The USA and Scotland got the rough end of the stick in the draw. USA 3 games in 8 days, Scotland 9. Sadly these smaller teams are going to be less resourced in medics and physios to compound the problem.

Just bought two tickets for Salford on Thursday so I hope both teams have something left in the tank.

I predict 120-0 to Australia in the quarter final.
This result confirms Wales should stick to union.

Currently Scotland 26 - Italy 24, sounds a cracker! shame that one of these good teams will be going home, while USA will get a hammering to Australia.

Clearly people who say USA team is Australians haven't done their research: Garvey - New Jersey Welch - Texas Dan Howard - Los Angeles Stephen Howard - LA Clint Newton - South Carolina In total 9 were born in USA: www.rugbymag.com/international-n ... d-cup.html And a couple of others have lots of American heritage with parents/grandparents born in USA before relocating to Australia.

Clearly people who say USA team is Australians haven't done their research: Garvey - New Jersey Welch - Texas Dan Howard - Los Angeles Stephen Howard - LA Clint Newton - South Carolina In total 9 were born in USA: www.rugbymag.com/international-n ... d-cup.html And a couple of others have lots of American heritage with parents/grandparents born in USA before relocating to Australia.

They will but who cares really? They have earned the right to play that game so let them have the glory. It's actually getting some coverage in the US so can give the sport a big boost

To be fair to the USA when I saw them play the Cook Islands at Bristol they played a very straightforward yet effective gameplan. Ball retention was good and so too was defensive effort.

USA have more domestic players than any nation other than Australia, England, France and PNG. They have the same number of domestic players as New Zealand.

No team has a right to win every game and no team has a right to be in the finals of the World Cup.
The USA team play a very simple game plan within the simple game rules that apply to Rugby League. It has so far been proved to be effective and yet people are unhappy.
As is another post, may I suggest that Rugby League is not your game if you are unhappy with this World Cup so far and that you watch something else for "entertainment" value if that is the case.

Erm, the crowd of 8,000 vs Canada was IN CANADA. The attendance at the return fixture in the United States was (if I recall correctly) less than 300.

Don't care USA USA USA . Want a tomahawks shirt.

Wales had 100 odd years to develop a competitive team, USA only a couple of decades, this could be a turning point not only for US RL but the game as a hold USA the biggest sporting market in the world any thing that gives RL a boost over there could be massive for the game.

It won't really help too much as things stand because of the problems in the game over there. If they can get together in the future and put the bad blood to rest then it could be a big boost. Hopefully the performance will inspire that to happen.

Canada is where the momentum is in terms of crowds. Three pockets of RL in Toronto, Ottawa and BC. Great marketing, social media work and some decent sponsorship (Fosters). A long way to go in terms of player pools, development pathway and domestic competition but they are committed at least to (95% of the time) players born and/or living in Canada. Will be interesting to see where they are up to in development for WC Qualifying in 2017.

Brian Smith is a bit of an unsung hero here. The guy has a lot of faults, but no one can spot talent and put together a squad like Smith.
He got these guys from all over the Rugby League world and he really did pick the right players.

The US has far too much to say in a lot of aspects in life, but I'd revel seeing RL taking off there!

When they split into 2 comps four years ago there were 600 registered players in the US, and now there are 1200. The standard of play in both comps is also much higher than the standard was four years ago.
It is about time everyone came together in the US and move the code forward in a united way, but the split hasn't stopped the code growing steadily. Every year we see new teams, and every year we see teams reach new levels on the field.
In another four years the code will double in size again, and the standard of the top comp will be getting close to the standard of the best semi pro comps around the world, and that is if they sort out their squabbles or not.

"including Clint Newton who was born there whilst his mother was there watching his dad play Golf and was back in Aussie in a matter of weeks"
That's not true. Jack Newton was one of the leading golfers in the world and played the US tour and resided in the US for a number of years. Clint was conceived, born and lived for several years in the US before his parents returned to Australia.

Wales halves were abysmal. Put Briers in the team and the result could have been so different.

fair enough.....and that of course totally negates the rest of the post regarding the number of "ringers" on show at this RLWC



Of 14 Nations, remove RLIF ranked #1, #2, #3, #4 and #6 and you have 50 players from 216 playing for their country of birth.
The USA are not as bad as some....Italy with 2, Cooks with 2 and Ireland with none.......that's the same Ireland that finished 5th last time out BTW, but has not kicked on in the last 5 years...

Hey, the games have been really entertaining and I applaud the crowds in attendance, but there needs to be some form of "quota" on heritage players if the game is to truly grow. I remember GB won a Curling Gold medal a few years back and everyone was messing about with brooms for a few weeks.......the same can be said for the legacy of this comp in a great deal of nations.

Why does it matter where you're born? The worlds changing.

We all know the game isn't played in some parts of the world, we don't need reminding every two minutes.

True. Brian Smith can spot talent, but he is a dreadful "man manager", i.e. he has no clue about how to treat people in order to get the best out of them (ditto Phil Gould). The only good thing he did at the Roosters was to get rid of Willie Mason.

Smith's true forte is player talent spotting and recruitment. He should focus, at this late stage of his life, on being a top flight recruitment officer..

The game in Ireland has, I believe, 15 Clubs with sides involved in the provisional and National comps. The USA has possibly 21 sides split over 2 bodies in the same situation, yet the USA domestic comp delivers 6 squad players in the 24 and 9 born Americans in total, whilst the Irish have nada...nothing.

Short term thinking, as in, "I don't care where they come from the games are brilliant" will deliver little if any growth for the game in Ireland, Scotland and dare I say it, even the USA.

Yes the world is changing and yes, it happens elsewhere. The occasional international soccer player pops up. BUT NOT TO THIS EXTENT!!
English cricket is full of South Africans due to the exodus from that country when Mandela was elected and English Union has the occasional Kiwi who is there on a grandparent rule or has been "naturalised", but what we are seeing at this RLWC with regards to using the rules would make Jack Charlton blush!

A Scottish team with 2 born scots and an Italian team with 2 born Italians scrapping over the chance to lose to New Zealand is not going to grow RL in either of those countries....it's window dressing...and as pretty as it is, there is very little if any tangible legacy available to some of these countries where the game isn't played.

So they've made it competitive, you'd find a flaw with anything.

Great for Canadian RL, but comparing USA to Canada is like comparing wales to England, nothing more than a spare wheel in the boot of a car.

What am I missing here?

Aren't the selection criteria that Harris whinges about the selfsame ones that qualified him to play for Wales in both codes? (and enabled him to make an absolute bundle in the process?).