The 2013 World Club Challenge between the Melbourne Storm and Leeds Rhinos will be played at Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Shocking I know…
It was mid October when the same old people in England started talking about trying to play the World Club Challenge in Australia. I wrote that The World Club Challenge Won’t Be Played In Australia and posted some pissy comments sent my way by the Leeds Rhino’s official twitter account saying “We’ve consistently said we’d be happy to play the game in Aus but don’t let the truth get in the way of a good rant.
As I pointed out, these have been the venues that the Leeds Rhino’s have played World Club Challenge games at:
2012: Headingley – Leeds
2010: Elland Road – Leeds
2009: Elland Road – Leeds
2008: Elland Road – Leeds
2005: Elland Road – Leeds
Throw in the 2013 World Club Challenge that will be played in Leeds and it is clear the Leeds Rhinos consistency in regards to the World Club Challenge being played in Australia is…well… consistent!
I always find the arguments about the World Club Challenge being played in England during the pre season to be hilarious.
I have people that tell me there is more money in playing the game in England. Forgetting the fact that the biggest Rugby League market on Earth is Australia…and it is not even close.
I have people that tell me that Sky Sports pay more for the game to be played in England. This is overlooking the fact that the NRL just signed a billion dollar television deal that encompass all games.
I have been told that people wouldn’t turn up to the World Club Challenge…in Australia. Really? People in Australia wouldn’t turn up to watch a Rugby League game. People say this shit to me!
I have been told that Australian clubs are not interested in hosting the game. Because every Australian club loves interrupting their pre season to go and spend two wintery weeks in northern England…
I have even been told that Australian clubs are scared of the English clubs. I’m not sure why that would be, after all, they are full of Poms.
The fact of the matter is that the RFL make sure they have booked this game well in advance every year so that there is no room what so ever to play this game in Australia. When even an Australian team says they want to play the World Club Challenge in the biggest Rugby League market in the world the RFL throw their hands in the air and say “We have already signed the contracts to play it here and we can no break those contracts”.
The most embarrassing part of all of this is that the Warrington Wolves last year were more than happy to fly to Australia for a few weeks and play the South Sydney Rabbitohs and yet the Leeds Rhino’s obviously are unwilling to do the same thing!
Through all of this the same attitude that permeates Rugby League in England is there for all to see. The unashamed arrogance, the self importance and the artificially inflated opinions of the English and their standing within the sport of Rugby League is gross to see.
So now we can look towards the 2014 World Club Challenge.
Guess where that will be held….
Great article again mate, The old dart one year Australia the next .
Doesn’t make sense why our teams continue too have to go over there?
It’s daft. Completely and utterly daft.
I think we have it in England because lord knows the game over here needs the money more than yours but to have it at a home ground makes it even more of a joke.
Then again though it’s Leeds Rhinos. An organisation that’s just full of bell ends.
If I was an NRL team I’d send the Under 20’s team over.
To have it at Leeds home ground, its not even like they are bother pretending this game means much.