Has This Been the Best Ever Rugby League World Cup?

The 2013 Rugby League World Cup will conclude next weekend with the Final at Old Trafford - don't ask me why the Final is at a "slightly" smaller stadium than Wembley Stadium which seats 99,000 (sorry Manchester United fans).

And to be honest, as a fan of the other rugby code, this has been a highly enjoyable World Cup for the game we just call "league".

The format has been a highly successful one - the organizers deserve credit for this given that the only real powerhouses of the game are Australia, England and New Zealand meaning that anyone who plays them is likely to get thrashed.

Scotland pushed the Kiwis hard early in their quarterfinal

Indeed, it's been the games featuring less established sides like USA, Scotland and Italy that have really made this World Cup such a hit - as well as playing games at the traditional cozy rugby league grounds rather than going for the big bucks like rugby union's World Cup come 2015 and playing games at Premier League grounds.

Tonga and the Cooks have livened up this World Cup

The fact is that rugby league acknowledged its limitations as a global game and rather than imitate rugby union and football, played to its strengths, and played them well.

At the same time, rugby league introduced new innovations which have proven to be popular - some could be adopted by rugby union including having the television referee commentate while reviewing a decision, enabling fans to understand the TMO decision better, as well as the format which enables the minnows to play each other and reduce the number of cricket scores which don't do the game any favours.

Yes, the thrashings of Scotland, France and the USA by New Zealand, England and Australia respectively were inevitable but those sides had already achieved their prize by making the quarterfinals and earning the right to play those powerhouses for a place in the semifinals.

Rugby league is still a very small fish in the big ocean of global sport and definitely pales in comparison to rugby union and probably will do for some time.

However, on its side is the fact that it is a highly skilled and exciting game to play, as well as the fact that the rules are probably easier to understand than rugby union.

Furthermore, league has an ally at grassroots level in touch football, a more universal game and one whose rules and structure are more similar to league than union - Kiwis star Shaun Johnson honed his skills playing touch in the summer.

After the disaster of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, international rugby league has possibly finally laid the foundations for a better future as a global game with the last two editions of the World Cup.

Both 2008 and 2013 editions have been highly profitable and have helped the game gain new fans as well as bring new life to the international game.

Indeed, yesterday afternoon's semifinal between England and New Zealand was the icing on the cake even if it wasn't quite the result British league fans were after. The game was probably the best semifinal ever seen at the World Cup and made for a good advert for the game.

No matter what happens next Saturday afternoon, it has been mission accomplished for rugby league.