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Rugby Union


kiwififer

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13 hours ago, HibeeJibee said:

They shouldn't dress it up as being some necessity due to rising quality either... Namibia got battered by everybody, Uruguay took a battering off NZ and ultimately lost the others convincingly, Romania and Tonga have been spanked every game, Georgia ran Fiji close plus Portugal and Chile have some had some good performances - but otherwise they've gone down by wide margins. Samoa alone have consistently threatened a result.

Absurd to think Kenya, USA, Hong Kong, Spain and Cook Islands adds to it at all. It's already clear that top 3s are going to be the Tier 1 nations, plus Fiji... just like 2019... just like 2015... just like 2011... just like 2007... just like 2003... except a few occasions substitute Tonga or Samoa (and once Georgia) for Fiji or occasionally Japan.

The issue is that in a normal year Scotland play approx 11 or 12 internationals, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga etc play about the same number inbetween world cups. Look at their players and they are lucky if they finish a career with 25 / 30 caps yet someone like Kinghorn is at 50 already for Scotland. Inbetween World Cups Uruguay had 1 game vs Tier 1 opposition and that was against Italy. These teams are never going to progress unless they get the same time together as the Tier 1's and get constant game time vs top opposition.

If you have a team like Scotland who have been together for probably 10/12 weeks over the 6 Nations, 5/6 weeks summer tour and 5/6 weeks for Autumn internationals, vs a team thrown together for a 4/5 days before a game beacuse their clubs wont release them your already on the back foot, before you add in your not used to playing at that level to know exactly what to expect.

Spain, USA, Canada, Russia, Kenya is much of a muchness with Portugal, Chile, Uruguay etc so adding them in doesnt change much. If someone like Algeria or Poland for example got their act together / had financial backing they would be pushing Fiji, Tonga etc for the best of Teir 2, but again like Fiji etc getting players to commit / time off from clubs is the issue.

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20 minutes ago, ajwffc said:

Then you get Africa and it will be South Africa destroying the rest. Asia will be Japan doing the same. 

Maybe just split it into Europe and non-Europe. The non-Europe one would have the 4 rugby championship teams, Japan, 3 Pacific Islands, USA, Canada, Uruguay, then 5 more spots 

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It also didnt help that the home nations had a hissy fit and left the European u20 tournament when Scotland were due to get relegated from the top flight. 

Alot of these continental tournaments already exist. Japan already play in the Asian 5 nations, and there are 3 levels below. In Africa there is already a continent wide tournament but SA dont play in it, they occasional will send an U23 or amateur team. There are a couple of American touraments, Consur for SAm and also antoher involving US and Canada, Argentina usually sends their a team for these. There is a Pacific Nations cup with the Islanders and Japan (US and Canada have plaed in in in the past). In Europe there is a whole league system with the REC at the top which Georgia have won every year for the last decade. Italy played in it before joining 6 Nations, its been running since the 1930's. France were still playing in it up to the 80's.

Whats not joined up is the Tier 1 teams who are sat doing their own thing and not letting anyone else join in. 

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46 minutes ago, ajwffc said:

Then you get Africa and it will be South Africa destroying the rest. Asia will be Japan doing the same. 

+ Oceania will be New Zealand doing the same. 

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13 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said:

Welsh rugby fans and pundits are worse than English football fans and pundits is a hill I will die on.

Game on now

They run the other very close 

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Reynal and the TMO haven't made two unfortunate errors here, they've chosen to give two incorrect tries. There is no ambiguity, they've decided to give Wales two tries because that means the game is secure.

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