This is the place to discuss the opening week of the RLWC.
Aust vs NZ - I think that all the Penrith blokes had good games. Yeo was superb. But, despite the intercept try, Trbojevic was a liability.
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As much as I hated it…the battle between Liam Martin and Isaah Papalii was FRIGGEN AWESOME. Both ended up with claret on their mugs, but neither gave an inch. For mine, Papalii was MOTM, he had a great game.
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Papalii Has been amazing all year. I am surprised he didn’t win any awards at the presentation night.
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The highlight for me was Thursdays Australia v New Zealand match, it was top notch. Excellent example of International Rugby League.
The low light though was France. I’m not going to say they are a A tier international team by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought they would have enough skill and fight to prevent a side putting 70+ points on them. It was a somber waking to how much more work the NRL and Rugby League as a whole need to put in before we start to flex our international status outside Oceania…
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I agree on the sad state of French rugby league, I am old enough to remember when while they wouldn’t beat us, but they were somewhat competitive (who was that funny short fat guy in the ‘80s, who looked like he ran onto the field straight from the pub lol).
Australia, NZ, England, Samoa and Tonga are on or near the top teir.
PNG and Fiji are the 2nd teir (although to be honest upset results against the top tier teams could raise them.
Cook Islands for mine sits alone on the third tier
Then finally we have France and Lebanon.
It would appear despite two teams in super league, French rugby league is decimated by French rugby. I heard on ABC radio some comparison between super league Salary cap and French rugby player payments, and it was no exaggeration they were an order of magnitude difference.
Also except that France are assured auto entry (since they invented the rugby league World Cup), they would not have qualified, with Ukraine of all countries sitting higher them on IRL rankings
I think the problem with FRL and it’s 2 ESL clubs have more to do with the disarray of the Super League in general.
They are an unorganised mess. Intervention is needed, and if that means acquisition by the NRL, so be it. Funds need to be better invested in European grassroots rather than keeping some ole’ boys clubs afloat.
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