NZ wary of hosting showpiece tournament
Don’t expect New Zealand to host the 2025 Rugby League World Cup, even though it’s up for grabs again.
The sport’s governing body have announced that they’ve pulled the plug on the previous plan of it being held in North America and bankrolled by Moore Sports International.
This company was behind the disastrous test between the Kiwis and England in Denver last year, which lost a fortune and left the NZRL out of pocket.
The Rugby League International Federation have invited expressions of interest in hosting the World Cup in six years’ time, but NZRL chief executive Greg Peters says it’s not something they’re pursuing. ‘‘It’s unlikely at this stage, because they’re requesting proposals and the RLIF are still considering venues and possible proposals in that light,’’ he says.
‘‘In 2017 New Zealand was a successful participant in hosting that, but it’s a massive undertaking and at this stage we’re not considering 2025, but you never say never.’’
It’s unlikely the World Cup will go to North America, unless there’s someone else willing to financially back the tournament. It’s a disappointing outcome, because there is real potential to grow the sport there, not just because of the growth of the game in Toronto, through the Wolfpack.
For league to grow, the showpiece event can’t just alternate between England and Australia every four years.
‘‘At the moment they’re looking at alternative territories,’’ Peters said.
‘‘2021 (in England) is looking like it’s going to be pretty special and the Cup needs to keep growing, the revenue base too is really important.
‘‘2017 was fantastic from an event point of view, but we need to grow more revenue, to bring it into the game and that means territories that can drive more than we can in New Zealand and it’s a lot of games.’’
Meanwhile, Peters says a decision will be made soon on whether New Zealand will host a tour by the British Lions this year. The schedule for the tour has already been drawn up, but it comes down to whether it all stacks up financially.
‘‘It’s very close to either a go or a no-go,’’ Peters says.
‘‘That decision will be made next week. We’re still working towards a positive outcome, but there are a number of stakeholders in the mix who all have different things that need to be considered and one of the biggest things is the overall risk or success of the commercial testing, which we’re currently evaluating.’’
An announcement on the venue for the June test between the Kiwis and Tonga is also expected to be made soon.
Financial problems, coaching issues and selection shambles have blighted the NZRL and Kiwis over recent years, but under Peters the organisation and national team look to have got back on track and he says this year is about building on that. ‘‘It’s a big year for us,’’ he says. ‘‘We’ve steadied the ship and we need to now make some significant progress in a number of areas to really reset and reignite the game in New Zealand . . . one of the things is getting international matches.’’