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Opinionated Rugby Commentary - by Fans for Fans
Spill what you really think about events in the rugby world.
The gap in rugby powers has SHRUNK 6 views
12 September 2011 by deep
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What minnows? I've been rooting for the underdogs all weekend, and while the elusive upset hasn't yet eventuated, nearly every game has seen quality competition.
The Action to Date
One weekend of RWC down and I'm loving every minute of it. (Nothing to do with the fact that I picked Dagg and Kahui in my team so was 4 tries up so early in the piece!) So far we've seen:
- Romania ahead of Scotland with 10 minutes remaining
- Japan only 4 points adrift of France with 15 minutes remaining
- Argentina unlucky not to topple England, only 4 points in it at the whistle.
- USA keep in touch with Ireland
And in a clash of heavyweights, an inspired Wales were very unlucky to not topple the South Africans with only 1 point separating them.
In the other 3 clashes, Tonga nearly won the second half against New Zealand, Namibia weren't routed by Fiji, and Australia achieved nothing more than a comfortable win over Italy.
A Prediction of the Future
The days of 3 digit cricket scores between the established powers and fringe countries seems to be at an end as these nations are demonstrating an ability to play genuine rugby. I still can't see them winning a Rugby World Cup in the immediate future, but the writing is on the wall that more and more teams will become realistic contenders.
Rugby is steadily gaining in popularity, seen through growth in player numbers throughout the world - hardly surprising because it's a great game. There are 3 main contributing factors that I can think of.
First there's the 7's circuit. This colorful circus is played in all parts of the world and with each tournament touted as a giant party weekend it has immense pull power for fans. So much so it's a starter at the next Olympics. It also gives a platform of regular international exposure to numerous countries, offering goals for players to aspire to and creating a base of players with first class experience.
Second there is the strength of the British / European competitions. They've spent the last 10 years waving wads of lolly around, steadily attracting many of the best players from around the world. Most of the 'minnow' teams have players active in these competitions, again building a much wider base of active players with hard rugby experience.
Last, there is simply the widening global appeal of rugby in a world where professional sport continues to thrive.
What does it mean? Where will the power of rugby lie in years to come?
As a New Zealander I wonder how long we can hang at the top of the world. It comes down to a numbers game.... many other countries have multiple times the number of rugby players, and no matter how passionate we are, the pool of raw talent that we get to choose from is much more limited. (Same goes for the Pacific Island nations.)
When the game gains traction in the USA, watch out! This is a country full of athletes, and crossing into this code won't be that hard.
I'm still waiting for a mass of talent in South Africa to awaken. I'm speaking a little under-educated here, but surely the strategies implemented to spread South Africa's rugby engine through all walks of society will increasingly pay dividends.
It seems inevitable that the European competitions will be the best in the immediate years to come. All nearby countries will reap benefit from this as they get to participate in world class competitions.
Then there's the enigmatic Argentinians, stuck far away by themselves in South America. They've already got players involved throughout the world, and are joining the Southern Hemisphere travel show currently known as the Trinations. I'm not sure what will come from that part of the world. Perhaps a strengthening of the game in North America will be of great benefit to them as well.
One thing is for sure. There is a steadily evolving shift in the power base of our beloved game. We're 24 years on from the first RWC and we're seeing the first signs of real shift now. There will be a much different picture 24 years on from now where there will be at least 10 teams with a realistic chance of taking it out.
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