Meninga still Super keen
AUSSIE LOVES ENGLISH GAME
AUSTRALIA boss Mal Meninga says he will always urge his players to try their hand in Super League.
He has arrived in the UK with his Kangaroos squad, which start their World Cup defence against Fiji at Headingley next Saturday.
It means rugby league fans here will get to see some of the sport’s greatest talent, including NRL superstars James Tedesco, Latrell Mitchell and Nathan Cleary.
Aussie legends Meninga, Wally Lewis and Peter Sterling, right, used to play regularly for English clubs in their off-season when rugby league was a winter sport.
But since the NRL and Super League calendars essentially aligned in 1996, it is rare to see the best players coming over.
Meninga, one of the sport’s greatest players, said: “It is a shame. We used to love coming here, not just coming over to play club footy but also for tours where the Kangaroos faced all the club sides, not just Great Britain Tests.
“That was a great atmosphere and a great experience. We had a lot of fun with them.
“I loved my time at St Helens [in 1984-85].And I always say to people if they get the opportunity to play in England to go do it as it is something you have to behold.”
Much of England’s best quality has gone the other way in recent years, especially given the NRL’s greater salary cap. But Super League will hope some of the current Kangaroos squad enjoy the UK so much over the coming weeks they might be tempted to return. Meninga will stay on after the tournament ends to head out on a speaking tour of St Helens, Hull, Whitehaven and Bradford.
But his first task is masterminding yet more glory – the Aussies have won eight of the past nine World Cups. He has an inexperienced squad with 13 debutants but that is largely due to the fact Australia have not played a Test match since a shock defeat by Tonga in 2019.
Meninga, 62, has also seen some big stars opt to play for their heritage nations, with Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Joseph Suaalii all plumping for Samoa and David Fifita pledging his loyalty to Tonga.
But he said: “The eligibility side of it we got all sorted early, so that allows all nations to prepare a lot better than what they’ve normally done in the past.
“Even England having [Australianborn] Victor Radley, he’s aligned himself with them, which is great. I just think it’s brilliant for the international game we’ve got that direction now. “A lot of our players haven’t experienced the English conditions. But I’ve said to them it’s going to be the experience of a lifetime.”