As Australian captain Cameron Smith lifted the Rugby League World Cup trophy to the heavens at Old Trafford on Saturday, the curtain was brought down on a memorable tournament.
After the debacle of the last Rugby League World Cup to be held on these shores in 2000, played in front of unenthused crowds in half-empty stadia, you could be forgiven for approaching this competition with a little scepticism.
However, what we have witnessed has far exceeded anyone’s expectations. Huge crowds have flocked from all over the country to see what has been a five-week celebration of rugby league.
In the end, the best team won. Australia played the perfect game in the final against New Zealand, a performance of patience, grit and clinical efficiency.
They promised revenge from their defeat on home soil in the 2008 final and they delivered it in some style.
From the moment Billy Slater went over for the Kangaroos’ first try, they were always in control and managed to prevent a previously free-scoring New Zealand side from registering a single try.
This means the last try they conceded was to Wigan Warriors and England winger Josh Charnley in the 76th minute of the tournament’s opening game, a full 404 minutes of rugby ago.
This was, in every probability, the last chance for the likes of Smith and Johnathan Thurston to add a World Cup title to their impressive collection of accolades, and both were instrumental as the Kiwis were swept aside.
Smith dictated the tempo from hooker, whilst Thurston’s kicking was absolutely flawless. The kick to set up the game’s first try for Slater was measured to perfection.
New Zealand weren’t helped when Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, the flying winger who has been such a revelation for them in this tournament, limped out after just nine minutes but even so, they were never in the game.
The sell-out crowd of nearly 75,000 at Old Trafford is a record for an international rugby league match and it is a perfect demonstration of how the tournament has captured the public’s imagination.
The RFL, rugby league’s governing body in this country, now has the perfect base from which to grow the game domestically and give it a much needed boost.
Amidst the splendour of the World Cup, the Super League has been slipping towards crisis point in the background.
London Broncos have gone into administration and are struggling to survive ahead of the new season in February and six of the fourteen Super League sides walked out of a meeting about the possible restructure of the domestic game.
Add to these the fact that Super League is yet to secure a sponsor for the new season and you could be forgiven for thinking that domestic rugby league is in a horrid state of disrepair.
However, I hope this highly successful World Cup can act as the launch pad the game needs. Local teams such as Rochdale Hornets are already reporting huge increases in season ticket sales for next season and other teams have slashed ticket prices in the hope of capitalising on the momentum from the World Cup.
The RFL needs to take this chance to sell the game to a wider audience, otherwise the very future of top-level rugby league in this country is at stake. It is a chance we can ill-afford to miss.
Image courtesy of Rugby League World Cup 2013 via YouTube, with thanks.
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