Manawatu Standard

British league boss irate over Cup withdrawal

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Rugby Football League chairman Simon Johnson has savaged Australia and New Zealand as ‘‘selfish, parochial and cowardly’’ over their decision to pull out of the World Cup.

Organisers are franticall­y trying to work out their next step after being caught on the hop by the joint decision of the holders and New Zealand, which came just seven days after it was announced the tournament would go ahead as planned.

It provoked an angry response from the RFL, the governing body for profession­al rugby league in England.

‘‘The World Cup organisers have bent over backwards and turned double somersault­s to meet every single requiremen­t that was asked of them, by the Australian­s particular­ly,’’ Johnson said.

‘‘To have those assurances completely dismissed, I am angry about this.

‘‘This is a selfish, parochial and cowardly decision which has been taken by the Australian and New Zealand leadership.’’

The decision comes a week after the NRL relocated its competitio­n to Queensland following fresh Covid-19 outbreaks in NSW and Victoria, but Johnson says league authoritie­s in Australia are bucking the trend as the world emerges from lockdown.

‘‘I would have some sympathy for them were I not aware that right now Australian athletes are in Tokyo for the

‘‘This is a selfish, parochial and cowardly decision which has been taken by the Australian and New Zealand leadership.’’

Simon Johnson

Rugby Football League chairman

Olympics, that New Zealand men’s cricketers have played in England this summer and that the rugby union team from Australia will be coming for a series of internatio­nals in October,’’ he said.

‘‘So, if their sports’ governing bodies are comfortabl­e with the arrangemen­ts that are made, why are the rugby league authoritie­s not satisfied with that?

‘‘The impact, particular­ly for women’s rugby league and wheelchair rugby league, will be particular­ly devastatin­g.

‘‘And I cannot escape the irony of a country which only yesterday [Thursday] was awarded the Olympic Games for 2032 and which promotes itself as the home of sport, has taken a decision that might well cause a fatal blow to the developmen­t of women’s rugby league and wheelchair rugby league.’’

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