Mal Meninga and Michael Maguire want Rugby League’s World Cup postponed as 72 hours of crisis meetings loom over whether to play the tournament following the withdrawal of both Australia and New Zealand.
Furious World Cup officials will meet with representatives of the remaining 12 nations this weekend, as they weigh up what to do following Thursday’s withdrawal.
It’s understood postponing until next year is the least likely option on the table, behind going ahead without Meninga and Maguire’s teams or cancelling it altogether.
The most likely scenario is to play it with 12 teams, while there is also a consideration of trying to replace the Kangaroos and Kiwis in the draw.
Former England and NRL coach Wayne Bennett backed that path on Friday, insisting the game was far bigger than just Australia and New Zealand.
It comes after the Rugby League Players Association criticised the ARL Commission for not consulting players first, with the International Rugby League also unhappy.
Meninga as Kangaroos coach can see both sides of the argument, understanding why players want to play but also noting the rise to 43,000 cases per day this week in England.
Instead, he hopes his team can still play next year with Oceanic and European competitions to take place instead this summer.
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source https://rugbystream.us/rugby-league-world-cup-kangaroos-kiwis-want-tournament-postponed/
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