I hate the new men's rugby league world cup format as much as I hate all Montagues

I was preparing for the usual data visualisation (for the 2021/2 example please see here). Then I looked at the format for the men's tournament. 

Please assume I am here from here on in:

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Dear RFL, I had been nice about you for so long, and you provide me with this nonsense. (Full details here) 

Okay, due to everything, they've had to drop down to 10 teams. I can deal. I will ignore that going begging bowl in hand to the NRL ought to have solved that but okay. 

10 teams, you do two groups of 5, top 2 go through, all's fair in love, war and rugby league. 

But no, they give us a mutant set up with 3 groups, 4 teams in group A, 3 teams each in groups B and C. 

And then, group B only play the teams in group C while C only play B. 

The top two teams in Group A go through. For Groups B and C, though, the two groups are put together in one mega-group, with the top two teams from the combined results going through. And yes, it is possible for both the qualifiers from the group B/C table to come from one group. 

My, very simple, vision gives all teams 4 games. This gives teams 3 games. One of Tonga, Samoa and England will be going home after 3 games. 

In group A, Fiji are the team most duffed up by the draw. I mean, I will be crossing all that is crossable for them to beat either New Zealand or Australia but ... they've been given the shark pool. 

In group B/C, Papua New Guinea have been done over, while, as I said, at least one of Tonga, England and Samoa isn't getting a knock out match. I am more annoyed on Papua New Guinea and Tonga's behalf than England's. 

We're also skipping that, of the co-hosts, Papua New Guinea host 2 games, New Zealand host 1, and Australia get 15 games. Truly well distributed. (I do like that they're making France vs Lebanon and Tonga vs Samoa a double header. It may be the only thing I do like about the way this has been organised.) 

Trying to be positive, Papua New Guinea vs Samoa in Port Moresby ought to be a cracker in terms of atmosphere, ditto Samoa vs Tonga as the game that probably decides who qualifies out of group B/C. That's an excited rating of 2/15 for the group stages (England games, by definition, are not exciting, they're a torment). 

It's going to be an unholy mess, they've almost stacked it so one of the co-hosts can't make it through to the knock out stages and, barring a miracle, Australia can play the reserves in their last group stage game without it affecting anything.