Kiwis can stimulate World Cup interest
Frank Endacott says it is important for the Kiwis to make the Four Nations tournament final to heighten public interest in next year’s Rugby League World Cup.
Endacott, a former Kiwis and Warriors head coach, was taking part in a One Year to Go promotion for the Rugby League World Cup tournament in Christchurch, which will host two games in 2017.
He thinks the Four Nations tournament – set to kick off in Britain this weekend – will ‘‘create a lot of interest because it will be pretty even and competitive’’.
Endacott said it was ‘‘important’’ for the Kiwis to make the Four Nations final.
‘‘And they should, but take nothing for granted. If they make the final, and hopefully they do, it will give us a good insight and whet the appetite for the World Cup here next year.’’
He said Sunday’s clash with England in Huddersfield could be ‘‘a banana skin’’ game.
‘‘I’ve got no doubt [the Kiwis] will compete against Australia in England because it will be more like a home game for the Kiwis than it will for the Aussies. But I see this game against England as interesting, to say the least. He said England had a powerful forward pack, led by the Burgess brothers – Sam, George and Tom, James Graham and Josh Hodgson – all NRL regulars. ‘‘I wouldn’t say they are very strong in the outside backs and the halves – [Gareth] Widdop is a good player [at standoff] but they haven’t got a proven halfback. ‘That’s going to be their weakness and our halves could be our strength.
‘‘But it’s got to be won in the forwards and we’ll have to play well to get on top of the English pack.’’ International rugby league has often been dismissed by armchair sports critics as a three-team preserve, dominated by Australia, New Zealand and England.
But Endacott said the same accusation had been levelled at rugby union, yet ‘‘Japan beat South Africa [at last year’s World Cup], there’s my answer there.’’
He believed some Rugby League World Cup minnows were capable of a similar upset.
‘‘There’s no guarantee it will be an Australia-New Zealand [World Cup] final.’’
‘‘Don’t forget some of the other nations. Take Samoa, Tonga, Ireland, any of these teams can come out with a big one.
‘‘We’ve seen that with Samoa playing the Kiwis in the past. They always pull a big game against some of their mates, they’re always a threat.
Endacott said the number of Pasifika players now featuring for NRL clubs meant the Pacific Island nations would be stronger.
‘‘Look at how many Samoan players are playing for Australia and New Zealand, they could probably field two teams and go close to winning the World Cup.
‘‘Tonga and Fiji have competitive teams, Jarryd Hayne will be in the Fijian team – they can rise; they’ve got some good players.
Papua New Zealand, who will host three World Cup matches, had beaten the Kiwis and Great Britain in the past.
Endacott said it would be a massive boost to Canterbury rugby league to host the KiwisScotland World Cup game at AMI Stadium on November 4, 2017.
‘‘We will beat Scotland, but they will compete and who knows who we’ll get for the quarter-final in Christchurch two weeks later on November 18.’’
Christchurch mayor Lianne Dalziel, who joined Endacott for the promotion, said Christchurch was ‘‘known as the sporting capital of New Zealand’’.
She said the One Year Out ticket sales campaign would ‘‘start to mount some real excitement in the city’’ about the World Cup.
Hosting a Kiwis game and a quarter-final was ‘‘big for Christchurch’’.