I don't know because I didn't watch it and I'm not going to look through the various squads to count up where they were all from and then do a %. I saw the Ireland team featured on Sky Sports News and there were a few Aussies accents, so it's not just RL where they have Australians playing for other countries.

55% from two countries? Really? Seeing as the French, PNG, NZ, Fiji and Wales had many homegrown players in their ranks, I'd disagree.

English and Australian born players made up 55% (185) of the 336 players....there is a detailed list somewhere on here in a RLWC thread......you saying you disagree is hardly a defence!



Australia, New Zealand, England, France and PNG were the only sides with a majority of their players born in the country they were representing........Ireland had not one player born in Ireland, there were 2 Italians, 2 Scots, 2 Cook Islanders, 8 welsh, 9 Samoans, 8 Tongans, 12 Fijians, 6 Americans. Outside the top 5, 49 players in 9 teams were "local" whilst 167 were ringers. 167 ringers + the 45 in the England and Australian squads is 212....which is 63% of the entire list of players.

There was one player from Ireland actually, but I agree there were too many heritage players in the tournament. Countries like the USA and Italy could have picked more locals, were it not for stupid bans on certain players and I disagree with the common belief that if you're Australian, you must be good at RL. My beef is that the heritage aspect only comes up with RL, but you see Cricket teams (like England for example) with several heritage players, yet no one says a thing, but RL is continuously mocked over it.

How did we get here from 'BBC and RL'?


As for the BBC website/news channels, has no one ever noticed that RL drops down the rankings during the off season every year?


Tis true.

No there wasn't.....6 Aussies, 1 Kiwi and 17 English Born players.


Yep......Australia, New Zealand, England, France and PNG delivered 85% of the players......and 2017 will be exactly the same




A strong RLIF that stands up to the NRL and individual countries would be a start....



Hmmm....I suspect if any other sport had 35% of the teams supplying 85% of the players then that sport would get slammed. Even more so if some of the players were able to switch countries in between tournaments

Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"No there wasn't.....6 Aussies, 1 Kiwi and 17 English Born players. '" + This guy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Hadden Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"Yep......Australia, New Zealand, England, France and PNG delivered 85% of the players......and 2017 will be exactly the same '" + Wales and Fijians (barring they qualify of course.) We don't know who's going to qualify yet, so we don't know who will be from where. I thought RL was only played in three countries though, will we have to include France and PNG now as well? Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"A strong RLIF that stands up to the NRL and individual countries would be a start....'" And pigs will fly...

Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"No there wasn't.....6 Aussies, 1 Kiwi and 17 English Born players. '" + This guy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Hadden Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"Yep......Australia, New Zealand, England, France and PNG delivered 85% of the players......and 2017 will be exactly the same '" + Wales and Fijians (barring they qualify of course.) We don't know who's going to qualify yet, so we don't know who will be from where. I thought RL was only played in three countries though, will we have to include France and PNG now as well? Quote gutterfax="gutterfax"A strong RLIF that stands up to the NRL and individual countries would be a start....'" And pigs will fly...

Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ This guy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Hadden'" Hayden wasn't in the squad.....the RLWC site is incorrect and incomplete. (surprised???).....I really can't be d doing it all again but believe me, 55% aussie English and 85% 5 countries are correct figures..... Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ + Wales and Fijians (barring they qualify of course.) We don't know who's going to qualify yet, so we don't know who will be from where. I thought RL was only played in three countries though, will we have to include France and PNG now as well? Quote Pinkerton France and PNG....where we have a grand total of 1 professional team.....in France, which has a Union salary cap that makes the NRL look like tiddlywinks. PNG is = Japan in union...except Japanese union is professional and financially cashed up... Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ And pigs will fly...'" '" '" ...there lieth the problem. In union (and soccer and cricket), the dog still wags the tail...in league, it has always been the other way around!

Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ This guy en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matty_Hadden'" Hayden wasn't in the squad.....the RLWC site is incorrect and incomplete. (surprised???).....I really can't be d doing it all again but believe me, 55% aussie English and 85% 5 countries are correct figures..... Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ + Wales and Fijians (barring they qualify of course.) We don't know who's going to qualify yet, so we don't know who will be from where. I thought RL was only played in three countries though, will we have to include France and PNG now as well? Quote Pinkerton France and PNG....where we have a grand total of 1 professional team.....in France, which has a Union salary cap that makes the NRL look like tiddlywinks. PNG is = Japan in union...except Japanese union is professional and financially cashed up... Quote Pinkerton="Pinkerton"+ And pigs will fly...'" '" '" ...there lieth the problem. In union (and soccer and cricket), the dog still wags the tail...in league, it has always been the other way around!

Gutterfax, but he isnt a troll.............

possibly because that isnt his name......

20% of England's last Rugby Union World Cup squad weren't born in England or the UK, compared to 4% in the England Rugby League squad.
It's obviously a game in decline and anything that's good about it should be mocked and ridiculed because it doesn't immediately solve any and all issues in the game.

That sort of sense has no place here!

Anywho, RL on the BBC website has always been pretty good considering they have very few rights to broadcast it