New Zealand Rugby League boss Greg Peters has hit back at World Cup organisers after they slammed New Zealand and Australia as "cowardly" for pulling out of the October tournament.
Australia and New Zealand stunned organisers yesterday by announcing they were pulling out of the tournament, citing player welfare and safety concerns in the pandemic.
"The World Cup organisers have bent over backwards and turned double somersaults to meet every single requirement that was asked of them, by the Australians particularly,” English Rugby Football League chairman Simon Johnson said.
"To have those assurances completely dismissed, I am angry about this. This is a selfish, parochial and cowardly decision which has been taken by the Australian and New Zealand leadership.”
Peters today told 1 NEWS that was a "somewhat ill-informed, misguided and simplistic" opinion.
In basic terms, New Zealand and Australia aren't comfortable with how the UK is managing Covid-19.
"We still have a strategy down here of eliminate and vaccinate, they've got vaccinate and manage," Peters said.
World Cup organisers weren't interested in setting up a secure bubble, players instead would've been housed alongside the general public.
Organisers also still hadn't figured out how a total of around 500 players would all be able to return to Oceania after the tournament.
"Ideas are great but we needed detailed plans," Peters said.
"It's 10 weeks away, it's gone too far."
The British Government has pumped around $60 million into the tournament which is still going ahead at this point.
But the uncertainty around the pandemic is hindering others from doing the same, Peters telling 1 NEWS it would cost NZRL "millions" if they attended the tournament only for it to be cancelled.
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