I've been fortunate to play in two home Rugby League World Cups and get an understanding of what this sort of event can do.
Sadly, we weren’t good enough to go on and win either of them in 2000 or 2013. When you look over the last 50 years it shows how difficult it has been, certainly for England’s men's game, to try and turn around that Australia dominance. But I am really looking forward to this year’s tournament kicking off. And I do think England have a good chance to do it this time around.
A lot of hard work has gone on behind the scenes. Everybody involved with Rugby League World Cup 2021 should be commended for what a great job they have done so far to get us to this point. It’s brilliant that all three World Cups - men’s, women’s and wheelchair - are on the same stage. It’s such an inclusive statement from the sport and I can’t wait to see some rugby played now.
Obviously, it is difficult with selections and injuries, everybody having played such a long, tough season, whether it be the northern or southern hemisphere. They have both been really big campaigns for people. But I still believe if we can generate the kind of support we saw at the women’s Euros, that England - in all three tournaments - will have an opportunity and a great chance. If we can get off to a good start in all of them, the nation will jump behind it as they always do. It gets behind its England teams, as we saw in the women’s Euros. And it can be a really big moment for the sport.
It’s a great chance for rugby league to kick on. It’s been a tough couple of years with Covid and it’s important we take the opportunity that’s presented to us now. There’s so many games live on the BBC, in wonderful stadiums, spread across the UK but ultimately, I think a lot of that success will come from the product on the field. And then, if we look a little bit deeper than that, how well our England teams do. I really do believe we’re capable of going on and winning some trophies. It’s the single most important thing that will help push rugby league forward in this country.
I don’t want to heap a load of pressure on the players and the coaches - I think they already understand - but it’d be brilliant if we can go on and do something special. People ask which players I’m looking forward to seeing, especially from those coming over from the NRL. But I’d probably stick with the players in our three England teams: I know the hard work that has gone on behind the scenes for a number of years now.
Certainly, as soon as that 2017 World Cup finished in Australia, after we lost the final, a lot of plans were put together to look forward to the 2021 World Cup. I know it got bounced a year ago but I’m really looking forward to now seeing England play. I’m a proud Englishman myself and I want us to do really well in all three competitions. I’m really looking forward to the players representing their country and wearing that shirt.
And we’ve obviously all seen the wider benefits of the work of this World Cup already. There’s been £750,000 alone gone to 39 clubs and community schemes through the “CreatedBy Grants Programme.” I was at my first club Waterhead Warriors in Oldham recently to see just how that has helped them - £50,000 of National Lottery funding being used to extend its gym facilities. After Covid and the devastating effect that had on communities, it’s really important to help get people back through the doors and a facility like that encourages and keeps people involved in sport, to help get more people into rugby league and help future youth teams.
The National Lottery is an official partner of this year’s Rugby League World Cup. National Lottery players have supported grassroots and elite level Rugby League, in particular through:
- Support to the RFL and the Women and girls' game during the COVID pandemic where National Lottery players stepped in to provide the support required to recommence the Women’s Super League
- £750,000 of vital funding to support communities across England through the RLWC2021 CreatedBy Grants Programme
