Rugby Australia set to reignite code war as it targets NRL stars for 2027 World Cup on home soil & More News Here

McLennan wouldn’t be drawn on who precisely can be in RA’s sights.

NRL chief govt Andrew Abdo questioned why anybody would go away the 13-man recreation. Abdo mentioned he wasn’t apprehensive by McLennan’s feedback.

“We focus on rugby league; we don’t worry too much about what’s going on in and around us from the other sports’ perspective,” Abdo mentioned. “People are entitled to say what they want and ply their trade how they want.

“We have seen some unbelievable talent unearthed in our competition year after year. We see some great players retire and then you see some rookie players come through and become fan favourites. We are razor-sharp focused on making sure our competition is the best in the world.”

Asked if he was assured of preserving stars within the 13-man recreation across the 2027 World Cup, Abdo mentioned: “Why wouldn’t they [stay]? It’s a wonderful game to play, a wonderful game to watch. We have tribalism and passion, a wonderful support base, we’ve got clubs that have unprecedented investment into centres of excellence and new stadiums.

“When a professional athlete makes a choice about where they play, they take a number of considerations into account. We certainly are confident we have the systems in place to attract and develop talent. We will continue to do that.

“Coming out of the pandemic, we’re going to see the international game revitalised. We have a World Cup this year in the UK, we have a Pacific double-header coming up in June and we are working on an international calendar in October and November on an annual basis.

“If you’re a rugby league player, you have a lot to look forward to. It’s a pretty compelling proposition.”

Australia’s captain on the final World Cup on home soil in 2003, George Gregan, mentioned he wasn’t opposed to the notion of recruiting league stars however believes a wonderful perspective is crucial standards if RA goes down that path.

Gregan captained the Wallabies to the ultimate in that 2003 event, remembered for Jonny Wilkinson’s right-foot drop-goal for England in extra-time. Asked if there was a specific league participant he’d try to recover from to rugby, Gregan took a extra holistic method.

“Before I’d have a chequebook, I’d have an attitude book,” Gregan mentioned. “If their attitude is to compete on an international arena, contribute to the Wallaby team and they want to play the game of rugby and try and get to the heights that it enables you to do, then that’s great. The rest takes care of itself.

“That was definitely the case with players I was lucky enough to play with over my career who came from rugby league. They had an attitude which was they wanted to be world champions and the best they could be in our game. They brought that attitude and that work ethic to the team which I think is really important.”

Gregan says the signings of Sailor, Tuqiri and Rogers weren’t a gimmick.

“They earned their place and cut their teeth playing Super Rugby, going on tours,” Gregan mentioned. “They were quality players. The skill sets required to play both games, there’s some difference, but then there’s some stuff which correlates as well. They all had big-match temperament. They were never intimidated.

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“It creates competition, too. I look back at 2003 and the rugby league guys were the back three, but we had some world-class players who couldn’t make that squad. That was due to their performance but also the way they performed during that period. Bringing in quality players raises the level of competition.”

Gregan is just too intelligent to stick the boot into rugby league – he loves all soccer codes – however says a home Rugby World Cup is like nothing else.

“Rugby separates itself from those two codes [NRL and AFL] with a Rugby World Cup,” he mentioned. “It’s a global, international event, which attracts the best players in the world and attracts incredible support from all around the world. You’ll play in front of arenas which are sold out over a seven-week period which is pretty unique. The other codes, as great as they are, they just can’t offer that.”