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Before crying foul, don't forget what international rugby is
Is it the job of tier one nations to develop and support tier two countries into genuine threats to their own competitiveness?
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They all would quietly decline to answer that whilst probably thinking no, it isn’t. Their interests lie in their own jurisdiction where they set out to grow and further the game for the betterment of their national interests.
That is because international rugby is not a professional league that aims to level out parity between teams with oversight and intervention.
There are no salary caps to level the playing field, or measures to distribute players around fairly. This is about largely free and unbridled competition to find the best in the world.
Without intervention natural laws of power take over and we get concentration of power with the few. This is nothing new in sport, the English premier league has the big clubs and then everyone else. In society at large, distribution of wealth across the world is fiercely uneven between the top and the bottom.
The question at Rugby World Cups always gets raised, how can tier two countries be more competitive? Well, the only answer is to add more tier two or tier three level countries into the mix.
‘Closing the gap’ with tier one is an unattainable and near-impossible task when the tier one countries are advancing forward all the time with self-sustaining resources, financial and non-financial.
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Based on one-sided score lines the ‘more must be done’ rhetoric is trotted out, but what must be done exactly?
More fixtures is a common answer but is an unproven solution. Take Italy for example, who receive plenty of tier one fixtures as a member of the Six Nations. They host top Southern Hemisphere teams in the November window. They number in their W column barely moves while the losses pile up.
Despite being categorised as tier one they are perform as well, or in this case as poorly, as any tier two nation would.
Georgia’s pool at this World Cup included Australia, Fiji, Portugal, and Wales. They haven’t been able to win a game and this schedule is friendlier than what they would face in the Six Nations.
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Replacing Italy with Georgia would not make the Six Nations more competitive. Georgia might get better with Six Nations competition but you won’t see it on the scoreboard. They would go well to win a few games over a decade.
Conversely, Fiji beat Australia in pool play. They did so with far less tier one fixtures over the last four years. It wasn’t playing more or less internationals that proved a difference.
Simply put, more fixtures against tier one alone won’t do anything for tier two nations in terms of improving score lines and competitiveness. It will only highlight the natural gap between the strong and the weak rugby nations.
A lot is being done already, a number of the tier two teams receive significant funding from World Rugby to grow and further the game.
The success of those initiatives can’t be measured solely on results against powerhouse rugby nations.
In a way, the nations that need help and funding from an external source are destined to remain at the bottom. More help and more funding only anchors them to where they are with inflexibility and dependence, because it is a sign that progress in building a self-sustaining system is not being made.
Nothing can ever be force-fed to success if you aspire to reach the upper echelons of the market. A poor business can’t just succeed because it has unlimited financial backing. At some point, it has to turn a profit on its own.
This doesn’t mean that World Rugby should turn the taps off, but that ultimately the game has to become self-sustaining in whatever territory it aspires to be in.
Not every emerging nation is in the same place either and it is folly to bucket Fiji in the same category as Romania.
The results of Japan and Fiji over the last two World Cups justify discussion of inclusion into an expanded Rugby Championship.
Fiji’s playing base is spread between France and Super Rugby Pacific. The players are exposed to a high level of competition and they produce natural athletes. They are well supported at home. Fiji hosting the Rugby Championship teams would be a worthy blockbuster.
If big broadcasting money rolls into Fiji, they have to be equipped to manage it and a fair share has to make it to the players.
Japan hasn’t been able to maintain the on-field success it achieved at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, but they bring a large audience, capable infrastructure, and a domestic professional league to underpin their continued growth.
The Brave Blossoms will be well supported in Japan and sell out stadiums regardless of how competitive they are. The cultural diversity adds a unique flavour that the Rugby Championship could benefit from.
There have been some standout showings at this Rugby World Cup from others. Uruguay have been competitive, Portugal too.
But the international game isn’t supposed to be interfered with to manufacture close results. It is by design about natural selection.
When there are no regulations in place to even the playing field, power will always accumulate with the few. That is human nature, it is present everywhere and you would have to heavily regulate and upend the international game to fight against it.
