World Rugby needs shake up

I don't know if any one of you are actually interested in the Lions tour but it pretty much got off as damp squib.

In their first match they got beaten by the Pumas and their last match against the Waratahs wasn't very convincing. This is supposed to be the best of British players. All I see is a lot of media hype and big personalities.

Then, this weekend France actually did really well to keep NZ close, but it was basically their C team. I wonder if New Zealand would have upped their game if the likes of Dupont was playing.

If you look at the 2nd half on Saturday game between Italy and South African, you would think that this is a proper Italian team, but that too was their B/C team. Across the Atlantic, England put in a master class against Argentina and you wonder if England is missing a trick when it comes to their front line players that has gone to the lions. They actually played great rugby.

Wales, fell to the lowest ranking of all time and they just can't seem to buy a win. How many games has that been now.

Then, world rugby wants to expand the next rugby World Cup to more teams. I really question if rugby can even support as many teams.

Rugby has always been an old boys games. With France right now having the most power by their sheer arrogance in not bothering sending a decent team to play New Zealand. What an insult.

I still believe there is a flaw in World Rugby. Rugby has always been about your test teams and the entire nation coming together to support the team.

Yet, over the past 30 years no real progress has been made. Ireland has definitely improved, but Wales has taken a complete nose dive. France and England are up and down each season and you never know what you will be getting.

Rugby is a grass roots team. Woodward showed the way when he took a young team down south that got obliterated but then 4 years came together to lift the trophy.

Then, if you look at the history of Romania, it was a government sanctioned sport back in Soviet times and they even push South Africa really close in 1995.

Rugby is stuck between tradition, do we want to go back to tours like we are seeing next year when NZ come to SA for a 6 match tour. I for one would love to see more A team games and stop wasting caps like we saw against Italy and Georgia.

I always want to see the best teams play against each other, but their needs to be consequences if a national team doesn't commit to rugby.

I'm not sure how to unpack this, but a world league doesn't really work. However, on the other hand if I look at the boks. It makes perfect sense with South Africa to Join the 6 nations. They do play most of these teams in November anyway for 4 or 5 test matches. Then we have the incoming tours against northern hemisphere teams. Why can't the 6 nations just add one additional game and stop wasting time going south at the end o the long season.

For me there are only two possible solutions. Use the World Cup space for international games. Let there be a proper season. The Nothern hemisphere can end their club season on a high and then play international games between north and south over 8 weeks. 6 games. They could still have their home games and it fits into their season.

Then for South Africa, if we played in the 6 / 7 nations. We would have 3 games at home and 3 games away. Again, the players are fresh, playing mostly in Europe which is on a break and no need to have this June / July test. Then all South Africa has to do is play in the Championship that has pretty much 6 games and they are done and not international games for them in Nov / December. Players get a proper break and then get ready to start to play in November December.

As for the other teams, I'm not sure a world league would work. However, South Africa. could always organise incoming tours with Australia, New Zealand and Argentina to make part of the tri nations, that would take the total test matches 15 a season if they made the championship 3 games against each team.

Anyway, if you got this far, thanks for reading my rant, but I for one are fedup with sub par test matches

I totally agree king

For what it is worth, I know that there is a lot of conflict within World Rugby HQ at the moment.

Everyone is pulling in different directions. Unions and clubs are worrying more about their pockets than about players and the game itself.

There is bound to be a mini revolution within world rugby soon. They are just very good at keeping it mum.

The general public are also feeling the conflict now, as you mentioned above.

My biggest issues at the moment:

1. Player welfare - players are being overplayed and it is going to come with some terrible repercussions later on in life. World Rugby are facing dozens of law suits at the moment by ex players who are now suffering lifelong injuries as a result.
2. The club / provincial scene is so convoluted. It is hard for the general public to understand all the tournaments.
3. Continual law changes - They change laws to "speed up the game", but instead, it messes up a beautiful formula. Besides the scrum law changes to mitigate injury, the rest are bollocks.

My personal rant - Accidental head contact - Stop sending players off for accidental head collisions!

Thanks chippo, great to see you agree with what I wrote.

I just think if the format is simple and fans can follow. There is a lot more value. Some how the NFL is the highest watched and supported game in the America. Then they have baseball with way more games but they struggle with attendance and viewership.

The NFL has a complex system but at least fans are heavily invested. The game is even more complex with so many players.

I think club comps should be 5 months and no more. 8 weeks for a cross regional comp. Then 3 months of test rugby and decent breaks from the game

Nice post king.

You are so right.

Players playing right through the year is maniac!

we're also losing a lot of heritage with the global expansion. Look at how watered down the Currie Cup has become!

Even commercially, too many people have hands in the pot.

As Chippo said, "There is bound to be a mini revolution within world rugby soon."

Well we just need someone to come with some serious money and built a league that will attract all the top talent, but I think we need funding at a global level so that countries get a fair share of the slice. I would really love to see countries like Romania and Georgia get a fair crack. They can compete with Wales and Italy, why not have a promotion and relegation.

Then coming back to the 6 nations, many in Europe are stuck in the mud and don't like the idea that we play in their hallowed tournament. However, the boks could be holders of the World Cup, 6/7 Nations cup and champions cup.

Anyway, I do think it make more sense for the boks to play their European teams during their 6 nations and then just get rid of the June and Autumn tours. No need for them to go there.

As for the European teams, it is only one trip they need to make down to SA. Why not make it interesting and have a midweek A teams slug it out or something like Monday night football. It will make it worth their while.

7 teams means 6 games.

SA normally play 4 to 5 games up north and they have 3 games of northern hemisphere teams come south. But when last did France or England come to South Africa and what we see is that France put the weakest teams out. It is not a great for rugby.

So give the players a break come June and start the Championship a few weeks later.

"Romania and Georgia get a fair crack. They can compete with Wales and Italy, why not have a promotion and relegation"

Answer = broadcasting rights. There is no money for broadcasters which means much less money for those teams.

Its a real catch 22

So true flash, however, the current rugby broadcast has been fragmented and Sky has lost their dominance as the sole broadcaster. Didn't Fox corp buy the Tri Nations and Super Rugby rights which then pumped money into the unions. But now we have Premier sport, TNT sport, BT Sports, Sky Sports and you have to constantly chop and change to find.

It would be great if Amazon actually got their toes wet and come up with a global rugby broadcasting strategy. But to broadcast games are not cheap and you need to make sure you have enough viewers if you want to put all of those crews on the side of rugby pitch.

That is why I think They should start with Test rugby and then work towards Regional comps then local comps.