Our national men's rugby team will make its maiden appearance in the final phase of the Rugby League World Cup 2021. This is the 16th edition of the event, which was originally scheduled for the autumn of 2021 but due to the pandemic was postponed and will eventually be held at the stadiums of England, from 15/10/22 to 19/11/22.
The main sponsor of the team is the Kytherian Nick Politis. Born in 1944 in Kythera, Politis followed the fate of many Tsirigoians who emigrated to Australia in the early post-war years. He currently owns the Sydney Roosters rugby team whom he has led to great success, culminating in winning the “NRL Grand Final” in 2002. He is considered one of the most influential and powerful figures in Australian rugby, within which he is known by the nickname “Uncle Nick”. He even features on the “BRW Rich 200” list of the 200 richest Australians, with a fortune of A$2.02 billion in 2022.
Greece in the final phase with “Kythera” on the jersey
In November 2019, Greece defeated Serbia 82-6 in the qualifiers of the European zone of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, qualifying for the finals of the event that will be held a year later in England.
Politis, who was the first Australian businessman to sponsor the country's rugby team jersey in history, chose the word “Kythera” in place of the sponsorship to honour his homeland.
The national team is in the same group with England, France and Samoa and will start their campaign on 17 October against the “Birds” in Doncaster.
The team consists of 24 players, 5 of which come from the Australian professional league, while 8 are natives and play in the Greek league. Steve Georgallis is the coach, with Jim Pizanias and Michalis Chatziioannou as assistants.
The official presentation of the team took place at The Grand Roxy - Brighton-Le-Sands in Sydney, with the presence of legends of the sport from the expatriate community, such as Braith Anasta and John Skandalis. Nick Politis himself was also in attendance.
