The phrase “one step forwards, two steps back” has been uttered so often in rugby league it could double up as an unofficial slogan. But last week, of all weeks, for the game’s followers it felt hard not to be let down by the direction of a sport that has so much potential on the field, but a frustrating lack of progression off it.
For the second consecutive time, the Rugby League World Cup is facing an existential crisis. If the decision to push the 2021 event back to last autumn was understandable due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this latest setback is much tougher to take.
