Tonga and Samoa could be among those linking in a World Cup bid. Photo / Getty
Tonga and Samoa could be among those linking in a World Cup bid. Photo / Getty
The Rugby League World Cup could be coming back to New Zealand in 2025, as part of a unique, multi-nation tournament that might also see games hosted across the Pacific.
As well as matches in Australia and this country, there could be the possibility of fixtures in Samoa, Tonga, PapuaNew Guinea and Fiji.
That’s the bold vision of New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Greg Peters, in the wake of French organisers renouncing their agreement to host the quadrennial event in two years, after a failure to secure the financial guarantees required by the government.
The issues in France had been on the radar for a few months – as they tried to stack up their ambitious proposal – and the organising committee confirmed their decision to abandon the project on Tuesday, after government funding cuts.
“It was a great project but was going to have some challenges with it, particularly with the economic and political uncertainty in France at the moment,” Peters told the Herald. “We’re obviously very disappointed that they haven’t been able to achieve what they set out to achieve.”
The French bid had itself replaced a United States proposal. International Rugby League awarded the 2025 tournament to North America in 2016 but those plans were canned two years later due to financial issues.
Peters said it was a sad day for the sport – as it could have been a great vehicle to expand the game – but it also created an opportunity for Australasia.
“We had already started some early conversations and those will be now ramped up to look at what we could create together with the ARLC in Australia and other entities to see what we could come up with in this part of the world as an alternative.”
The NZRL had already done some preliminary scoping and discussions will now “advance rapidly”.
The 2017 event was shared between Australia and New Zealand, with Papua New Guinea hosting three group matches.
That was the tournament that saw Tonga come to prominence on the international stage, with their fairy-tale run to the semifinals in front of massive crowds.
Samoa went one better last year, reaching the final of the World Cup in England after a memorable upset of the hosts in the last four.
Their remarkable rise – as well as the steady progress of Papua New Guinea and Fiji – means the landscape is quite different now and could open the door for an unprecedented event, though Peters emphasises it is only in the blue-sky phase at present.
“It’s certainly something we would like to explore,” said Peters. “That would create a unique tournament that perhaps isn’t possible in other parts of the world. It would be really exciting, respecting our indigenous people on both sides of the Tasman and our Pacific communities that are such a big part of our game.”
The prospect of matches in Apia or Nuku’alofa is exciting, though organisers will need to make sure the equation stacks up financially, while there will also be infrastructure challenges.
The Kiwis play at home during the Rugby League World Cup in 2017. Photo / Getty
In 2017 New Zealand hosted games in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Peters said ideally they would like to be engaging with venues across the country but it was “way too early” to consider specifics.
Overall, the commercial proposition would have to stack up and it would depend on support from local and central government.
“The costs are significant,” said Peters. “That is part of the in-depth work now to do feasibility studies and look at what central government and local government funding opportunities there will be to help support a tournament, in the same manner that any other international tournament of scale that’s been hosted in Australia and New Zealand and elsewhere needs to do.”
It would be a bigger undertaking than in 2017, as the French proposal had men’s, women’s, wheelchair and youth competitions.
Staging major events is also more challenging than ever, with the ongoing repercussions of the Covid pandemic and a general worldwide economic downturn, but Peters remains optimistic.
“There’s a strong chance we can make something happen,” said Peters. “The IRL are the ultimate decision makers in this but we believe if we apply our minds to it and everyone’s willing, we can create something pretty unique and special, though it is very early days.
“And we don’t have the luxury of time. [Usually], the longer lead time you have, the better. But in this case we’ve got a fairly short runway and we will be running.”
