Why don't the Australia and New Zealand rugby league authorities be honest and say that they simply do not want to come over here to participate in the competition instead of claiming that they are protecting their players from the pandemic when apparently the players want to come is pathetic!

You do of course realise that The Hundred is going to fail and is awful for the existing Counties, right?

Mal Meninga has given his blessing to Australian players who may wish to play for other nations - James Tedesco for Italy for example. And Josh Hodgson has said that he will come and play if selected. Apparently the clubs cannot legally stop their players from coming if selected. And the RLPA - the Australian players’ association- is angry because they were not consulted by those who made the decision on their behalf. This competition is bigger than any one nation - even Australia- and it should go ahead as planned. I would relish an England v Tonga or Samoa final and it would get a full house! Bring it on!

I am not sure if it is true but I was told at the weekend that the Japanese have been threatened with multi million dollar fines by the OOC if they postpone the Olympics. There should be similar sanctions against Australia and NZ. In fact, I believe that they should be barred from competing in international RL for at least another World. Cup cycle so the fact that they wouldn’t be involved in the next one after this would not create the “oh my gosh” moment that we are having now. Let them watch their players involved with other nations compete fir the games greatest honour from their safe, covid free armchairs.

If they think that covid is going away soon i.e. within the next 12 months, they are dreaming.

We need to remember that whilst the UK is around 70% double jabbed, the likes of Australia are struggling to hit double digits, and that rugby players, officials and their familes will be way down the pecking order.

Until the world is vaccinated in sufficient numbers, then international tournaments will be subject to restrictions or boycotts, and those that take place will be a lesser event than they otherwise would have been.

Its a tough call for the organisers, as without the two biggest attractions, the world cup will be a much poorer event to follow.

Which is having little impact on the numbers of infections with double-jabbed infections set to outpace unvaccinated infections for the first time. So again, it isn't going away any time soon. The current runaway rise in cases has come during a heatwave, the very time it's supposed to go down naturally. Extrapolate that to the winter months and perhaps factor in whatever new variants have arrived by then and I think we can all work out what the situation is likely to be.

You either accept the risk is not going away and work to the best protocols to minimise it or give up on life. I suppose ultimately it's each to their own.

The question still stands-why is it only the Australian and New Zealand Rugby League teams who aren’t prepared to travel?

Disruption will be part and parcel of every day life and that applies to sporting competitions. I have seen individuals pull out of non team sports recently, such as Tennis and Golf but I can’t think of too many organisations that have pulled out full teams from team competitions. They may have had to soak up some individual pull outs from those squads (although I can’t think of many of them either) but it’s not been a major issue.

We can debate the ins and outs of covid impact all day long but this isn’t about covid in any shape or form IMO and the NRL don’t deserve the respect of us letting them hide behind it. The NRL do not care one jot for internationals and haven’t done since the day the game boomed Down Under about 10-15 years ago. They see them as an inconvenience, that could potentially disrupt their competition and rob them of some of their stars on occasion. It’s that simple and if the players down under actually care about representing their countries, then they should kick up one hell of a fuss and force a change of stance through.

That's my understanding as well. If that is the case, I would just invite the players and go ahead with the World Cup with "unofficial" New Zealand and Australia teams, assuming that enough players were up for it (I am confident they would be). And if the Kangaroos and Kiwis don't like it, expel them form the international federation altogether.

I agree. You could probably put together 'unofficial' Kangaroos & Kiwi teams together from UK based players alone. Get it played.

As stated elsewhere, 75% of the players want to go, the federations are messing about because the NRL are pulling their strings!

When we played Tonga two years ago, it was a 'Tonga Invitational' side because their federation had been expelled. Barely anyone noticed, and it made no difference!!

Players like Cook and Tedesco are chomping at the bit and want to come....Tedesco talking of playing for Italy under heritage rules if there's no Australia. IMO that's just daft.

Replace Australia with Australia Invitational, and the same with NZ. Then say, boys if you want to play contact Jon Dutton!! Ultimate two fingers to the NRL and we crack on.....There's more than one way to skin a cat.

We need players from Down Under to represent the Aussies and Kiwis IMO or it has no credibility. A break away team from each nation would be perfect, in fact I think I’d prefer that now to an official U-turn happening. If over 75% of the players are happy to travel, then we shouldn’t have too many issues with them pulling together a couple of amazing sides, that would still be the favourite and second favourite to win the comp.

They’ve not half got some brass neck. Mal Meninga has come out today saying Australia and NZ need test matches at the end of the season

Convenient for them eh?

Proves it’s got nothing to do with CV19 and all about the NRL putting their noses back into place after having it adjusted by RLWC2021 board last week. They ought to be banned from international competitions for 10years. I hope Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, PNG, Cook Islands, Italy, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France and Jamaica mop up their star players. I genuinely pray the WC goes ahead without them and is the best one yet with star “Aussies” and “Kiwis” defecting to other nations.

Now isn’t the time for us to bow down to the NRL. Stand up to them. Go ahead without them. Stick it to them and do it with glee. I don’t even care if England win the WC or not at this point, I just want a superb tournament without Australia and NZ. I’m quite happy without their over inflated ego and self interest.

I think we have to ask ourselves, like David Mitchell, , who are the bad guys here? It's not really players in the NRL, is it, many of whom clearly want to play. At the end of the day, Meninga and most of the bosses down there want international football on their terms, when it suits them, and when they can conveniently fit it in around their comp and Origin. I wish they didn't take that attitude, and we could have 'proper' Kiwi and Kangaroo teams, but they do. If (and I still think it's a big 'if'), we can get serviceable 'unofficial' teams for them, it;s better than nothing, and the comp could go ahead. it's a critical time for international relations in rugby league.

When I first heard this news I was fully behind cancelling the comp.

I’m now of the opinion we go ahead with or without them.

The NRL need to understand or be taught that they are not all that matters in the rugby league world.

Is it going to be a devalued tournament? Absolutely, but it’s time to grow a pair and fight back.

I think that's the point, jonh. If we can get some serviceable Aussie and Kiwis sides into the comp, somehow, then, yes, it will be devalued a little, but I think it could, and should, go ahead. Lacking that, not really. It's starting to look that it may increasingly be down to what individual players down there want to do.

And that is exactly why they are better, because our own fans CBA to watch us.

If the viewing figures for Cas v Hudds, as you suggest, were of a decent standard then we would get a better tv deal. The more people that watch, the more companies want to advertise, the more expensive it is to do so etc etc.

Nah sod it. Lets watch our own clubs and sod the rest. No wonder players get booed playing for England.