You would have to hamstring the top nations from moving forward, further dilute national representation by allowing more player movement. Is that really desired?
Even so, at the top we have more teams that can win it than ever before. Progress has been made to close the gap between tier ones.
Ireland and France both went out in the quarter-finals last time and have powered through to become the top two men’s sides in the world. This is backed by tangible results at junior and senior levels.
New Zealand and South Africa who have six World Cups between them have both lost pool games for the first time ever.
Wales and England aren’t favoured but are traditional rugby nations who are tailored to knockout rugby. They are both undefeated in Pools C and D.
For 16 years the Rugby World Cup has been won by two countries. If there is a new winner in 2023, how is that not progress as a more competitive game?
Comments on RugbyPass
Musk defends anonymous terrorism, fascism, threats against individuals and children etc etc But a Rugby club account….lock ‘em up!!!
1 Go to commentsActually the era defining moment came a few years earlier. February 2002 to be precise, when Michael D Higgins as finance minister at the time introduced his sports persons tax relief bill to the dial. As the politicians of the day stated “It seems to be another daft K Club frolic born in Kildare amongst the well-paid professional jockeys with whom the Minister plays golf” and that the scheme represented “a savage uncaring vision of Ireland and one that should be condemned”. The irfu and Leinster would be nowhere near the position they are in today without this key component of the finances.
2 Go to commentsIt is crystal clear that people who make such threats on line should be tried and imprisoned. Those with responsibility in social media companies who don’t facilitate this should be convicted. In real life, I have free speech to approach someone like Reinach and verbally threaten him. I am risking a conviction or a slap but I could do it. In the old days, If someone anonymously threatened someone by letter the police would ask and use evidence from the postal system. Unlike the Post, social media companies have complete instant and legal access to the content in social media. They make money from the data, billions. Yet, they turn a blind eye to terrorism, Nazi-ism and industrial levels of threats against individuals including their address and childrens schools being published online all from ananoymous accounts not real speech. They claim free speech. The fault is with the perps but also social media companies who think anonymous personas posting death threats constitutes free speech.
2 Go to commentsSo if this ain’t the best Irish team ever then who exactly is? I don’t remember any other Irish team being this good & winning a series in the Land of the Long White Cloud. Yes I may rip them often for 8 X QF RWC exits & twice not even making it to the QF, but they’re a damn good team who many think can only improve, including me!
67 Go to commentsNot a squeek out of Leinster for weeks about this match. So quiet. The first team have been quitely building for this encounter under Nienaber’s direction. All fresh, all highly motivated. They are expecting a season’s best performance from Northhampton. They will match that. They will be fresher and apparently they will have 80,000 out of the 83,000 shouting for them. I do expect Northhampton to turn up big time. Not to be missed. On a tangent it is evident how the loss of a few Premiership teams has in some respect helped other Premiership teams and England. More quality over less teams makes the teams better, which has a knock on effect on England. Not the only factor contributing to England’s rise but one of them.
2 Go to commentsOur very own monster teddy bear Ox😍💪
17 Go to commentsThis is might be the most generalised, entitled, patronising, out-of-pocket cultural indictment on a group of people you’ll ever see on what is supposedly a sports publication. I can only assume the author is weak like a woman or homosexual. I’m feeling an incredible range of emotions but I am not quite sure how to express them. I might go beat up a hockey player - assuming that’s okay with Duane and the boys? 🙂
9 Go to commentsBest thing the Welsh clubs could do is apply to join Gallagher prem surely be more exciting matches for there support than they have now.
2 Go to commentsRugbyPass writers are useless! you guys should get a real job because you all suck at writing about rugby!!!
9 Go to commentslooking forward to RWC2027 …. Boks on mission impossible for the Three-in-a-row, ABs to prove they being on par, France wishing to crown the “DuPont-era”, Ireland knocking on the Semi-Door ….. until then we’ll probably have to deal with Weird Ben’s fantasy-RWC23 (fun fact is, the drivel always creates a flooding of comments) …..
