Cameron Smith says he wouldn't play in World Cup due to COVID concerns

Brendan Bradford

Cameron Smith says he wouldn't play in World Cup due to COVID concerns image

Former Kangaroos captain Cameron Smith says he wouldn't travel to the UK to play the Rugby League World Cup if he was still the Australian captain. 

Australia and New Zealand officially withdrew from the tournament last week, citing safety concerns around COVID-19. 

The tournament is scheduled to kick-off in late-October, but confusion remains over the exact make-up of the competition and whether any NRL players will play for other countries. 

Smith, who played for Australia 56 times, said he'd be worried about his health and safety given the current COVID-19 situation in the UK. 

"I’ve been very fortunate to play in three World Cups,” Smith told Andrew Voss on SEN on Monday morning. 

“I’ve been lucky enough to be a part of those, and I won a couple. But if I was still playing now, and I was part of that Australian side, I wouldn’t go. I wouldn't go. 

“Given the situation, we get two or three cases here in Australia in one of the states and we get a bit edgy. 30,000 a day they’re contracting in the UK.

"I don’t know why you’d want to put yourself in that situation."

Smith conceded that he'd had the opportunity to play plenty of Tests for his country, and said he felt for the players just starting out in their rep careers. 

“I can completely understand the disappointment of some of the players, given some of these guys are only starting their representative career," he said. 

"Being a part of a World Cup, that's a huge opportunity. A huge opportunity in your career to represent your respective country - and particularly in a Kangaroos jersey or a Kiwis jersey. 

“But the risk is huge. The risk is huge.

"You talk about going over and there’s all these different protocols, and that has a huge impact on your mental and physical welfare."

The former Melbourne Storm captain said he would have serious concerns over his future playing career if he was to contract the virus while playing overseas. 

“As an athlete if you contract COVID – I’m not sure how much we know about it – but we do know that it does a fair bit of damage to your lungs," Smith said. 

"If you’re to contract it over there, when you come back, does that then put your entire career in jeopardy? 

"They're the things you've gotta worry about." 

Matthew Johns, who is a big advocate for the international game, said he'd also have reservations about playing. 

"What the players would have to do when they get over there, quarantining when they get back, and top of that, the UK are getting on average something like 40,000 positives every day," Johns told Vossy. 

"They're basically throwing their hands in the air and opened everything back up - they can't control it. 

"When you ask a player on the surface 'would you go to the World Cup,' I reckon nearly all of them would say yes.

"But if you sat down and explained to them what they'll have to go through after a year of lockdown, I think most players would baulk at that. 

"In this situation, there's societal responsibilities that are more than sporting responsibilities." 

 

Brendan Bradford