Take a good look at this photo...RIGHT HERE ---------------->
What is it saying?
What is it telling you?
And who is that bloke?
All shall now be revealed.
The bloke in the photo is Richard Lewis and he is the Executive Director of the RFL. He's got the top job in the game in this country and he has the power to initiate change... to make things happen... for the good of the game... allegedly!
He and the RFL recently announced a thorough review of the embarrassing and spectacular failings of England and their dire performances in the Rugby League World Cup last Oct/Nov. After all, searching questions needed to be asked. Where and why did it all go wrong? Why did England get tonked by Australia 52-4? Why did they get tonked by New Zealand twice? Why did they struggle to scrape past Papua New Guinea in a game they were very fortunate to win?
The review effectively asked the players why they were shit in the RLWC, and this is what they came up with:
- Players said they did not perform to their full ability.
- Although there were different social groups the players said these did not affect team performance.
- Players and coaching staff felt they needed more time together on the training field in advance of the tournament.
- Injuries pre-tour affected the balance of the squad.
- Players recognised a greater need for emphasis on sports science.
- Rule interpretations, which were only agreed the week before the tournament, were a factor.
On point 2 - The Saints and Leeds players didn't gel on tour socially. I'm pleased that bullshit excuse for failure in the RLWC has finally been laid to rest.
On point 3 - Prior to the RLWC, didn't Tony Smith and Jamie Peacock claim England's preparations for the tour had been excellent and that no stone had been left unturned in preparing the side?
On point 4 - Which England players missed out on the tour through injury? Sam Burgess and Sean O'Loughlin are the main two, then there's Gareth Raynor, Andy Lynch and Kirk Yeaman. You know what? Had they been fit, I don't think their inclusion in England's RLWC tour squad would have made a blind bit of difference to the results.
On point 5 - Yep, they need to adopt a more sports scientific approach alrighty, but right now it's just a buzzword or a soundbite to give an appearance of actually doing something.
On point 6 - Rule interpretations and southern hemisphere referees were to blame for your pisspoor results were they? For gawds sake! Perhaps it's time for Super League rule interpretations to fall in line with proper Rugby League rule interpretations which everyone else subscribes to, huh?
The RFL's review of England's failings in the RLWC resulted in a Seven Point Plan to deliver future international success. However, there is a major problem with the whole review process and it's objectives to deliver that success. Nowhere has anyone identified one of the main reasons for repeated international failure, and guess what? One of the main reasons for failure is staring Richard Lewis right in the face on that photo above. And it's that whole different ballgame written in black and white on the screen. And it's called Super League! It ain't competitive, it ain't played to any degree of intensity comparable with the NRL, the playing standards are comparatively poor and our top players aren't tested week in, week out. Super League doesn't prepare our players for the huge step up in intensity and class required to compete successfully at international level against the Aussies and Kiwis.
And it's the Super League clubs and their CEO's who run the game (not Richard Lewis) and it is they who call all the shots. It is the clubs who adopt short-term strategies for success by signing a multitude of overseas players who, for the most part, are well past their sell-by date by NRL standards and surplus to requirements there, hence denying home-produced young players first grade opportunities to progress at Super League level, thus diluting the English talent pool available.
International playing standards and performances can only ever mirror the playing standards set in the respective domestic competitions in which the players ply their trade. I guess that's why the RLWC Final was contested by two international sides whose players almost exclusively (apart from Thomas Leuluai) ply their trade in the NRL.
