Hopie wrote:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/58024695
Let's ignore the "stronger competition" in 2022 comment, because the only thing "weakening" it is you won't come, so ego ego ego I'd rather call your bluff on this one. Full strength not Australia teams which Australia hasn't stolen all the best players from would be a delight to see.
In my opinion, the reasons are those which give plausible deniability, based on available facts, but ignoring the truth behind the decision, and on the basis that the ARL/NZRL did not consult the RLIF before they made their statement, nor consult with the players association before speaking for the players, I feel underwhelmed at their likely sincerity.
But there are two concernsthey give, the infection rate, which is too high because of our incompetent government, but they could address through covid secure bubbles which the RLWC organisers are providing, and they are organised by the same people who successfully organised the bubbles for touring Test cricket teams earlier in the pandemic. If they felt they were not secure enough they could have worked towards a resolution through discussion, instead of saying Nah we're out we don't need to discuss it.
The other concern being the quarantine/biosecurity being too onerous, and players being away from home for a lengthy period. Again ignoring that most NRL players seasons finish many weeks before the world cup, so they could do something before the world cup, and they could quarantine with their families on return, again like other sports are already doing. The NRL could even pay to make this more fun and luxurious for NRL players of all nationalities if it was so concerned with PLAYER WELFARE (instead of say, getting them back for week one of pre season).
This is yet another example of conflating cases with infections, there is no infection rate, it's a case rate, and cases are based on ridiculously flawed science, as demonstrated by labs doing proper testing and as told by Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock regards false positives of cases (when Hancock was still the Health sec.).
This is the prime 'evidence' for everything, restrictions, actions to shut down society, forced poison into humans etc. Remove this deliberate anti science and there's nothing there, the pack of cards falls. But Australia is so far down the road of anti science that it's no surprise that the Australian RL body continue to use language that is incorrect and is based on not just flawed science but deliberately twisted science meant to cause havoc.
They've made a statement inferring that safety of players is at risk and that's their primary reason not to come, this is just another distortion of the truth, even an immune compromised 50 something such as myself who has never social distanced, never worn a muzzle has not being able to 'catch' whatever is being described (despite best efforts to do so with a cov positive person), and I've been healthier than I've been in 20 years. The chances of death for myself from a respiratory ailment is along the lines of getting run over by a number 55 bus, the chances are so infintessimal that you simply have to continue on your life or you'll never have a life, live in constant fear of something that poses no risk to you nor your loved ones over and above everything else that existed before this insanity began.
The tournament should go ahead, even if I think it will be a disaster financially if fans are not allowed in the stadiums or worse their is medical apartheid, because to not do so panders to all sorts of longer term blackmailing by teams and creates massive problems regards the RL calender.
