Just announced (on the radio) that Australia and New Zealand will not be taking part

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/world- ... d9e4e2e51a

https://www.foxsports.com.au/nrl/world- ... d9e4e2e51a

The strength of rl is in that region, the game here is in decline and a complete disaster. If we had a decent side Australia would want to play us, sadly when we cabt beat Tonga and Papua new Guinea, what's the point. Game over soon

No surprise there then

And it's not just Australia and NZ.
If the issue is with returning NRL players, that will take out Fiji, Samoa and Tonga.

The only solution is to postpone the comp but, this will leave our already penniless sport with another HUGE hole in their finances.

With the NRL clubs leaning heavily on the players not to travel i'd be surprised if the Pacific nations don't follow to be honest. Then there's the English players over there, Burgess, Whitehead, Hodgson etc plus the players that Wales, Ireland & Scotland had targeted to play for them through heritage. I can see no other option to postpone it until next year.

Can’t criticise either Australia or NZ.

Really?
I'd like you to explain why.

Aus & NZ's decision makes a laughing stock of our game. It is now essential that the World Cup progresses as planned. There are enough antipodean players in England and France to create Australian and NZ teams and probably Tonga and Samoa. We can make use of player agents to find any players down under who aren't contracted to the NRL and invite them to represent their countries. Money shouldn't be a problem as Aus & NZ have opted out of having a share of the profits.

Two reason is they have had less cases of covid than we have had in one week .We have got the highest cases of covei and deaths in Europe .And we have got a government who are saying as long as London is ok stuff the rest of the country .They have even made it compulsory to were mask on public transport in London but no were else

Think we need to look at our own backyard before we start slinging mud at Aus and NZ.

I thought something similar myself.

The worry for me is that the patched up teams would still be in contention.

Good as it makes it competitive I hear you say.

Bad as most of the representatives would normally be 10th choice for the shirt. Imagine what Aus and NZ would make of that