The 2025 Rugby League World Cup has taken a hit after host country France pulled out of the event on Monday. Like with many things, it comes down to money after funding cuts from the French Government were confirmed. International Rugby League (IRL) boss Troy Grant says it’s disappointing, but it was “always an ambitious project given the unprecedented short lead‑in time due to the pandemic”. Reports say the 2025 tournament was set to be the biggest on record, with 40 venues hosting men’s, women’s, wheelchair and youth games. IRL officials will gather for a scrum in July to work on their new game plan. Early reports suggest Oz could be called up from the bench to host with NZ, which seems like good manners given we’ve won 9 of the last 10 tournaments…. And given time’s a-tickin’, reports say it might be pushed back to 2026 to give everyone a bit more time to warm up…