RUGBY: Britain to host 2005 World Cup
Britain will host the next rugby league World Cup in 2005 and Australia will make an Ashes tour next year, it was revealed today.
Tuesday, 19 March 2002
A five-year calendar of events was released at the end of a two-day meeting of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF) in Sydney, at which Britain were represented by Wigan chairman Maurice Lindsay and RFL operations manager Nigel Wood.
The RLIF have voted to revive the World Sevens Tournament and to create an International Club Championship featuring four Super League teams and four from `Down Under.`
``The reinstatement of the World Sevens and an International Club Championship in 2004 will provide enormous opportunity to showcase the game,`` said RLIF chairman Colin Love.
``The return of a Great Britain team to Australia this season, for the first time in 10 years, and the revival of the Kangaroo tour last year are signs of the work that is taking place.
``There is much still to be done but the commitment from nations like England, France, Papua New Guinea, Ireland, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and interestingly Russia - where there are some 8000 registered players - is very encouraging.
``We believe the five-year calendar that we have arrived at over the last two days will provide a tremendous infrastructure around which other international matches can operate.``
Under the calendar the World Sevens will make a return in Australia at the start of the 2003 Australian season.
The Sevens and the World Club Challenge between the winners of Super League and Australia`s NRL Premiership will precede each season.
In 2003, Great Britain will play a mid-season Test against New Zealand and Australia will play a one-off Test against the Kiwis before embarking on a three-Test Kangaroo tour of Britain.
The 2004 season will see the World Club Challenge, the World Sevens, Australia against Great Britain in July and Australia against New Zealand in October.
England would then host the new International World Club Championship featuring eight teams, including three from the NRL and the New Zealand Warriors.
The World Cup will then return in 2005 in Britain, with Australia having played New Zealand midway through that season.
``It`s an exciting concept which by 2004 should produce an intense level of competition,`` said Love.
``The international side of the game will grow once more and the commitment from the delegates here over the last few days suggests a bright future.``
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