2023 RWC Buildup, Squads, Fixtures 'etc'

SaoPaulo41 · 06-10-2023 9:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203404#Comment_121203404

Finally someone who agrees with me

Dick phelan · 06-10-2023 10:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203444#Comment_121203444

Oh I know. Hence why Rugby is failing to develop like other sports have. It's a closed system they don't have any real interest in improving tier 2 teams. Of course the fact that Italy bring far more money to the pot than Georgia would means they won't ever be kicked out of the 6N. This WC really has exposed so many problems with the running of the game.

lawrencesummers · 06-10-2023 10:06pm

The bottom team of the 6 nations should playoff against the winner of the European rugby competition.

Pete_Cavan · 06-10-2023 10:13pm

Rather than solving any problems, dropping Italy would only create more.

tobefrank321 · 06-10-2023 10:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121199867#Comment_121199867

Nonsense. As it stands the 8 best teams are guaranteed qualification to the quarters. Fiji are going to be the only surprise this world cup.

The current 5 team pools are a complete waste of time. They are a massive turn off for the tv viewer. How many fairly committed rugby supporters on this thread have turned off games in this WC after 20 mins? A lot I'd say. Its unwatchable for everyone.

6 pools of 4 teams means 6 seeds guaranteed qualification and everything up for grabs after that. Far more evenly matched games than the crap we are witnessing now. And most pools still in the balance up to the last game as 4 best third place finishers qualify which would give a genuine long term boost to those teams.

Groups of 6 teams leading to quarter finals would destroy rugby, it would be even worse than this world cup. More drubbings of minnows and more pointless minnow v minnow games with nothing to play for. Paint drying would be more interesting.

realhorrorshow · 06-10-2023 10:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203453#Comment_121203453

I think literally everyone agrees with you. I'm in the UK now so am not exposed to him too often but when I am he actively takes away from my enjoyment of the game.

bingobango12 · 06-10-2023 10:35pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203453#Comment_121203453

Pretty sure I’ve never met a single person that enjoys listening to him.

Funnily enough Karl Dickson is another that makes me want to tune out when I see he is refereeing a game. Just needed Frank Murphy on touch and Joy Neville TMO to have a full house of clowns that ruin most games they’re involved in.

FrancieBrady · 06-10-2023 10:47pm

I’m chawing at the bit all week for a close hard fought game where a big team is pushed all the way to the line.

Just realised the gods are gonna deliver it tomorrow night at 8.

I’m right, am in I? Am in I! 😩😩

pickarooney · 06-10-2023 10:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203552#Comment_121203552

What makes them the 8 best teams?

The fact they qualified for the quarters? An empty tautology.

The highest ranked teams? No. Scotland are top 8, Argentina are not. Fiji are because they performed well in the group.

Seeding? No. Australia are probably going home. Argentina are 50/50.

If you don't want to see drubbings *and* you don't want to see tight games, why are you watching a world cup?

snotboogie · 06-10-2023 11:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203444#Comment_121203444

Tiblisi is actually beautiful and I doubt the big wigs would mind a trip there. The issue is TV money and Italy is a giant TV market and Georgia is a tiny one.

lbunnae · 06-10-2023 11:15pm

What the **** is that Italian team still doing in the 6 nations. Pathetic Jaunts to Rome.

tobefrank321 · 06-10-2023 11:18pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203732#Comment_121203732

The 5 team groups are/were a terrible idea. Just awful. There's usually at best one serious game between the top two teams. After that its second string outfits of the top teams demolishing minnows, minnows against minnows, or teams like Italy who know they cant qualify and couldnt be bothered.

Australia as a seed? Great. A genuinely open group of 4 teams in that case.

There's NOTHING for the minnows in the current world cup set up, except unwatchable trouncings that not even the biggest rugby fans can enjoy.

The narrow mindset of rugby snobs and administrators has created an unwatchable mess.

