BY JOHN DAVIDSON
Former Poland head coach Lee Addison has taken aim at the International Rugby League (IRL) for cutting the World Cup from 16 men’s teams to just 10 and for the lack of pathway for smaller nations to grow.
In 1995 the IRL held an Emerging Nations Tournament designed to allow countries who had failed to qualify for the World Cup the chance to play on the international stage. It was held again in 2000 and in 2018, but has not been held since then and there appears no plans to revive the tournament.
Poland competed in the 2018 Emerging Nations with Addison as coach and he has now decried the lack of support for countries outside the top bracket.
“The way nations such as Poland (and many others that had success during that period) have been treated by the international game is short-sighted and disgraceful (If there is indeed a plan to grow the men’s game internationally),” Addison said.
“There is and was no clear plan to develop the nations that stepped up during that time. It was ‘fend for yourself’ time.
“Most nations achieved success just by GETTING THERE! Then of course, various teams had various on field successes. So energy and enthusiasm to grow was high!
“They will, of course, blame Cobid for a lack of progress from 2020 to 2022. Rather than see it as a great time to reset and establish growth plans it will be blamed for the ‘stalling’ of the international realm.
“But what about now?
“So much momentum has been completely lost and the many hardy volunteers in many pockets of the world are now picking up the pieces and trying to start the growth process again, while speculating about a 2030 or 2034 World Cup or an Emerging Nations contest that may happen ‘one day in the future’.
“Now don’t get me wrong, some nations don’t have their own houses in order, while others are accused of lots of ‘smoke and mirrors’, in order to get ‘favours’. So I understand many aren’t easy to work with.
“But the Emerging Nations concept has been absolutely butchered after an amazing start. And five years after the lost one, nations are scratching around fending for themselves mostly.
“In the first incarnation of the Emerging Nations World up in 1995, five out of seven teams (71%) have since played full World Cups.
“Yet five years later, only two teams (33%) have since reached the top table after playing in the 2000 Emerging Nations World Cup.
“It then took the game 18 years to host another one! And of the 11 at that tournament, only Greece played in the 2022 World Cup.
“When’s the next Emerging Nations tournament? 2036? Where’s the clear and transparent pathway?
“What’s the plan for every team that steps up and achieves their definition of success?
“The whole thing is a huge, huge blight on the game. It needs sorting now! Otherwise many volunteers will walk away from the game around the world feeling their work has been wasted.”
Addison was an assistant coach for the United States at the 2013 World Cup and has held many coaching roles in England and Australia, including at NRL clubs Manly and Penrith.
Countries such as Greece, Malta, Hong Kong, Poland, Solomon Islands, the Philippines, Nuie, Turkey, Vanuatu, Hungary and Japan competed at the 2018 Emerging Nations tournament.
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