Former rugby league star Jon Wilkin has joked about his "sinister" plan to prevent Australia from winning this year's World Cup, which he believes may have suffered from too much ambition.
Australia were crowned champions in the men's and women's tournaments—which were held simultaneously in England—after each entering as titleholders. Both competitions have been praised for massive viewership and attendance figures, though Wilkin suggested the lofty plans weren't entirely positive.
“It was ambitious was the tournament, wasn’t it?” said the former St. Helens stalwart during a recent appearance on the BBC 5 Live Rugby League World Cup podcast. “It was probably too ambitious in some ways but I loved that I felt that our sport was finally ambitious in different directions.
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“I feel like it has been a bit stagnant, a bit samey, he has gone and done something that is so un-northern, so un-British mentality. He said ‘we’re going to do things really different’ and they got some things wrong and some things right. The ambition and the intent of it was the star for me.”
Old Trafford in Manchester hosted both men's and women's finals on November 19, where a little more than 67,000 fans were in attendance. However, that figure fell some way short of the 74,468 supporters who watched the 2013 decider at the same venue, still a record for a Rugby League World Cup final.
Wilkin had the perfect vantage point from his coffee shop—named 'Pot Kettle Black' or 'PKB'— in Manchester. Members of the Kangaroos squad were regulars during the tournament, and the Super League veteran had to resist the urge not to tamper with the enemies' teas.
“I was thinking, 'Is there anything I could slip into their drinks?' That’s how sinister my mind was,” he added. Mal Meninga's men went on to clinch a 30-10 victory over Samoa in the men's final, securing their third straight World Cup (and a record-extending 12th overall).
The National Rugby League (NRL) continues to demonstrate its dominance on the world stage given Australia's latest streak. The Kangaroos are still some way off matching their record World Cup run, however, after they claimed the crown six tournaments running between 1975 and 2000.
England were disappointed not to contest the final themselves following a thrilling golden-point defeat to Samoa in the semis. France will stage the 2025 competition when it returns as sole host for the first time since 1972.