The rest of the tournament is also going to be equally patchy. A couple of good quarter finals, and probably two mismatced semi finals.

lawrencesummers · 06-10-2023 11:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203404#Comment_121203404

I just watch ITV.

tobefrank321 · 06-10-2023 11:24pm

I think Argentina asked to join the 6 nations years ago and were declined, which was a great pity.

downtheroad · 06-10-2023 11:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203296#Comment_121203296

You're not allowed say things like that in here. You get told not to watch if you don't enjoy it. By people who won't admit they have not enjoyed the overwhelming majority of the poor games in this very poor tournament.

How many good, competitive games of rugby have actually been played at this tournament so far?

Royale with Cheese · 06-10-2023 11:47pm

Another thrilling game in week 5 I see tonight. Head in the sand stuff if you think this is good for rugby lads.

Strazdas · 07-10-2023 12:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203890#Comment_121203890

It's a disaster alright : a 'world cup' where half the teams can't remotely even compete with the top 8 ranked teams.

Jack Daw · 07-10-2023 1:21am

They should have 2 world cups running concurrently in the same country , one for the top 10 and a B world cup for the next 10 teams.

At least give the smaller teams some form of competition against teams of their own level and get rid of the complete snooze-fest the group stages of this world cup have been.

Dubinusa · 07-10-2023 2:44am

Italy are dawghshit. Awful!

This is the worst world cup I've seen. Brutal, tbh. And..... I've skipped a few of them. Rugby can't grow, there's literally 4 or 5 teams that can win it. That's been the way for all worl cups.

If we don't win, I hope France do. If they don't, I hope it's S.A. I despise the other teams remaining.

pickarooney · 07-10-2023 5:18am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203797#Comment_121203797

It's simply not true. Just ask the minnows what the world cup means to them in terms of exposure, development and sheer enjoyment.

Chile may have got a few beatings but they've set their stall out, been at the big table and have a progression plan.

Uruguay won another game, gave Italy and France a real match and at least competed with NZ for a bit. Portugal have been fantastic to watch, played one of the games of the pool stages and gave Wales and Australia as good run for their money. And they're not finished. They might yet end up deciding their pool.

Tonga improved immensely as the tournament went on and their match against SA was a cracker. Lots to build on. Samoa are technically still in with a mathematical chance by the last day.

Romania have been atrocious and sadly may never be at the WC again, and they were never meant to be there. Literally making up the numbers but Spain have only themselves to blame again.

Namibia pretty awful but by far the second best team in Africa. There's a lot of work and investment needed for the continent to become competitive outside of its golden child.

Overall the minnows, and people who watched them, will have been far more pleased with their performance than the so-called bug guns of Italy and Australia.

Have a look in the mirror and see can you find the 'rugby snob'.

lbunnae · 07-10-2023 5:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204110#Comment_121204110

Big guns Italy? What on earth? They have 12 wins and 92 losses in the six nations , a pointless team.

lawrencesummers · 07-10-2023 5:50am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203844#Comment_121203844

Its no different to the soccer World cup or european championships, except in soccer teams keep the score down by parking the bus and in rugby you cant get away with dour defensive tactics so The groups in both are dominated by the stronger teams and many games are not competitive but the spectacle and the opportunity for smaller players to play the big boys is interesting.

The tour de france is made up of 176 riders and only 10 have any possibility of winning it, should that be trimmed down to 10?

irelandrover · 07-10-2023 6:10am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203844#Comment_121203844

Of course you can complain. But doing so after every one sided game just becomes tedious.

There's a lot of benefits for the smaller teams to be in the world cup. One is financial. Uruguay are using the money they made from the last world cup really well and you can see the progress. Chile you'd expect will do the same based on the progress they've made. Those stronger teams only improved the situation in south America.

The games are very one sided in this world cup, but the benefits for most of the smaller teams are large.

TheRona · 07-10-2023 7:50am

I've created a new thread to discuss issues with the RWC and it's format and/or competitiveness levels.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058317130/rugby-world-cup-issues-with-format-competitiveness

Personally, I have no issue with people not enjoying the World Cup so far. Some of it is due to the nature of the sport, where a weaker team can't hold out against a stronger one like in a sport like football. What I don't understand is the need for the same people to come in while a match is on, and derail the conversation about the match that people are watching with the same comments about how boring the World Cup is.

