World Cup for the best, and the rest
Posted: Friday January 22, 1999 05:57 PM
Annihilation everywhere in the Rugby World Cup qualifiers spells time for an immediate change in the system.
England trounced the Netherlands 110-0 on the same day that Ireland crushed Georgia 70-0.
The victories carried the English and Irish closer to next year's finals in Wales, but did none of the teams any great favors.
What use is it for England or Ireland to beat up on a weak and feeble opponent? What is the benefit for the Dutch and Georgians of being humiliated and demoralized to such a degree when they are just starting out on the international path?
Australia, arguably the best team in the world right now, recently had to play qualifying games and also pummeled its inferior opposition. It is all so unnecessary.
Only the top three teams from the last World Cup are automatically seeded through to the finals, along with the hosts of the 1999 title decider Wales. Reigning champions South Africa, runners-up New Zealand and third-place finishers France are sure to compete.
England finished fourth last time, while Australia lost to England in the quarterfinals. Under the current rules, both had to qualify as did Ireland, Scotland, Argentina and Fiji, some of the more traditional rugby-playing nations.
But the gulf between the best and the rest is huge.
There are a few up-and-coming rugby countries that may be able to hold their own with a decent nation on any given day, like Italy, Western Samoa or Canada. Romania, the United States, Japan and Namibia may belong in that second tier.
But there are many more who are at the bottom of the world rugby ladder, who are offered up as sacrificial lambs to enable the big boys to take their rightful place in the finals.
For example, England and Italy have to play the Dutch in their three-team pool. Two teams go through to the finals, the third goes on to a repechage round. Everyone knows the Netherlands will lose twice. England and Italy will progress, regardless of how they fare against each other.
Likewise, Ireland and Romania will move on from the group, which includes Georgia. It's a given.
A great deal of money is spent on these needless qualifiers. No one truly emerges as a winner. It's all so expensively futile.
The solution is to set up a three-tier World Cup to which all rugby-playing nations are invited.
The recognized powers should be seeded through to the competition for the main World Cup trophy. The second tier countries should play each other in a Plate competition and the third-ranked group of teams should compete in a Shield competition.
The Netherlands' New Zealand coach Geoff Old said, "at least countries like us would then have something to play for and we would be doing so against sides of a similar standard.
"The game needs a global structure, an international program which incorporates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. A World Cup is for everybody. There is a lot of time and money being spent on qualification when everyone could be getting together."
It makes perfect sense, especially if the second and third tier teams are given the incentive of promotion should they win their respective tournaments. The countries with the worst records in the World Cup and Plate would be relegated.
In between World Cup finals, which take place once every four years, the weaker teams could play second-string opponents from stronger nations to gain more international experience - without ever getting roughed up by the biggest and best.
England were quite clearly under instructions to be kind to the Dutch forwards in their match on November 14 to reduce the risk of endangering their smaller, lighter and greatly less experienced opponents. It was the stuff of which training sessions are made.
World Cup officials need to take note of England coach Clive Woodward, Dutch boss Old and the other coaches who are clamoring for changes to the current World Cup format.
The one-sided farces we witnessed recently do the game of rugby union no favors. The joke is on the authorities until sweeping alterations are made.
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