Australia and New Zealand withdraw from 2021 Rugby League World Cup

Digitalvedant449922 Jul, 2021Sport

The 2021 Rugby League World Cup is in jeopardy after Australia and New Zealand pulled out of the tournament due to player welfare concerns amid rising coronavirus cases. The two heavyweight nations of the game have cited a spike in COVID-19 infections in the UK and a "worsening environment" in Australia. England and Samoa are due to kick off the tournament at St James' Park on October 23. The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) and New Zealand Rugby League (NZRL) have requested that the tournament be moved to 2022, although this is a course of action organisers may be loath to take given the prospects of a clash with the 2022 Cricket World Cup in Australia and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.