Aussies in league of own

RUGBY LEAGUE WORLD CUP GROUP A:

A sport that clings desperately to its twin embattled heartlands, on Australia’s eastern seaboard and in the north of England, it is two weeks into its latest World Cup, a concept which in itself draws sneers from the few who pay it any heed at all in these here parts.

There are 14 teams competing in the 2013 global gathering but the majority can do so only because of the same sort of grandparent rule which prompted Jack Charlton’s Ireland to be labelled condescendingly as ‘Plastic Paddies’ by the British press.