Good point. However this is an issue for the game as a whole to sort out a proper international calender that allows the smaller nations to regularly play the bigger ones.

For example, yes its great that france and a pacific team will be taking part in the 4 nations for the next few years, but what happens to the other teams? Say samoa win this years pacific cup and gain entry to next years 4 nations, then a team like PNG wont be playing the big guns till 2013. How is that good for them?

I'd rather see the international calender look like this in every 4 year cycle:

Year 1:

World Cup

Year 2:

Northern Hemisphere - European Cup involving all european nations including full strength England and France.

Southern Hemisphere - Pacific Cup involving all pacific nations including full strength aus and nz.

Year 3:

Tri-Nations between australia, nz, and england. These 3 teams are the pinnacle of the game and full on tournament taking place every 4 years like the tri-nations in 2004-2006 is a must for me. It can even always be held in either australia or NZ so that it can be marketed like the RU lions tours every 4 years.

Year 4:

Northern Hemisphere - Euro cup same as year 2

Southern Hemisphere - Pacific Cup same as year 2

Year 5:

World cup and so on...



A format like this gives the smaller teams the chance to compete against the big teams every 3 years out 4.

I hope we get a mix of heatlands grounds and expansion areas.

i'd particularly like to see Old Trafford for the opening tie, Wembley for the final...there is no reason why the could not announce the dates over a year in advance and do a lot of publicity

knowing the RFL though, the games will be arranged about a month before, with one half hearted press release.

i think only three sides should have qualified for the world cup so far
aus and NZ as finalists from 2008
england as hosts
the rest should have to earn their places like they did for 2008

same format as 2008 regarding super pool and other pools

best qualifier to super pool,
other 8 to 2 groups of four

top of each pool to play bottom 2 from super pool (quarter final)
top 2 in super pool through to semis

opening game, eng v aus at wemberley!

keep the rest in the heartlands!!!

I still think we should ditch the tradition knock-out method in the cup and use a system RL is renowned in our play-off system. Will guarantee closer matches and make better use of the seeded super pool format.

I'd go one of two ways, using either 4 groups of 3 (with three SPs) or 3 groups of 4 (with 1 SP).

Already said my method for the 4 groups of 3 on the other post.
If it was 3 groups of 4, I'd go...

Super Pool - NZ (Winner), Aus (Finalist), Eng (Host), Qualifier 1
Pool 2 - Qualifer 2, Euro 2, Pacific 3, Repechage
Pool 3 - Pacific 2, Euro 3, Pacific 4, Euro 4

Qualifying competition for the European teams (Lebanon) and the Pacific teams (including USA). Everyone that makes it to the semi-finals qualifies for the WC. The winners play each other for a place in the super group (which guarantees you a place in the PO), with the loser being placed in the other groups along with the other qualifiers. A tournament for the last place can be done in a similar fashion to last year.

Play-offs as follows:
A) 1st in SP vs 1st in P2
B) 2nd in SP vs 1st in P3
C) 3rd in SP vs 2nd in P2
D) 4th in SP vs 2nd in P3

E) Loser of A vs Winner of D
F) Loser of B vs Winner of C

G) Winner of A vs Winner of F
H) Winner of B vs Winner of E

I) Winner of G vs Winner of G (Final)

No.
You will get half a dozen tour groups led by past players maybe a few hundred or so.
Plenty of Aussies based there so that may add up to a few thousand at the games.

[urlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/aug/01/rugby-league-world-cup-2013[/url

Link to an article that discusses more proposals for the tournament.

In the main broadly what has been proposed on these boards.