While some will lament the return of Australia’s Kangaroos to the top of the world rugby league rankings as a dead-end for the development of the international side of the game, many maintain the opposite view – that international rugby league is in fact gaining momentum.

Sure, we didn’t get the thrilling blockbuster finale we had hoped for in the tournament’s big dance at Anfield, but what we were treated to instead was a brilliant display of national pride and passion by the Australians. Ahead 24-0 at halftime, the steamrolling Kangaroos were scintillating in attack over the entire 80 minutes, linking superbly with the ball in well-timed passes and runs as the Kiwis were left to basically just watch the green and gold juggernaut run riot.

The Kangaroos’ current squad is one that should be celebrated, and the British league fans are leading the way in their appreciation for the old enemy. The ‘Roos are now ranked number-one in the world, are World Cup champions and Four Nations title-holders. That over 40,000 people rocked up to a final in England which didn’t feature an English team is truly spectacular and accurately illustrates northern hemisphere fans’ appetite for international footy.

Off the field, a number of positive developments to international league were made during the Four Nations tournament, all which will prove a bonanza to the code world-wide over the coming years.

Australia vs New Zealand, Anfield 2016. (Photo by Getty Images)

Fans in the UK no doubt rejoiced in the Rugby League International Federation Congress’ decision to lock-in the 2021 Rugby League World Cup for England. Then there was the announcement coming out of the same conference in Liverpool that a campaign backed by a USA-Canada bid team had provisionally been granted the rights to host the 2025 World Cup. The league world is continually testing and daring its officials and custodians to come up with new and interesting ways of broadening the appeal of world rugby league; the throng should be well satisfied at this latest brave and bold move.

Further, league writer Steve Mascord, who has been in Britain covering the Four Nations tournament for The Sydney Morning Herald, reported a few hours ago that Kangaroo Tours have officially been put back on the agenda following the success of the Four Nations tournament. Before their abandonment around the time of Super League, Kangaroo Tours were considered the most prestigious league fixtures on the four-yearly calendar. They were as loved by bleary-eyed Aussies watching from home in the middle of the night as they were by fans in Hull, Wigan, St Helens, Widnes and Salford, who would fill boutique stadiums as magicians such as Krilich, Sterlo, Wally and Mal showcased the best of the southern hemisphere game.

We may not have an Anfield of our own, but with the 2017 World Cup slated for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea at the end of next season, the international league world can rest assured Australian footy fans are keen for more of the green and gold stuff too, judging by the ratings and attendance for the Perth Test held prior to the Four Nations.