Repechege battle for last spot in 2019 RWC

Something of minor interest to Saffers as they generally know sweet fanny adams what happens elsewhere outside their scope but it will be of interest to some, perhaps Augenoffner.

Hong Kong - Asia (21)
Canada - Americas (23)
Kenya - Africa (28)
Germany - Europe (29)

It’s to be a Round- Robin ie that makes 6 games, every team playing three times and against every opponent, and we know that the best team emerges to the RWC.

As badly as Canada is doing I think they will be too strong for the rest, what do you say Lurker.

Germany put up a good showing against Samoa I believe but there are no good coaches there.

All this struggle to reach Pool B where there is NZ, SA, Italy and Namibia (might stand a chance there but cannon fodder for the rest.

Pool A Ire, Sco, Jap, Russia and Samoa

Pool C Eng,Fr, Arg, USA, Tonga

Pool D Ausrr, Wales, Georgia, Fiji, Uruguay.

I have to agree, Kenya and Hong Kong are not going to qualify. Germany, sadly, haven't been able to muster much of late. They only just edged Kenya and were taken apart with some heavy defeats in other key fixtures. Canada usually have strong set pieces, especially the lineout, pretty organised. I don't actually recall Germany playing Canada before, so it'll be interesting. Canada will win.

Here are a couple of tests from der Mannschaft. 

Thank you for this...I have a great interest in rugby itself and developement in other nations even minnow nations AO. I enjoy rugby in itself and don't use to beat others over the heads like most of the flocks and herds of the world do. It's a lovely game within itself and I respect anybody who plays it...as a kid I used to boast that my old school M.C was undefeated by any Natal school for 10 years, we beat the WP, the EP and TVL schools and it was Plumtree / Guineafowl in Rhodesia that burst our egotistical bubble... cannot remember exactly which but I think it was Plumtree, near the Botswana border...Rhodesia was very good at rugby in those days just as SA was and believe me we will see the SA sides stranded at third world airports in the world and bailed out by the coach...it's going to happen, believe me.

You don't have to be a Tiger Woods in golf or a Federer or Nadal in tennis to love and respect the individual sport itself...sport is sport and grows from the bottom up, just remember the good book says:; the first will be last and the last will be first, so does Bob Dylan in his lyric, Times are a' changin'. In another 100 years, if God spares us...rugby will be in an entirely different scenario.

I'm glad you appreciate the links. I find the purity of a sport is more readily apparent in the next tier down. It doesn't have the status, but I find the atmosphere very appealing. Some hidden gems in there too. 

It's hard to imagine the now Zimbabwe having that kid of strength! Although it does make some sense. Many years ago when researching places of birth of Boks, Zimbabwe came up alot. I hope we get at least one more strong patch before the country finally implodes. I can see it coming as well.

Very true, things change alot. Look at soccer. For a few decades Uruguay were a major superior, at points, the super power in the sport. Things change, and even New Zealand's dominance will end. Its way I was generally alluding to in one my my recent threads. Throughout history, the greatest kingdoms never saw their fall coming. It often came at the hands of a foe they least expected capable of doing so. The teams many mocked in my thread may be tomorrows preeminent rugby nation.

If you'd said twenty years ago that the Boks would be a lowly rugby nation in the not too distant future, you'd have been laughed at. Looked at happened.