RWC 2027 Australia
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WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Paraguay are through to the repechage after winning the second leg of their play off with Brasil 24-31 in Sao Paulo. Hell of a turnaround in fortunes for both sides.
The Ghost of Raelene
John Eales (66)
Would I be alone in rooting for Belgium or Paraguay to qualify for the WC over Samoa? I've defended Samoa and do feel for them in regards to having player not available for selection but I think it'd be great to read some new nations names in the draw. Especially a country like Belgium which very long term is a viable place for a pro side in one of the European Leagues.
I do think it sucks that Samoa could miss out and they have a big supporter base for a WC in Aus.
I do think it sucks that Samoa could miss out and they have a big supporter base for a WC in Aus.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Nope. Not because I don't want to see Samoa feature but it would represent a step forward for the game if anothet new nation makes the step up.
It may also force the change needed to address the structural issues at play within the Samoan Union and issues around player availability in general.
And while I'm not convinced of Paraguay's ability to do it. If Belgium have the besr squad together and Samoa don't get the bulk of their best squad to feature then it isn't beyond the realsm of possibility as Belgium gave the US a game in July. So that coukd be a close run game.
Upthemaroon!
Ted Fahey (11)
All for Belgium to win the Repechage. It would give a whole new influx of viewers and interest if you would get the likes of Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany to perform well in international Rugby. The Netherlands already beat Chile last year so I think Belgium definitely has a shot at taking Samoa. Great things happening in the Rugby Europe Championship the upcoming year.
waiopehu oldboy
Rocky Elsom (76)
You mean the blatant corruption & rampant nepotism? Unless WR (World Rugby) starts doing proper audits & withholding funding until those issues are sorted the admin will just keep blaming the players lack of pride or similar as they've been doing for decades now.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
Omar Comin'
Peter Fenwicke (45)
Belgium making it would be good for the growth of the sport, but I'd still probably prefer Samoa to qualify. Samoa with a full strength squad and some warm up games behind them have the potential to be a threat to tier 1 teams, while the others don't. And having more quarter final threats is better for the tournament. They'll be more of a drawcard too.
Whatever happens, I think the 4 teams that have ended up in the repechage is pretty strong justification for the decision to move to a 24 team tournament. Samoa and Nambia have consisitently qualified for the 20 team world cups yet are on the verge of missing out, while Belgium and Paraguay were not favoured to even make it through to the repechage and weren't anywhere near it 4 years ago. Even after these wins over Brazil, Paraguay are still only ranked 34th!
It augurs well for an eventual move to a 32 team tournament, which I'd guess would be the long term goal.
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
There's a renewed focus on the RE Super Cup for the likes of the Netherlands and Belgium around providing more games for their domestic based national players as a unit. Similar for the Czechs for that matter.
Highlander35
Steve Williams (59)
I hope there's at least 4/5 world cups at 24 teams before we talk about further expansion.
The Ghost of Raelene
John Eales (66)
Agree. I like seeing the new participants but also don't want to see scores get to 100+ which they could if Sweden draws NZ in a pool game. Doesn't help the sport at all.
Sounds like poor form but Rugby can only benefit from independently wealthy countries being involved in major events. Untapped region for Rugby.
Omar Comin'
Peter Fenwicke (45)
I think that's pretty likely, though not impossible it could be quicker. To justify a 32 team world cup (so 8 pools instead of 6) you'd want the 16th ranked team to be at least as strong as the 12th ranked team is now (Wales), the 24th to be as strong as the current 18th ranked team (Tonga) and so on.
Expanding the tournament does provide a forcing function to improving the level of the teams on the periphery. Getting more nations to the current level of say Chile or Romania (there's some pretty low hanging fruit in Europe alone) is arguably less of a challenge than getting those sorts of teams to the level that's competitive with the top teams.
Upthemaroon!
Ted Fahey (11)
Delta vs. Castilla Y Leon Iberians, Bohemian Warriors vs. Brussels Devils. If only the level of rugby would be a bit better, that Rugby Europe Super Cup could pop off
WorkingClassRugger
Michael Lynagh (62)
There's definitely a class gap between the likes of the Iberians and Lusitanos vs the rest. No denying that. But that's fine for the likes of Delta, Devils and Warriors in a sense. The games against the Iberians for example provide a much higher standard in which to develop and mark progress. Which considering that the primary goal of all of these Unions is to build greater depth capable of performing at a higher level for the three lesser squads alongside having contemporaries at a similar level to gauge progress its a solid structure.
As for the standard. I think it's a pity the Black Lion have opted not to participate this season choosing to pursue other opportunities like the Toyota Cup against the Cheetahs as the Iberian squad is significantly stronger than previous iterations now that it forms the centralised domestic based contracted squad. But the overall standard isn't as poor as many would make it to be. The ball movement and speed most of these teams look to play at has been fun to watch in the first two rounds.