The Rugby League World Cup is a mess – but offers a vital opportunity

In a past that now seems dim and distant, this Rugby League World Cup was bound for North American shore; a bold, ambitious new step for a sport so often accused of parochialism. “It is exciting that our sport is expanding into a new destination for our premier event,” Nigel Wood, the then-chair of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF), beamed in 2016 of a tournament due to take place in 2025. “The USA and Canada provide world-class stadiums allied to a significant multi-cultural population which made the bid so persuasive.”

It did not last, of course. Little more than two years later, the USA/Canada bid was withdrawn over financial concerns – which proved prescient, perhaps, given the Toronto Wolfpack debacle that followed. At the start of 2022, in stepped France as an alternative host and another significant expansionist step.

“The rebirth of international rugby league in France has been a strategic goal for many decades. The dream of this coming to fruition has certainly sustained me. There may have been missed opportunities in the past but there won’t be any in the future,” said Troy Grant, chairman of International Rugby League (IRL), roughly 15 months before France pulled out of hosting the tournament over – yep – financial concerns.

And so it has been left to league’s land of plenty to pick up the pieces. Again utilising a combined model, Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea will essentially host four World Cups in one; 53 matches across 29 competing teams from 14 different nations in the men’s, women’s, wheelchair and physical disability tournaments squeezed into a hectic month.

It is a venture that shows where the power of the sport lies. While it withers elsewhere, rugby league’s Australasian boom shows no sign of abating – Port Moresby’s presence as a host city is a precursor to the National Rugby League (NRL)’s expansion on to the island of New Guinea from 2028, and the use of Christchurch’s newly-built Te Kaha, officially known as the One New Zealand stadium, may prove likewise as rumours of a second franchise across the Tasman persist.

Despite a men’s tournament shrunk from 16 to 10 teams, relaxed eligibility rules remain to allow the NRL’s best and brightest to proudly represent nations of which they have heritage, befitting a sport deepened by diasporas: Lebanon and the Cook Islands may face a few tough outings but this World Cup is richened by their involvement. Even New Zealand, probably the only team capable of challenging an Australian side that has won nine of the last 10 men’s tournaments, benefit from the presence of Kalyn Ponga, a Queensland regular in State of Origin born to Kiwi parents in Western Australia.

A few within the sport may hope that they do emerge as genuine challengers. Australian’s hegemony is a problem both on the pitch and off for a sport that hasn’t really ever figured out how best to make the most of the international game. The structure of the men’s tournament is a little tough to comprehend, with one pool of four and one of six split into two sub-pools of three – England vs Tonga in each side’s opener may well prove a decisive game, but both Australia and New Zealand are safe bets for the last four, as organisers surely desired.

The build-up to England’s tilt at the tournament has been dominated with the proposed deal for NRL investment in the now sponsor-less Super League. That agreement would appear to hinge on the inclusion of the London Broncos next season, which would come after the Australian-owned club ranked below the 14 top-flight teams and Barrow in the IMG gradings despite romping to the Championship title this season.

The proposal met typically outspoken opposition from Derek Beaumont, the owner of Leigh Leopards, who said it was “just not right” in a lengthy social media post. His dissenting voice has been drowned out, though, by statements from St Helens, Leeds and the two Hull clubs expressing their support. The truth, sadly, is that it may be a deal that Super League has little choice but to sign as it seeks to safeguard its future by taking a slice of the NRL’s pie amid a challenging television rights negotiation.

The worry more broadly for the sport is that this World Cup simply comes and goes without so much as a ripple outside of the already thriving waters of the South Pacific. To that end, the loss of free-to-air coverage in the United Kingdom is a major blow; Premier Sports will provide a platform of sorts but possesses little-to-no stumble-upon value.

There are sound logistical reasons for holding the women’s tournament concurrently with the men’s but there is an argument that it would be afforded more oxygen in a different slot, and maybe even offer another shop window in which to sell rugby league.

Perhaps, though, one could look at it a different way. The buoyancy of the NRL, and NRLW, is to be applauded in a market that has proved challenging for so many leagues across sports in the last decade. The State of Origin series remains a roaring success in Australia and out, while games in Las Vegas have, to some extent, broadened horizons, showcasing the pure athletic talent that is so easy to sell.

This World Cup may not, in that context, be the sport’s pinnacle event but it could nonetheless prove a spectacular sideshow.