Whatever happens in the Four Nations final next Saturday, Australia will still be able to call themselves world champions, says coach Tim Sheens. It's a peculiarity of the concept that the top three countries are all involved – so how much weight should be placed on the result? "We're still world champions," Sheens said. "I remember when we won the Four Nations, New Zealand for five years were world champions and they could poke their tongue out at us because we weren't. We've got the trophies in the cupboard and the pressure on Australia is to hold them when the expectation is that we automatically should." Rugby league now has a world ranking system which is updated after major tournaments — it will be interesting to see how it looks next week if the Kiwis are successful. "You associate world champions with World Cup, don't you?" said captain Cameron Smith.

2. Lost leader as RLIF fails to get its man

The "rugby union man" we mentioned in a recent column as having been offered the RLIF CEO's post has been identified in the British press. According to League Express, he is Mike Miller, a former IRB chief executive who now has a job in the Olympic movement. Set of Six believes there was plenty of untidiness about the interview process, with RLIF's delegates too busy with domestic matters to keep appointments. That would not have given American Miller a very good impression of the organisation he was being asked to run. He was as punctual in responding to the offer as the RLIF was in making it. Finding someone of quality, but willing to overlook the sometimes shambolic structure of international rugby league, will be no mean feat.

3. Women's game in the rudest of health