221 Go to commentsBen Smith you really make some good points in this article, the Springboks were not close to perfect and good still beat the All Blacks, imagine if they were as good as they were against France what a hiding the All Blacks would have gotten… maybe another Twickenham drubbing
221 Go to commentsIt is a good argument to keep the Rebels for one more year but also isnt this just opening the door as well for keeping them beyond 2025. If they can create some sort of financial stability in the next year and if their performances lift as they have this season then how would RA even cull them after that? It might be the most cost effective decision at this stage and perhaps many people are guilty of keeping relationships going because of the cost to decouple but then again when does that ever work out well?
28 Go to commentsDear Ben Smith you are a genius! God please become the next all blacks coach that can take on the mighty BOKS. Your rugby acumen is second to none - imagine your dads sperm bounced as unfortunately as that oval ball did….we would not be blessed with your presence. Just as the all blacks were missing a man you too are missing a chromosome for 80% of your life, so your insights are not only profound but ring true from your own experiences. Just as the TMO interfered with citing an illegal pass I am sure your local authorities interfere with your illegal passes you make on women - How dare they!!! God forbid that rugby be officiated fairly. You are the right man for the job. Next all blacks coach is here ladies and gentlemen Miss Ben Smith (He/She/They/IT)
221 Go to commentsHuge engine this guy and great to see him back ..The amount of clean outs he does at the ruck are ridiculous !!
3 Go to commentsThe level of desperation in this article is just embarrassing.
221 Go to commentsSome silly trolling in the comments.
9 Go to commentsEverywhere you turn some irish journo is advocating Ireland as the greatest, reasoning that the wc is a 4 year cycle event so, they say wc doesn’t matter it’s the rugby in between that should account for the accolade. If there was no wc then some substance could be gained, however in my opinion the moment that defined Ireland’s fate against the abs was 37 phases of repeated head bashing against a brick wall. If a change in strategy or a tinker with the game plan was executed then things could've been vastly different. And to point a finger the let down was in the hands of the number 10.
67 Go to commentsI have heard it asked if RA is essentially one of the part owners and I suppose therefor should be on the other side of these two parties. If they purchased the rebels and guaranteed them, and are responsible enough they incur Rebels penalties, where is this line drawn? Seems rough to have to pay a penalty for something were your involvement sees you on the side of the conned party, the creditors. If the Rebels directors themselves have given the club their money, 6mil worth right, why aren’t they also listed as sitting with RA and the Tax office? And the legal threat was either way, new Rebels or defunct, I can’t see how RA assume the threat was less likely enough to warrant comment about it in this article. Surely RA ignore that and only worry about whether they can defend it or not, which they have reported as being comfortable with. So in effect wouldn’t it be more accurate to say there is no further legal threat (or worry) in denying the deal. Unless the directors have reneged on that. > Returns of a Japanese team or even Argentinean side, the Jaguares, were said to be on the cards, as were the ideas of standing up brand new teams in Hawaii or even Los Angeles – crazy ideas that seemingly forgot the time zone issues often cited as a turn-off for viewers when the competition contained teams from South Africa. Those timezones are great for SR and are what will probably be needed to unlock its future (cant see it remaining without _atleast _help from Aus), day games here are night games on the West Coast of america, were potential viewers triple, win win. With one of the best and easiest ways to unlock that being to play games or a host a team there. Less good the further across Aus you get though. Jaguares wouldn’t be the same Jaguares, but I still would think it’s better having them than keeping the Rebels. The other options aren’t really realistic 25’ options, no. From reading this authors last article I think if the new board can get the investment they seem to be confident in, you keeping them simply for the amount of money they’ll be investing in the game. Then ditch them later if they’re not good enough without such a high budget. Use them to get Jaguares reintergration stronger, with more key players on board, and have success drive success.
28 Go to commentsYeah, and ours is waaay bigger than yours. Just as you's get a semi…oh hold on that never happens
67 Go to commentsLove watching
1 Go to comments