'Whatever transpires from now on, this has tainted the tournament'
Never work with animals, small babies and 1400km-wide biblically-sized typhoons. That old adage routinely does the rounds in live TV. Okay, artistic licence has been added for the last bit, but it’s a serious point.
When due diligence was being done on Japan as a venue for the world’s third-largest sporting event, if you’re to use the game’s parlance, would you go high-risk and elect to host a tournament in an area that is renowned for earthquakes and in the heart of typhoon season, or play percentage rugby? With typhoons not exactly a passing fad in the Far East, you don’t have to be Tomasz Schafernaker to realise you’re taking a punt.
It’s this question I keep asking myself when conflicted over the fallout of Typhoon Hagibis, as I have been in the light of England vs France and New Zealand vs Italy being cancelled.
Firstly, you have to concede World Rugby have made a judicious decision in stopping these games.
Should any supporter, casual worker, squad member or support staff be injured by inclement weather conditions, the game’s governing body would have far bigger fires to douse but they could have avoided these uncomfortable questions had they chosen not to roll the dice.
Safety is paramount, and those affected by this palaver understand this, but it is only right to ask whether egregious mistakes have been made.
When the decision was made in 2009 to award the World Cup to Japan, nobody should doubt the intentions on taking the World Cup to Japan were honourable.
They widely lauded by the great and the good of the game and in the intervening years, PR-friendly missives about ‘growing the game’ peppered inboxes almost as often as messages about earthquakes covering up tattoos but it’s worth noting that financial factors was a part of the decision making. World Rugby proudly announced the sponsor roster was overflowing as far as a year out. It wasn’t pure altruism at play.
Furthermore, it should be pointed out that Japan have been wonderful, hospitable hosts. This shouldn’t mothball thoughts of taking the rugby world to this part of the world in future but it’s clear that to host the tournament on identical dates would be foolhardy.
As the tyres are kicked on rugby’s global calendar for the next decade, the problem for the ‘rugby family’ is that fault lines separate the game’s governing bodies, so should a return to Japan be mooted, you’d be have to wonder whether the Pro14, Top 14 and Premiership Rugby would be willing to cede too much ground in rearranging competitions that have already been disrupted.
On the Test stage, as well, it doesn’t take Colleen Rooney to deduce that the relationship between World Rugby and the Six Nations committee was strained around the proposal and subsequent rejection for the World Nations League and the impending injection of finance from CVC, has further muddied the waters.
Compromises will have to be eked out.
As previously mentioned, the tournament was awarded to Japan a decade ago, as Italy and South Africa were overlooked in a formal process, so you have to wonder what the contingency plans were in place for rescheduling games in the event they came under threat as a result of a ‘force majeure’ because I haven’t seen them.
Whatever transpires from now on, this has tainted the tournament. Never once in its 32-year history has a fixture been cancelled and it has opened a Pandora’s Box of issues that may yet come back to bite the tournament’s organisers. Italy, for one, will not have a chance to pit their wits against the reigning world champions, the All Blacks, depriving two of Italy’s greats, Sergio Parisse and Leonardo Ghiraldini, a chance to say addio to their loyal fans, and while the Azzurri were going home anyway the remaining sides will have mixed feelings about the cancellation.
Sergio Parisse doesn't pull his punches in slamming the decision to cancel Italy's match on Saturday versus the All Blacks https://t.co/ojuGuS5bRK
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 10, 2019
England have barely had to clunk the gears in this tournament and the thought of facing the battle-hardened Wallabies in the quarter-finals is less than ideal. Correspondingly, the word from the French camp is that they’re less than enamoured not to have the chance to reprise their entente cordiale to better prepare them for facing a Welsh side, whom they have only beaten once since 2011. France and ‘bang in form’ aren’t exactly bedfellows at present.
For the Welsh and Australian camps, should they lose, you can expect griping from some voluble quarters about the extended rest periods afforded to their opponents. In knockout rugby, so there is little room for nuance. You win or you lose. In a tournament, you want to feel that it’s a level-playing field and this has opened up room for side’s to take umbridge.
Extra week of rest, top of the pool ???? #RWC2019 pic.twitter.com/ObZOjTyZ8d
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) October 10, 2019
If you bundle in issues with global broadcasters and sponsors, the forecast for World Rugby is stormy enough, but should the Japan v Scotland game be cancelled on Sunday, they will realise they are in the eye of the storm. If Gregor Townsend’s men are not afforded the opportunity to overcome the Brave Blossoms in Yokahama, rest assured that the feelings of the SRU and its fans will be made in no uncertain terms. Shrugging shoulders and saying, ‘shit happens’ isn’t going to cut it, especially after they bombed out of the 2015 World Cup after a refereeing error from Craig Joubert.
Finally, spare a thought for the travelling fans. Without them, the tournament lacks colour, passion and raw emotion. For the few, the thousands of pounds shelled out for eye-watering packages will be small change. It will be a case of downing a few beers, taking in the underground shopping in the malls of Tokyo and finding other forms of entertainment but for the majority, who have saved for years for this once in a lifetime opportunity, the cancellation of games, at rugby’s global showpiece will be crushing and scars could take years to heal.
Up to now, Japan 2019 had been a roaring success but World Rugby knows matters are out of their hands. All they can do is hope and pray Hagibis decides to change course and blow itself out into the Pacific before more damage is inflicted. Simply, they need luck.
It shouldn’t have come to this.
Press conference with Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt and captain Rory Best ahead of the side’s crucial World Cup match against Samoa.
Comments on RugbyPass
I like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
8 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
8 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
8 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
8 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to comments