Feeble excuses, I'm afraid. Not being able to fill a 30000 capacity stadium for the opening ceremony/match between probably the two best known and supported international teams in the world, just makes RL look like a tinpot sport. If Melbourne is the problem then don't play the game there. It clearly didn't deserve it. Honestly, playing the game in Melbourne and at a terrible time for UK TV viewers - I think someone needs to check whether the RLWC organisers are plants from rugby union.

And I was right - Australia v Namibia in RUWC 2003 got an attendance of 28196 in Adelaide. The score was 142-0 to the Wallabies and it would have been entirely predictable beforehand that it would be a one-sided encounter.

Look son, i'm trying to go easy on you, back in 2015 Qld played NSW in a SOO game at the MCG & the crowd was 91,513.

Clearly, Melbourne & Rugby League aren't the problem, the England national team is

So, if we promised to play like Namibia and lost 142-0 to the mighty Kangaroos then you'd be able to guarantee me that you'd at least match the crowd of 28000 that union got, right?

Make all the excuses you like, son - 22000 is a pathetic attendance. Other sports have one-sided match-ups too, you do realise that, yes? The England football (soccer) team played Malta and 80000 turned up.

It's a poor effort from Aussie RL fans, however you try and spin it. I don't know why you're so upset by that statement, given that you yourself have said you don't care about the RLWC. Plus it was you that mentioned Melbourne when you were giving reasons for the attendance being poor. Now you're saying it being in Melbourne had nothing to do with it. Which is it, son?

son, SON, I said SONNNN

look at the facts.....

Rugby League in Melbourne, give them the ultimate product, State of Origin & you get over 91000

You give them an inferior product at a pretty bad time of the year to be fair, the footy has finished & peoples mindset turns to summer, the beach & cricket etc & you don't get the crowds turning out

So, you tell me?? what element caused the crowds to stay away? they aren't mugs, Melbourne is one of the great sporting cities of the world, they know when they are getting sold short, your team hasn't really done much for about 40 years...THATS 40 FRIGGIN YEARS SON!!!


awww cmon, i didn't want to hurt your feelings, but now, sorry kid, i have to be brutally honest

If Widdop had passed to Kallum Watkins instead of Jermaine McGillvary for the first try (Watkins had a huge opening in front of him), then Widdop probably would have converted and it would have been 10-6 for most of the game. Had Sam Burgess not been injured England's chances of scoring a second try would have been improved. Who knows what might have happened then?

This England team can more easily beat Australia if Alex Walmsley and Mark Percival are playing.

I'm guessing the fact that RL fans don't bother to turn out to support the game they profess to love.

You're acting as if Australia v England/GB has been the most one sided rivalry in the history of sport. Yes, you've been superior to us in my lifetime of watching RL (1990 onwards), but not to the extent that rivalries in other sports have been. You won the 1992 world cup final 10-6 and the 1995 final 16-8. Hardly on the scale of 142-0 is it now?

As I said, other sports have similar issues and yet they seem to do just fine. For example, New Zealand have beaten Wales in every rugby union match since 1953 - something like 30 wins in a row or thereabouts. Shall we check the attendances for the 2016 New Zealand v Wales series? Auckland 46270, Wellington 35907, Dunedin 28726. Just an ordinary series, not even a World Cup, son.

mate!!!!!....over 91000 for SOO in Melbourne

Australia vs England in Melbourne...less than 30000

You work it out?? its not friggin rocket science, bloody hell!!!


As for being the sport we love...well theres a lot of choice down here, its not like Rugby League is a far & away clear choice anywhere in the country, especially Melbourne, that 91000 crowd would have been a lot of people from Melbourne with not too much idea what was happening besides knowing that it was a quality event

That’s very poor isn’t it? 75.8% full stadium in a World Cup opening game that had the Opening Ceremony there n’all. What other sport in the world would that happen to? It’s not even like it’s a big stadium. So disheartening to see that.

And the Kiwi-Samoa game that’s in right now has only 18000 in another 30000 stadium.

I believe Mal Meninga, as soon as he came in, changed the attitude of the players towards International RL. The NRL as a whole needs to change its fans’ attitude too.

Well done to the Kumuls’ fans though!

Shame on the two big nations though. It’ll be interesting to see if the North American World Cup next decade has better attendances!

Probably 1 of your fairest and accurate posts. Is Widdop a better goal kicker then Gale ? Was glad he did pass to Jerry as I had him or Hall first try at 9/1

Shhhhhh the seasons over

That’s a proper sad attitude then isn’t it? Welsh rugby union, England football, countless other sports where teams have done nowt for decades or ever and yet they get crowds pulled in from top nations who play against them.

Yesterday’s game was a closer affair than half of all SOO games I’ve watched over the last decade going into the last few minutes and some Aussies were on their haunches at every break in play. I’ve seen QLD breeze past NSW with barely breaking sweat. That was a tougher game for Aus yesterday than a fair few SOO games will have been.

Look, i dont think you understand the lay of the land, the congested sporting landscape, the way people live their lives with the seasons etc, you can't make people go to a friggin game, theres other things to do, the seasons over, you reach a crescendo & then come back down, you can't expect people to get up again

Furthermore, i reiterate, 91000 in Melbourne for SOO, to watch two other bloody states, thats phenomenal, they regularly fill the MCG for AFL, just for club games, its a crazy state, so that was a very poor crowd for Melbourne, but they are a very discerning bunch, they won't be taken for fools, they know that International Rugby League is a farce & has been for a long time, you lot have to lift your own standards, legitimise your own game

Alternatively, it would be better if it just wasn't on, i get the impression that a few players are going around just as a favour to the game, i'm sure they just want to be paid & allowed to go on holidays like all their mates not playing, the season is long enough as it is