Australia and New Zealand face backlash after Rugby League World Cup withdrawal
The chairman of the Rugby Football League, Simon Johnson, has insisted the Australia and New Zealand governing bodies must accept the World Cup will go ahead this year as planned and said he is seeing signs of a player backlash in those countries following the decision to withdraw the two sides from the event.
The Australian Rugby League Commission and the New Zealand Rugby League announced on Thursday that they would not be sending sides to compete in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions in England this autumn, citing player welfare and safety issues relating to Covid-19 as their primary reason for pulling out.
If there is no reversal of that decision, tournament organisers will have to decide whether to stage the tournaments without international rugby league’s two leading names or postpone the event until next year, which would coincide with the Fifa World Cup in Qatar.
Johnson has not given up hope of the tournament taking place as planned starting in October and with Australia and New Zealand both involved. Having described the decision of the ARLC and NZRL to pull out of the World Cup as “selfish, parochial and cowardly” he also suggested the call had been made at boardroom level under influence from leading National Rugby League clubs and without consultation with any of the players or staff who would travel to England.
“I think it’s time everyone accepted this World Cup is happening,” Johnson said. “This appears like a final blow, but I’m interested to hear what players and coaches are saying. I’m seeing signs that there is a backlash building in Australia. The Australian players want to retain their trophy. This decision has
been taken by their leadership and it pulls the rug under the feet of the athletes who want to play. That is not good enough.”
The Guardian understands a recent survey showed 75% of players consulted by Australia’s players union remained happy to travel to England to compete at the World Cup.
Many within rugby league believe the strong influence the NRL exerts over the ARLC is indeed why the Kangaroos have been pulled out of the World Cup. Clubs are concerned that following a mandatory quarantine and rest period after the tournament, which ends in late November, the game’s top players will return to pre-season training later than originally envisaged. That is why they want the tournament to instead take place in 2022.
The organisers at RLWC2021 were confident they could assure the ARLC and NZRL to sign the participation agreement by enforcing strict bubble conditions. It did not do the trick, however, leading to RLWC2021 expressing “disappointment” at the southern powerhouses’ withdrawal, as well as with the short notice they were granted – a mere four minutes.
“We’ve known for a while clubs have been concerned about the World Cup and tried to flex their muscles. To an extent, they’ve succeeded,” Johnson said. “The power is there for the International Rugby League and ARLC to enforce call-ups and this idea saying they’ve not received assurances on safety is not my understanding of what’s gone on.
“From a Covid perspective, I’m not sure what’s going to be different in 2022 that isn’t happening in autumn 2021. By that time, Australia will have played a whole rugby union series here, the Olympics, Paralympics and Commonwealth Games will have happened and there will have been full stadiums in football. The assurances the World Cup organisers gave were comprehensive and extremely well resourced. Personally, I don’t think postponing is a real option: if we don’t do it in 2021, there’s a chance it may not happen at all.”
The World Cup has already received around £25m of financial backing from the government, and organisers have secured lucrative broadcast and sponsorship packages for the event, which is due to start in Newcastle on 23 October when England face Samoa at St James’ Park.
In a joint statement on Thursday evening, RLWC2021 and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport said: “We are surprised and disappointed in the unexpected announcement from the Australian and New Zealand rugby league authorities. We have met all requests to set out the rigorous health measures that have kept thousands of elite athletes safe while competing in major sporting events across the UK.
“In the best interests of the sport, we remain open to further discussions with the Australian and New Zealand rugby league authorities about what further reassurances they might need. We remain committed to putting on a superb spectacle of sport.”