World Cup Wrap #3 - It's a Knockout

The last time I wrote a blogpost about the World Cup was after the opening day encounter between England and Samoa. And a lot has happened in the intervening three weeks.

We have loved watching minnows like Greece score in each of their three matches and marvelled in their achievements of competing at a World Cup, representing a country where it was illegal to play Rugby League just a few months ago.

We cheered with Jamaica as they scored a try against New Zealand and celebrated with the vigour of a team that had won the World Cup.

We have watched in quiet awe at the beauty of the Fijian's singing, the Cook Islands' national anthem and as the players of Papua New Guinea and Wales joined together in reflection after a ferocious battle.

We have felt the blood pumping watching the pre-match war cries of several nations, including New Zealand.

We have had that all-too-familiar sense of 'here we go again' as we watched Australia click into gear. With three impressive performances, we have wondered whether 'it' could finally happen for England.

We have flinched at big tackles. We have winced at empty seats. We have the usual Rugby League self-consciousness at the sight of a group stage blowout.

And from Friday night, the fun stuff really begins!

Quarter Finals

You may get a few people questioning why some of the minnows are in this tournament. Take a long term view and look at Lebanon. The Lebanese side of 2000 had similar questions asked, with derision fired in its direction because of a reliance heritage players (ironically, the same concept that has left us with a more competitive international scene than ever before, and central to the new found strength of teams like Tonga).

Lebanon play in their second consecutive quarter final on Friday night. In 2017, they pushed Tonga to within two points. There's little question Australia will win this encounter. But Lebanon's performance against New Zealand was admirable and I'll be watching with interest. Just how close are they to the top?

The next night sees a 2017 quarter final repeat - New Zealand v Fiji. Last time saw one of the greatest shocks in international Rugby League history as Fiji stunned New Zealand (although they are a different beast this time, it's still a fascinating narrative).

Read that last paragraph again. Replace the phrase "2017 quarter final repeat" with "2019 test match". Replace "New Zealand" with "England". Replace "Fiji" with "Papua New Guinea". There's your description of Saturday's first quarter final. This will be the greatest challenge that England have faced so far in the tournament. It's one I expect them to clear with room to spare, but not comfortably. One guarantee - England will know they've been in a battle once the final hooter sounds.

The last quarter final comes on Sunday between Tonga and Samoa. Do I even need to use words to build this one up? It's Tonga v Samoa for goodness sake! The next time we are likely to see these great rivals clash in the UK will likely be in 2033 at the earliest. If you can get to this one, do! You'll wait a while to see it again.

Northern Hemisphere Malaise?

When someone with the knowledge of John Kear speaks, I listen. Before the tournament, he said that the World Cup would likely act as a wake up call for northern hemisphere nations. He was right.

Scotland, despite a respectable performance against Fiji, disappointed. Ireland underachieved given the quality of players at their disposal. Wales had a squad made up of largely lower league players and performed as well as they could have hoped.

In the quarter finals, six of the eight sides are from the southern hemisphere. Whilst the Pacific Island nations have surged, the home and European nations struggle.

There is a lack of competitive opponents for England on this side of the planet, leading to convoluted and artificial concept team such as the 'Combined Nations All Stars'. With word that Australia will be content just playing neighbouring countries outside of World Cups, the lack of competition is a worry.

Europe and the northern hemisphere at large risk being left behind. Especially given the unlikelihood that players like Luke Keary will pull on an Ireland shirt again before the next World Cup (if ever). This World Cup has exposed the chasm in class.

Women and Wheelchair

It was brilliant to see the women's World Cup start on Tuesday. We saw a record crowd for a women's Rugby League match in the northern hemisphere for England v Brazil, scheduled unusually for a Tuesday afternoon.

It kind of worked. It allowed significant numbers of schoolchildren to attend, making for a unique if not high-pitched atmosphere. 

The record crowd was undermined by briefings by tournament organisers of a crowd of at least 10,000. Some briefings said a crowd of 15,000 was expected, and even talk of a sell out.

This meant that some were disappointed with the crowd. We shouldn't be. It was excellent. Yet poor communication turned an enormous positive into shrug of the shoulders.

It is another example of a muddled approach. We have seen it with substantial price cuts at Warrington for the Tonga v Samoa quarter final, an admission that £40 to stand up is simply too high, especially at times like these. Or, having different price brackets for the same block of seats for the Australia v Lebanon quarter final at Huddersfield. It makes little sense.

On the pitch, England dominated Brazil as expected. Brazil's try was a highlight though. The joy of some players who have barely played the sport getting a little win warmed the heart. Australia and New Zealand have made winning starts. These two are the teams to beat.

Attention turns to the wheelchair tournament tomorrow. England v Australia is a massive encounter in any sport, which forms part of an opening day double header. The one key difference here, whisper it quietly, England will be heavy favourites to win!