The RLWC is still 10 months away, who knows what will happen?

With due respect, no sportsmen in the World have had to put up with what AFL (Australian Rules) and NRL (Rugby League) players and families have had to put up with to complete their 2020 and 2021 seasons. In the AFL, many of the 18 teams relocated to Qld for 4 months in 2020 and only slightly better in 2021. Many teams would fly 2 hours Brisbane - Adelaide on match day, play and return that day just to avoid state quarantine rules. The NRL was similar. Melbourne Storm have had the last 4 months of each of the last 2 seasons relocated on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.

NZ Warriors relocated to various areas in Australia for many months of the last 2 seasons away from home and families

The NRL and Australian RL have said enough is enough for the players and their families. The RLWC is a step 2 far particularly if the 2022 season plays out like 1st 1920 and 21.

Cricketers haven't had it easy either but nowhere near as harsh and disruptive as the Aussie and NZ RL players have put up with.

Respectfully - The RLWC was scheduled to take place in October 2021, its only now 10 months away because it was postponed by a year, that postponement was arranged because the Australia & NZ teams pulled out, according to reports they pulled out due to player welfare & covid safety concerns (there is quite a difference between how Aus / NZ are handling Covid & how its being handled in the UK) in the lead up to that period Covid was in decline in the UK, another factor in the pulling out was that upon returning home to Aus these players would have to isolate and after isolation they would only have a couple of weeks off before returning to clubs for the 2022 season -

You are clearly much closer to the local action than I am to know how much of that story is the truth but that's the story over here on that subject.

( For sure lots of tournaments have been cancelled or disrupted due to covid, so why some have been & others havent & why some have been behind closed doors & some havent is a bit of a mystery over here too)

My comments about having the Ashes tour either called off or at the very least downgraded to something less auspicious really relate to these points -

a) Test Cricket / competitive cricket in general in the UK has also been messed about, Covid, players in bubbles for weeks at a time, preparation tours / games messed around by timing, participants, the opponent's situation etc etc

b) The tour of Aus ( Ashes tour) has in itself had its Covid nasties to deal with , isolation on arrival, bubbles, restrictions on family members travelling etc etc etc.

Based on those 2 points- if it was down to me I would have pushed for a downgrading of the tour ( so some sort of tour went ahead but it wasnt billed as an official ashes tour)

c) The other thing that we suddenly have over here is a racism investigation which has grown legs & is threatening to decimate county cricket in its current form & quite frankly who knows where it will take us.

With C being thrown into the mix ( the main county involved is Yorkshire & they have 4 players with the test squad at the moment) but the English press smell blood in the water & they wont let any revelation that comes to light pass without exposure - its my belief that those players that are on the tour have too much to cope with to play proper competitive cricket to the level that would be required to give a top side like Australia a good game on their home soil - If this dosent end in a 5-0 whitewash it will only be because either we got lucky or Aus rested some players / tried out others ( or some similar occurrence)

hope that explains my comments.
Have a good Christmas.

Glad you enjoyed my town, you certainly stayed at a very nice hotel and the Yarra eateries are fabulous.

It's been battered during our infamous lockdowns (world record length).

We're peering out a bit through our blinds and we need to bounce back as do many places.

Good luck over there, let's hope we can stay safe and move on soon. A few Palace wins will help.

I was there in 2013 for the Grand Prix.
Great city
Happy Christmas!

RIP Ray, top skipper particularly against this lot.

So much for the forecasted 27, is a coolish, misty 19. Heavy atmosphere providing some swing early innings.

At least we're not in Perth - 43 degrees on Christmas day and 44 there today.