Quote: doc999 "congrats , but not to put a downer on it but do you think you could class Wigan as the best team in the world after that ? to me it seems the Aussies just didnt turn up and where rusty and out of season , the whole format needs changing because the way it is now its pretty worthless , they should play the WCC after the NRL GF at a nuetral venue and play 2-3 games on the same day like a magic weekend and give the teams some incentive to want to win the thing , it should be billed as the biggest game of the year but instead it feels like a freindly that the Aussies dont really take seriously , its just a holiday p1ss up for them , at least put some serious prize money up for the game and play it when the teams are firing on all cylinders!
But they did a cracking job of beating the team in front of them yesterday , I can only remeber a few WCC that was taken seriously Wigan beating Brisbane at Brisbane and the league format they did in the 90s but these days it seems a bit like the old war of the roses games or ngland v Scotland ( not much interest)'"
It's probably no more a sign that you're the best team in the world than winning the Challenge Cup is a sign you're the best team in the UK, but (again, as with the Cup) that doesn't prevent it being a great achievement and something to be proud of. It's also a good way to start the season, as it means you have to find your form and your confidence quickly.
The big factor with the WCC is obviously the close-season and who responds better to it. But aside from the game usually (though not always) being on foreign soil, the NRL sides have huge advantages over the British, not least the massively extended salary cap, the fact they are the main sport back home and have the pick of the athletes, whereas we are far down the pecking order, etc - so winning it is always going to be something we should have no qualms about enjoying.
But there's no doubt in my mind that many Australians' constant refusal to acknowledge when they've been fairly beaten is a big problem with this fixture. It's one of the few international square-ups RL has where there is a genuine air of real competition, and yet they persistently play that down because it's more important for them to save face. This year's tactic seems to be to barely give it a mention, which is probably even more destructive a response than making excuses. That's particularly galling when we've recently been hearing that they were considering cancelling this event because we supposedly weren't giving them enough a game.
The truth is that many in Aus wouldn't care, or even notice, if the British game disappeared tomorrow. Some flag-bearers, Rugby League has got for itself.