I just don't see why i should contribute to supporting a competition run by an organisation which has snubbed both Doncaster and Sheffield. If Sheffield had got the nod then i could understand it and i would have travelled to Sheffield but obviously South Yorkshire does not exist in the eyes of the RFL so i will keep my money in my pocket or spend it on my own club.

Ok then, go on, explain to us why the RFL deliberately ignoring South Yorkshire.

Because there is no WC game to be held in Sheffield or Doncaster.
We have excellent stadia and transport links. Both teams are not in the heartland and a WC game would have helped boost the profile of one of our clubs, and while not being heartland clubs we are close enough for the travelling RL fans to get there in a short time.

I know its been said a lot on this thread but the bid can't have been good enough. Its not the rfl you should be annoyed at it should be the council who didn't produce a good enough bid.

This is not sour grapes but i really can not for the life of me see how a game in Limerick for example would be a better venue, attendance and event than one held at the Keepmoat which is in easy reach of West Yorkshire and Hull.

Agreed.

Exactly, there isn't another logical explanation.

The most logical plan for the RFL and the WC would be to have as much of a geographical spread for the games possible. Doncaster and Sheffield would be good areas to take the games because they aren't really part of the heartlands, but are near enough for a large portion of RL fans to travel relatively easily and inexpensively. It makes better business sense because you have core support who can go and locals who are new to the game.

However, if they haven't picked the only logical conclusion we can come to is that Doncaster and Sheffield's bids just weren't good enough. Doncaster and Sheffield would needed to have proved to the RFL that they can fill out a stadium. They would have to prove that they have a plan for facilities around the evnt, in terms of connections with local hotels and transport companies and the like, and also for promotion, i.e. how they will promote the matches and who too. It isn't enough to say "Well, we have a cracking stadium" because plenty of places interested in RL have cracking stadiums nowadays, you need to say what else you have and can do beyond that to make sure it is a real success.

This means that despite all those factors that favour Doncaster and Sheffield over a lot of other places that have been picked, if they haven't been picked the fault falls squarely on those that put the bid together.

We also don't know which are the semi final venues yet. My guess is the opener, semi double header and final will be split between Wembley, OT and Millenium, but you never know Doncaster or Sheffield could get a semi final match.

Limerick put an awful lot of work into their bid and getting the local community on board. Its the same with Bristol. Its not like the 2000 WC where the RFL just decided to plonk games anywhere, the councils and stadiums have contacted the RFL and put forward proposals. You don't know that Bristol and Limerick will have poor attendances or will put on a poorer event. In fact if anything the events in Limerick, Bristol and France could well be a lot better than others because they are out of the heartlands and, with the obvious exception, not in England or Wales. These bids would probably have worked harder than any other to make sure they got the games.

If you want to compare and contrast I reckon a better question would be why have Fax got a game and not Doncaster. Why does West Yorkshire need another game when Leeds and Hudds have them? Doncaster has arguably better facilities and has the potential to attract supporters in Yorkshire as well as more newcomers. The only answer is that the bid was not good enough.

Halifax probably got a game to quieten them down after missing out on SL.

In this day and age of rising fuel and transport costs do we need to be going to Limerick etc. I couldn't even tell you where it was on a map of Eire. What benefit will be gained from this?

Take more than that!

rupert bear, have you thought that Sheffield or Doncaster might get a Semi-Final or Third Place Play-Off?

If not, I find it sad that there won't be a game played in South Yorkshire, but did your representatives put in the required time and effort to be successful with their bid? Seems like they didn't, and that is disappointing.

I know your gander is up, but really, try to at least maintain satellite comms with this planet until you eventually calm down


I haven't seen the application specs or requirements, but I'd be willing to bet that whether rupert bear knows where your ground is wasn't amongst them. Your question reveals that you haven't even bothered to read what the RFL said, since they already answered your question, and since you're writing in English, it's "Ireland" to you.

So what benefit will the game of Rugby league in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland gain from holding a World Cup game in the Republic of Ireland?

What benefits do you think it will bring? I can suggest one is that you'll learn where Limerick is

Why would i want to know that?

You tell me.

Shame for Sheffield and Doncaster

Let's have all the games at the same ground then so fans don't have to travel.

Wait, that would mean it would cost people in the heartlands lots of money to pay for more tickets.

So maybe playing a game in a different area will target NEW people instead of draining the wallets of the same people over and over again, this making more money for the game.

*These are some of the thoughts that should have gone through your head at some point. It's called looking at an argument from both sides. Rather than sticking with your one track mind and coming up with the most ridiculous arguments to be against it (rising fuel! Really?!), think about the argument from the other side as well, weigh up the pros and cons, and then work out if it's worth putting in the Internet. In this case, you just look very stupid!

Because a major rugby league event will be happening there.

Probably because anybody who could go to the keepmoat to watch a game is in easy reach of the large amounts of games being played in West Yorkshire and Hull. Where as Limerick for example isnt within easy reach of any of the other games played. So everybody who attends the game in Limerick has no other opportunity to watch a game within easy reach, whereas everybody who would attend a game in South Yorkshire also has numerous other opportunities to watch a game with easy reach.

Leeds is only ten miles further from Doncaster than Sheffield is. You can get to leeds on the train from doncaster in about 40mins, compared to about 30mins to sheffield. Is all this actually because you cant travel an extra ten minutes on the train? You are actually complaining that the entire nation of Ireland got a game and that means you need to spend an extra 10minutes on a train?

But just imagine how much fuel that would cost!

Did the game in Eire and Scotland get a huge boost from the games they held during the last world cup held in the UK?

Did the game anywhere in the UK get much of a boost from that particular World Cup? For once I have faith in the RFL to learn from past mistakes.

Did areas have to put in a bid for games in that particular World Cup? Or did the RFL (old regime) just dump games at grounds and expect things to happen?

Poor argument.