‘So bad’: Phil Gould takes swipe at England over World Cup saga

Phil Gould has added fuel to the fiery debate over Australia and New Zealand’s move to pull out of the rugby league World Cup.

Phil Gould has taken a massive swipe at England as the Rugby League World Cup controversy continues. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

Rugby league powerbroker Phil Gould has weighed in to the debate around Australia and New Zealand’s decision to withdraw from the Rugby League World Cup later this year.

On Thursday, Australia and New Zealand announced they would not travel to the United Kingdom for the competition this October, citing “player welfare and safety concerns”.

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Both the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) and New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) pointed to the high risk of Covid-19 infection in the United Kingdom, as well as Australia’s worsening coronavirus situation, as grounds for their withdrawal and called for the competition to be postponed until 2022.

“Not participating in this year’s World Cup is not a decision the Commission has taken lightly, but we must put the best interests of our players and officials first. Protecting them is our absolute priority,’’ said ARLC Chairman Peter V’landys in a letter to the International Rugby League.

“We have again requested the IRL and Rugby League World Cup consider postponing the event until 2022 to enable all players to participate.”

The decision sparked a war of words, starting with IRL chair Troy Grant’s fiery statement questioning why players had not been given the option to decide for themselves whether or not they would play in the tournament.

“The obvious question being asked of us is why rugby league players are not able to make the same sacrifices as players from other sports? Sadly, players are telling me they haven’t had the opportunity to make that decision for themselves,” he said.

Rugby league fans might have to wait a little while to see Australia at the World Cup. (Photo by Patrick HAMILTON / AFP)

Several NRL coaches including Ivan Cleary and Michael Maguire have backed calls for the competition to be postponed, or for players to be at least given the choice to decide if they want to participate.

Now Gould has weighed into the debate, slamming the UK and England’s rugby league set-up for being so critical of Australia and New Zealand’s to pull out of the World Cup.

“Getting sick of biting my tongue over all this crap about UK being bastions of Int(ernational) RL. Give me a break,” Gould wrote on Twitter.

He also took a swipe at England’s national team, arguing they lack the quality of players seen in the NRL.

“If they cared about int(ernational) R(ugby) L(eague), their National team wouldn’t have been so bad for so long,” he said.

“UK needs NRL players just to survive.”

Gould’s statement are a strong rebuke of comments from the English Rugby League and master coach Wayne Bennett.

The move from Australia and New Zealand was heavily criticised as “selfish, parochial and cowardly” by chairman of England’s Rugby Football League Simon Jordan.

Bennett believes the World Cup could go ahead and insists international rugby league does not revolve just around Australia and New Zealand.

“Obviously England and other nations feel they committed to the World Cup and Australia and New Zealand feel they can’t make that commitment,” said Bennett, who coached England between 2016 and 2020.

Phil Gould has ripped into England’s rugby league set-up. (Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

“Well, that’s their prerogative but it’s also the prerogative of the other nations to continue with the World Cup.

“If they went of their choice and could take quality players with them it would only enhance their position. Life will go on without Australia and New Zealand, we are just a part of it.”

The latest chapter in the World Cup saga highlights the fact England and the Kangaroos have not played each other for several years now.

Australia did not play the Lions on their tour of the Southern hemisphere in 2019, but promised to tour England in 2020.

Those plans were put on ice due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it’s unclear when the old foes will meet in a game of rugby league again.

Australia and New Zealand have both been strongly criticised for opting out of the tournament and Bennett admitted England would be “bitterly disappointed” by it all.

“There’s no doubt there’d be a lot of hurt,” he said.

“It’s in their country and they’ve done a lot of work towards it and all the work that has gone into it with government and local councils.

“They were pretty bullish about what they had done and thought it was a well worth exercise. They’d be bitterly disappointed, particularly with Australia not supporting it I’d say.”

World Cup organisers will now spend the next three days deciding whether to go ahead with the tournament.

Postponing it until next year is complicated by the fact the Commonwealth Games are taking place in summer while the FIFA World Cup is set to go ahead in November.