The organisers of the Rugby League World Cup have put the chances of the tournament going ahead at ‘50-50’, but the final decision will rest with the players and their views will become clearer following a survey that will be conducted over the next four days.
The World Cup has been plunged into crisis after the Australian Rugby League Commission and New Zealand Rugby League announced last week they were pulling out of the competition.
But the chief executive of the World Cup committee, Jon Dutton, said today that the Aussie and Kiwi authorities had not consulted the players before they took their decisions to withdraw.
Reigning champions Australia (pictured) and NZ have pulled out of Rugby League World Cup
The tournament will now listen to all the competitors before making a decision on the next step, which includes proceeding as planned, postponing the tournament until next year or cancelling it altogether.
Detailed information about Covid protocols and quarantine arrangements is being shared with players from all countries and they will be invited to take part in an anonymous survey through the Rugby League Players’ Association.
The process will take four days and a final decision on whether the tournament will proceed this year will be made next week.
Asked by journalists what the chances are of the tournament going ahead, Dutton said: ‘I think we are trying to predict the future. I think authentically, 50-50. We don’t know and won’t know until we listen to players.’
Rugby League World Cup chief executive Jon Dutton (left) paraded the trophy at Downing Street with Prime Minister Boris Johnson before the Australian and New Zealand withdrawals
Australia and New Zealand are the best two sides in the world, but they could be replaced
Dutton admitted there was huge pressure to make a decision with players, clubs, national teams, fans, sponsors and broadcasters all waiting on news of the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on October 23.
‘This is a matter of days,’ said Dutton. ‘I think within the next 96 hours we need to get in front of as many players as possible. Talk to them, listen to them and understand where they are.
‘We are only 80-odd days away, hopefully, from staging our first game of the tournament. We do not have an absolute drop-dead deadline date but we are talking a handful of days.
‘At some point next week, we will be able to come back to stakeholders and have a clear outcome. People want certainty, we understand that.’
The Australian and New Zealand rugby league authorities cited Covid safety and player welfare as the reasons for their withdrawal from the tournament.
However, players, commentators and rugby league officials in England and elsewhere believe the decision was at least in part a result of the National Rugby League in Australia wanting to protect the domestic game.
Players returning to Australia after the tournament would be required to quarantine for 14 days, which would impact on pre-season in the powerful NRL.
Australian-based players are increasingly speaking out about the fact they have not been consulted on the decision to withdraw and some are stating they want to play.
Calls for an indigenous all-star team to replace the Kangaroos and a Maori side to take the place of the New Zealand national team are growing louder. A Maori team did compete in the 2000 World Cup.
