ENGLAND SET FOR THE LANE
Sheffield’s historic Bramall Lane to host 2021 Rugby League World Cup tie
STAGING ONE of England’s games at Sheffield United’s Bramall Lane ground is “bold and brave” but a decision Rugby League World Cup 2021 CEO Jon Dutton fully expects to succeed.
The full tournament schedule was announced yesterday with 61 matches – the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being held together for the first time – crammed into five weeks next year.
It had already been confirmed that Shaun Wane’s England side would open the men’s tournament against Samoa at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park on Saturday, October 23 (2.30pm).
Organisers subsequently revealed yesterday that holders Australia will battle Fiji at Hull’s KCOM Stadium (7.30pm) later on the same day in a powerful start to the competition.
England will then face France at University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday, October 30 (5pm) before taking on Greece at Bramall Lane on Saturday, November 6 (2.30pm).
It is the first time the famous South Yorkshire ground – the oldest stadium in the world still staging major football games having opened in 1855 – has hosted an international rugby league game.
Granted, Sheffield Eagles have sporadically played there, and even England’s football team on a number of occasions – the last being 1930 – but this will be a first.
Sheffield United CEO Stephen Bettis said the Premier League club were “honoured” to receive such a prestigious fixture on an exciting day for the Steel City given it also discovered which eight wheelchair games were also confirmed at its English Institute of Sport.
Dutton explained: “Kicking off in Newcastle we think it’s about the whole weekend, not just the England v Samoa game; we have that second game – Scotland v Italy at Kingston Park – to try and entice people to stay.
“Specifically for England, we wanted a game in the north-west – so we have Bolton for that – and Sheffield is slightly bold and brave as I think the rest of the schedule is and the rest of the tournament.
“Should England qualify, whether that’s first or second, they will then stay in the northwest by going to Anfield for a double-header quarter-final and should they win that they’ll go to the Emirates for their semi-final
PLAYING HOST:
and, of course, Old Trafford the final.
“For an England fan, it’s a way of splitting their way to the final and we think we have the balance between geography and different size venues to give different offers to people.”
Middlesbrough has also secured itself a significant contest with the intriguing Tonga v Cook Islands clash.
On the reasons for that, Dutton added: “I think big team, big game.
“When we announced Middlesbrough as a venue we gave it a great deal of thought; Middlesbrough hasn’t been synonymous with rugby league and it’s in a very interesting geographical area.
“They came to the party as the Tees Valley – not just as Middlesbrough – and that has a population of three-quarters of a million people so in talking to those people about what would work best they were really clear on a specific nation and a big game.
“I think Tonga v the Cook Islands delivers on both of those.
The challenge now is to fill the Riverside Stadium.”
Of the four men’s groups, highest-ranked nations Australia, England, New Zealand and Tonga are kept separate so there are no ‘super groups’ like previously.
That could open up the prospect of some one-sided scorelines in the group stages but Dutton says a desire to “mature” the tournament led to this point.
He said: “The structure was set when we bid in 2016. We had discussions about going from 14 to 16 men’s teams; this is the 16th staging of the tournament and it feels like it has to take the step toward maturity.
“Obviously if you look at the rugby union World Cup one of the things they have to grapple with is there’s been some one-sided games. Will there be some uneven games here? Yes, there will. Let’s be realistic about that.
“Is this the right thing to do to start moving towards a maturing tournament? Absolutely.
“We’re huge advocates of that and you have to explain this beyond the core rugby league community. In 2013, explaining a 14-team tournament to the noncore, even with super pools, was really hard.
“We will have some big scores but what I think we will then find is we have some very strong quarter-finals and that’s the benchmark of the health and well-being of the tournament. And that’s just in the men’s tournament.”
Other Yorkshire venues see Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium host France v Greece on Monday October 25 – “a half-term daytime game” kicking off at 2.30pm – Samoa v Greece on Sunday October 31 and Papua New Guinea v Wales on Monday November 8.
Emerald Headingley welcomes Jamaica for two group matches in their maiden World Cup, Ireland facing them there on Sunday October 24 and then New Zealand arriving on Saturday October 30.
The Kiwis also face Ireland at the same ground under the lights on Friday November 5 but Leeds is also, of course, at the heart of the action when the women’s tournament gets underway as England start their campaign against the Brazil Amazonas, in what is sure to be a carnival atmosphere at Headingley.
England’s women then head to Anfield for their next group game against Canada Ravens, which will be part of a double-header with the men’s quarter final.
Current women’s world champions Australia begin their campaign against Cook Islands at York’s LNER Community Stadium, which will also host a potentially thrilling group tie with Australia’s fierce rivals New Zealand.
York also hosts both women’s semi-finals as a double-header at the Community Stadium on November 22.
Tournament ticket pricing will be released on August 21 and tickets will go on priority access sale to ‘loyal fans’ who have signed up to the RLWC2021 database on September 21. A public ticket ballot will open on October 23.