Rugby world cup Japan 2019 Discussion Thread

(21-09-2019 08:07 )HannahsPet Wrote:  Hode should have been out with a red card for taking out that fiji player that was causing them all sorts of problems if he had stayed on the field prob would have been a whole different story

He'll be lucky if he isn't cited for it as well

CURRENT SCORE: - France 21 Argentina I8
France not getting it all their own way in this one!! Would say it is a typical Northern Hemisphere Vs Southern Hemisphere clash. And France trying to slow the game down as usual.

Wowsers what a game Argentina could have won if a 53 metre kick hadnt gone a metre or 2 wide

Punch up at the end

Can see there being a couple of upsets this world cup just hope its not at englands expense

NOW NEW ZEALAND V SOUTH AFRICA!!
This has to be the biggest game so far of this World Cup and expect it to be another close game. if South Africa get a score early then they could put New Zealand under pressure but again New Zealand to sneak it

Sure South africa have beaten New Zealand recently

ah no it was a 16-16 draw in the Rugby Championship in July so should be a tasty affair

At 17 -10 it's deffo tasty!!

New Zealand 23 South Africa 13!! All three games have been thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable and certainly given the competition thr boost it needed to capture the imagination

(21-09-2019 02:52 )babelover48 Wrote:  

(20-09-2019 18:57 )hornball Wrote:  

(20-09-2019 18:46 )babelover48 Wrote:  What about maybe making the Six Nations & the Rugby Championship a two division competition with promotion/relegation between the two? I think Russia deserve to be in the Six Nations more than Italy do. Italy are good, but I don't think they bring as much to the Six Nations as Russia would or maybe Romania who were considered for a place in the old Five Nations for a number of years.

Some restructuring has to be done somehow in both Northern and Southern Hemisphere, to the point where the likes of Japan, Russia and possibly Fiji play regularly in the Southern Hemisphere and the likes of Russia Canada USA play regularly in thr Northern Hemisphere because sometimes I get the feeling there is often wide gaps in terms of quality of performance between some Test sides and those below them.

That is less the case than - say two tournaments ago! You are right though, there has to be a way of creating tournaments with a greater number of the nations involved! One way, is by ensuring the tier one's - instead of repeating tours to each others backyard - go to Japan, Russia, Uruguay etc instead. Not as a filler,, but as a series of matches that have as much meaning as the 6N and RC. It is also time to make all the nations (bar holders/hosts) seek qualification to the WC, and stop giving tier one's a 'right of passage' Were Eng Ire Sco Wal etc to not make it?? So be it!!

On this point, I would say yes to it, but then would you run the risk of Test playing nations fielding weaker teams in the qualifiers and then not pick any of those players for the finals themselves like the soccer teams do in the League Cup/FA Cup ? I think it is time to say maybe those tier 1 & 2 teams that fill the top two positions in each group from this world Cup automatically qualify for 2023 and those that finish below 3rd place have to qualify. I remember England played Holland once in a qualifier - I'm sure it was one - or it was maybe a warm up game - but can't remember if it was for 1991 or 1995 and we hammered them something stupid, that I remember. Actually thinking it about I'd like to see may be one or two of the Autumn internationals to be games against tier two level nations and maybe as an experimental thing, see the bottom team in the Six Nations having to qualify for the following year against a high ranked tier two European team.

First Point: No, because they may actually be drawn in a group alongside a fellow tier one nation!

Second Point: I would have no issue with that suggestion in principle!

Third Point: Excellent!!

I would sacrifice one six nations tournament, and one Rugby Championship per 4 year cycle, for the creation of a European championships competition in the Northern Hemisphere, and the equivalent in the Southern.

To pick a random starting date (for discussion purposes only obviously!) I would start a euro champs in the gap year between world cups. So say 2025. This would feature the six nations teams and the ten best placed European teams from tier two (including two from Russia) Initially purely by world ranking, but working towards full qualification as in football! The rankings could be worked out by ensuring matches between 6N and the rest were scheduled in the world fixture list - replacing autumn internationals between tier one's alone!

So example

World cup 2023

6N/RC 2024

European Champs (no 6N or RC) 2025

6N/RC 2026, 2028 etc (positions in rankings at the end of 6N/RC with 2'3 tier nations having played tier one's in the autumn international series, and each other at the same time as 6N/RC) qualify for subsequebt Euro Comp



Autumn internationals would feature - as I say tier1/2 nations year on year - and the 6N, RC would sit 2025 out, and every fourth year thereafter!!

(21-09-2019 12:43 )babelover48 Wrote:  New Zealand 23 South Africa 13!! All three games have been thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable and certainly given the competition thr boost it needed to capture the imagination

I think yesterday's opener did that just fine to be fair!