Rugby Football League Plans Overhaul After World Cup Exits

The Rugby Football League (RFL) is initiating a broad review of English rugby league to prevent a recurrence of the national teams' early exits from the Rugby League World Cup. Both the men's and women's teams were eliminated at the group stage, prompting the RFL to acknowledge that such results are unacceptable.

Following the confirmation of the men's team's elimination, the RFL announced plans to shape the future of the sport in England. A panel, including former Great Britain captain Paul Sculthorpe, retiring England women's skipper Jodie Cunningham, and international player Adrian Morley, will contribute to developing a strategy. The RFL intends to confirm additional panel members in the coming days, building on the "One Game, One England" initiative launched earlier this year. This scheme aims to create a robust system for developing players from grassroots to academy levels for international competition.

England men's head coach Brian McDermott has previously emphasized the need to strengthen the domestic game to improve the national team's prospects. Despite challenges such as travel logistics, tournament format, and player injuries, the team acknowledges the need for fundamental changes. Ian Nolan, the RFL's new chief executive, stated that while mitigating factors exist, they cannot serve as excuses. He also highlighted the importance of media rights in capturing public interest and the need to address the long-standing struggle to make an impact on the world stage.

Nolan also addressed the disparities faced by the women's game, noting that the domestic Women's Super League operates at an amateur level while players compete against professionals in the Australian NRL Women's Premiership. He pointed to the Diploma in Sporting Excellence (DiSE) program, which has introduced 11 graduates into the World Cup squad, as evidence of early groundwork paying off for future tournaments. The average age of the women's squad was 21, indicating a focus on future development.

This latest disappointment for the men's team comes a year after the end of their Rugby League Ashes challenge, which led to the departure of previous head coach Shaun Wane. McDermott, who took over in April, has seen improvements but faces significant structural challenges. The dominance of Australia's NRL and its lucrative television deal limit international playing windows for European teams, making it difficult to schedule matches against top southern hemisphere sides. McDermott believes that investment from the NRL into the Super League could be beneficial, but he also stresses that financial input alone will not solve the deep-seated issues within English rugby league. He pointed to the disparity in the depth of talent pools and the number of teams operating at lower age groups in Australia compared to England.

Nolan anticipates that the "One Game, One England" panel will facilitate major decisions and changes, but he cautioned that progress will take years, with benefits expected in four to ten years' time. The panel's work is expected to shape significant changes that require the support of the entire rugby league community.