What The RLWC Will Mean To An England Fan

The Rugby League World Cup 2013 is drawing closer and closer and like many other fans of the great game, I am eagerly anticipating the opening ceremony at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff on October 26^th.

For myself and I am sure many others, it will be the first time I have actually been able to attend a world cup and with games being played across the country and tickets available at extremely affordable prices, rugby league will be open to everyone.

Never have I seen or heard as much advertisement for the sport as I have in the last few weeks and it’s great to feel the excitement growing.

For the first time, even my female friends are interested. People who have never been to a rugby league game before want to join in the fun.

 I will be attending games with people I never imagined to see in the stands, including one friend who thought a try was when they threw it over the posts! Not quite sure where she got that idea from.

The world cup will hopefully spread the word about rugby league and increase its popularity. We may even see some converts to the game, people who enjoy it so much that they come back week in week out to watch when the season begins again.

I really hope people take advantage of the tournament being played here in England as I’m sure like many other rugby league fans, it is unlikely I will get the opportunity to see another world cup being played.

England’s first game will be against Australia, a perfect opening to the competition. The rivalry between these two countries is fierce and we all know that the Aussies always think that we will not beat them.

New Zealand caused a massive upset in 2008 when they beat Australia in the final to become current holders so let’s hope that England are up for emulating that victory.

I think Australia may be in for a shock on the 26th, the England boys are really going to be up for this. Who doesn’t want to win a competition that is being played in your home country?

Many of the England squad play alongside some of the Australian team in the NRL, what’s more exciting than watching team mate against team mate.

We also get a chance to see some of the England team who have made the switch to Australia play in this country. The Burgess brothers playing together for the first time on home soil is something that no rugby league fan will want to miss.

Fourteen nations will feature in the 2013 world cup and I am excited to see all the talent from around the world, as it is very rare we get to see these teams play.

The Super League season has yet again been fantastic for fans of the sport and many of the shining talent from this year have found themselves in the England team, with a few players making their debut.

It is an exciting prospect that young English talent are getting their chance to prove themselves on such a huge stage as a world cup and hopefully it will help to continue to develop our international game as a whole.

It’s not often we get the chance to see international sport played right on our doorsteps and I would like to see not just rugby league but any sports fans enjoying this world cup.

If the England boys could keep that cup on English soil too, that really would be a dream come true.