have been the minnow nations. I think without a doubt Fiji, Ireland, tonga, samoa and PNG have shown that RL is alive and well. That is is the greatest and most passionate sport out there. Some of the standout matches form the other countries have bee, Tonga v Ireland, all PNG games, Tonga v Samoa, Fiji v France and Ireland v Samoa. Wow who would have thought that Fiji would have been in the semi and would have had to fight it out with ireland to get there.

Over all, we can say what we want about love and gallop et.al. but they did pull of this world cup successfully and I cant wait for the next one in 5 years.

Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I have.

[muffdiver]

They key is to have REGULAR tournaments otherwise it just looks amatuerish.

It is also essential to have regular regional tournaments ie. a Pacific competition & a European one including the Lebanon. This will give the lesser/smaller nations a chance to win something & give the game a higher profile in these places.

[Kiwi fan]

Nov 23, 2008 2:32:42 GMT 10 muffdiver said:

They key is to have REGULAR tournaments otherwise it just looks amatuerish.

It is also essential to have regular regional tournaments ie. a Pacific competition & a European one including the Lebanon. This will give the lesser/smaller nations a chance to win something & give the game a higher profile in these places.

Exactly this success (I think we can all call it that) has to be built on. We can't just do nothing with these nations for the next 5 years now.

[Marv]

Thats right guys, its all well and good back slapping now, but in all honesty this is where it starts for International Rugby League

[Kiwi fan]

Also, if fiji (or whoever) wins the 2009 South Pacific Cup England could be playing in ths isnalds. Imagine Fiji vs England in Suva!

[muffdiver]

should set up something like this;-
'08 world cup
'09 pacific/european cup
'10 england tour s. hemisphere (or aus/nz tour gb)
'11 pacific/european cup
'12 world cup
etc
etc

this way we get a regular international set-up - a world cup/tour every 4 years and lesser competitions every 2 years.

[Druzik]

Muffdiver you are new here so you may not have seen this yet

My10 year plan.

Has simulations and all!

Warning: It can take a while to read through.

[suspect]

the more games the better, rlif will have to work with esl and nrl to work out something for the players, both have long season, might come down to shortning seasons

[Druzik]

Nov 26, 2008 20:37:48 GMT 10 suspect said:

the more games the better, rlif will have to work with esl and nrl to work out something for the players, both have long season, might come down to shortning seasons

That's what it comes down to... maybe now Gallop and Lewis can come to some sort of understanding.

I am positive on the news that the RLIF wants to control the TV rights for internationals, that being the revenue maker for them.

Being an "international organisation" should give them a bit more clout in dealing with people.

[muffdiver]

Nov 26, 2008 23:09:51 GMT 10 Druzik said:

Nov 26, 2008 20:37:48 GMT 10 suspect said:

the more games the better, rlif will have to work with esl and nrl to work out something for the players, both have long season, might come down to shortning seasons

That's what it comes down to... maybe now Gallop and Lewis can come to some sort of understanding.

I am positive on the news that the RLIF wants to control the TV rights for internationals, that being the revenue maker for them.

Being an "international organisation" should give them a bit more clout in dealing with people.

don't hold your breath!!!

[Druzik]

No I wont... but one of our PhD studnets Just submitted... he's laying on 4 kegs of beer! Time to drink!