Starting rotation Why French flop can work for a league World Cup in NZ

Rugby league’s soap opera is maddening. Six months after its last World Cup in England, which was already delayed 12 months because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the next global tournament set for France in 2025 was plunged into disarray when French organisers last week confirmed they could not stage it.

The same tournament was originally heading to North America before France became hosts only last year, but neither bid looked financially stable and both had to withdraw.

On the international stage, it was nothing short of an embarrassment for a game that has always struggled to attract global interest outside the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

But few sports do redemption stories quite like rugby league – even the game itself – and emerging from the French flop could still be something glorious for its World Cup in 2025.

When Greg Peters, New Zealand Rugby League’s chief executive, confirmed talks were underway with his Australian counterparts to try to bring the tournament ‘‘to this part of the world’’ and possibly the Pacific Islands, there were flickers of excitement across the South Pacific. Flashbacks of the 2017 World Cup staged in Australia, NZ and Papua New Guinea were vivid.

Nobody will ever forget the phenomenal support for Tonga throughout that cup, with walls of joyful noise for matches in Auckland and Hamilton, and the proud scores of colourful supporters in red, waving flags to create incredible, moving atmospheres.

More by accident than design, star forward Jason Taumalolo’s 11th-hour defection from the Kiwis to represent Tonga gave the tournament a compelling storyline. It wasn’t known at the time, but his switch to represent his Tongan heritage triggered an emotive movement of NRL stars, who would have otherwise represented Australia and NZ, into playing for their Pacific nations – namely Tonga and Samoa.

A 2025 World Cup throughout the Pacific – even if matches were only in Australia and NZ – would be the perfect setting for similar scenes from 2017.

Auckland, of course, would be the ideal venue because of the large population base of Tongans and Samoans.

When the two nations met in the group stage in Hamilton in 2017, both sides linked arms in prayer before the Tongan Sipi Tau and Samoan Siva Tau went headto-head. Tonga won an epic clash 32-18.

It was moving and inspiring. The NRL said 45% of this season’s players had Pasifika heritage and the attraction of representing their people will be strong.

Tonga made the 2017 semifinal and filled Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium. Samoa went one better in reaching last year’s final in Manchester, but lost to Australia.

Still, they are not making up the numbers. They are genuine contenders and could be stacked with the NRL’s finest.

Samoa’s last team had stars from the reigning premiers, the Penrith Panthers, such as Jarome Luai, Brian To’o and Stephen Crichton. Rugby-bound Joseph Sua’ali’i played at fullback after a strong season with the Sydney Roosters.

It would be magical if either Tonga or Samoa could break Australia’s grip of the men’s title. Imagine the party. Imagine the noise and the reverberating megaphones.

Let’s not forget the Kiwis, either, who last won the trophy in 2008. They will be desperate to make up for a miserable 2017 World Cup when they lost to Tonga, then against Fiji in an awful quarterfinal defeat.

The timing of a tournament here in 2025 could also be terrific for the women’s game.

The Warriors are due to enter the NRLW the same year and could attract top players from either code who will want to represent the Kiwi Ferns at a home World Cup.