Anyway, now you have a place to discuss any issues with the format of the world cup, its competitiveness, and how it could be improved. Enjoy.

downtheroad · 07-10-2023 7:53am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204116#Comment_121204116

It's extremely different. The teams that participate at the soccer world cup or European championships are professional outfits and will most likely have a household name or recognisable star.

Nobody knows any Portuguese, Uruguayan or Chilean rugby players. Are they professional, semi pro or amateur?

If the next world cup is expanded to 24 teams, a team called Hong Kong China could be playing based on current world rankings. That would be the equivalent of Gibraltar at the world cup. That will never happen.

The rugby world cup is a waste of time until the 1/4 finals. There is now talk of a tournament between the 6 Nations and the Rugby Championship...that is the real world cup and that tournament will kill off the rugby works cup in time.

pixelburp · 07-10-2023 7:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203890#Comment_121203890

Equally, thinking Tier 1 is healthy and competitive itself is also head in the sand. Rugby needs a rethink cos the way it's going isn't going to work long term.

Even in Tier 1 there's a growing gulf (again) between the top and bottom; while England Wales and Australia to name three are all experiencing real problems of participation, interest and finance. Scotland and Italy hardly in the greatest shape themselves.

A proper development plan is needed here, not pretending all is perfect in Tier 1 and screw the rest. Cos heading towards an uncompetitive 6 Nations or RC isn't enticing either.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121203844#Comment_121203844

The results have been bad but the way the minnows play has been entertaining to watch. It's not about being allowed, come on. There's no arguing that the lack of those teams staying in touch in those games has made it one sided on paper. But there are a lot of reasons why that has happened. There's potential here - but that's all it is for now. Potential. The next step is whether they grow that potential.

It's plain to see the biggest difference IMO has been the huge disparity in strength conditioning and training the likes of Uruguay has access to. I watched enough of these games to see that Uruguay, Portugal et al constantly lost momentum and opportunity cos of simply being too small to compete. It was frustrating to watch a perfect launchpad for an attack just get squashed - or have the referees ping the minnows.

pickarooney · 07-10-2023 8:54am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204184#Comment_121204184

Apparently some team called Qatar were at the last world cup. No doubt full of household names.

downtheroad · 07-10-2023 9:16am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204290#Comment_121204290

I wouldn't rule Qatar out of hosting and playing at a future RWC. World Rugby would blow their load at the thought of the money. And obviously wouldn't reinvest it in Tier 2 nations, just divide it up amongst the closed shop big boys.

Buddy Bubs · 07-10-2023 9:18am

There's one global sport and that's soccer. And even at that, extremely hard to see a world cup winner coming from outside the teams that traditionally have dominated and won it. Brazil and Argentina from South America and a few European teams, Spain, France, Germany, England and then a few that are almost but not quite there. Not a sniff of an African or Asian or north American winner for very long time to come. So there's the elite there too, just like rugby. There's way more no hopers in soccer than those with hope.

So it's really less than 8 can win world cup soccer, 4 realistically in this rugby one with maybe England as an outsider.

Most sports are the same, but rugby just tends to be a procession when one team is vastly superior.

Cricket is a minority with only a few decent teams, athletics events dominated by USA and Jamaica in shorter distances, Africans in longer. Cycling by Europeans, swimming by Americans, weightlifting by eastern Europeans and some middle easterns.

Even closer to home, how many counties could win sam Maguire or Liam McCarthy? Not many.

How many teams can win premier league soccer or the top divisions in Spain, France, Germany? Less than this world cup anyway for sure.

robbiezero · 07-10-2023 9:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121204352#Comment_121204352

There isnt a single post in the thread complaining that only a certain number of teams can win the cup. Its likely to be 1 of 4 teams that have a chance and I reckon that number compares quite well with most tournaments.

2023 RWC Buildup, Squads, Fixtures 'etc'

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