The more they try to fix or improve things, the more they fck it up...especially the law changes to promote running rugga...never works.
The more they try to fix or improve things, the more they fck it up...especially the law changes to promote running rugga...never works.
More teams equals less quality and humiliating defeats for weaker teams which does nobody any good. Also long boring passages of nothing in the tournament Rather than 20 teams 16 would be better. But of course we get 24…rugby is managed by morons
If lower ranking teams had better contact with top tier teams and more development, it'd be more constructive. A one off contest with a standard you only see on TV with no chance to learn, adapt, and face again is of little value. Rugby Union overall has regressed terribly across the board. I honestly don't know where we go from here. The state of the game is a mess, and the suits in power only make it worse.
I agree with you Mozart.
It does not send much different than what it is now? Other than the global calendar.
The teams will be grouped, so it will just be the top 12 teams competing against each other. That could be 11 games in a season if each team played all others once.
World Rugby has announced a new competition starting in 2026 as part of a "significant overhaul" of the men's international calendar.
The tournament will be made up of 24 teams, split into two divisions with 12 teams in each, with promotion and relegation starting from 2030.
The top division will include the 10 sides from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship, plus two unnamed others.
The World Cup will also be expanded to 24 teams from 2027.
Although there will be four additional nations taking part in Australia and a round of 16 will be created, the adjustments mean the next World Cup will last six weeks rather than seven, while the draw will be made in January 2026.
I was referring to the expansion of the WC….the annual tournament sounds like a solution to a question nobody was asking.
I think we all want more quality - more games like the World Cup quarter finals, strength vs strength. Players are already being asked to play a ridiculous amount of rugby every year, so make it count. The World Cup is not supposed to be a development tournament, it's supposed to be the best sides in the world competing for a cup. There are enough lopsided games as it is. Or do we really want to see more hapless second tier sides bleeding 80 or 100 points?
As for the global tournament, I don't get why everything needs to be a tournament. I guess I long for a good old simple test series or two or three again, but those days are gone for good probably.
With regards the change to the World Cup, with the change from groups to 4 groups of 5 to 6 groups of 4 the number of overall games go up but reduces the number of games each team play by 1 so its not going increase the number of games where the major tier one teams run up cricket scores against minnows. There is still likely going too be two weak teams in each group but that's no different from now and it probably ensure that there is less likely unfair group like we saw with Scotland this time around.
I was referring to the expansion of the WC….the annual tournament sounds like a solution to a question nobody was asking.
Well it would be nice if Rugby was played at serious level by more countries. Nothing has really changed since the inception of the World Cup.
I can easily see this new tournament over taking the World Cup as the the premier rugby tournament. Will be harder to win than the World Cup simply because you will have to play all the best teams with no exceptions.
A bit of a dog's breakfast if you ask me.
Whilst rugby has to develope in other countries and fully support that, pool selection by lottery is a mess as well.
There should be a sensible selection process ie based on rankings 1-20 as it stands ie right now, ofcourse that might change but fair common sense should prevail for example:
Pool A : SA, Scot, Italy, Tonga, Urug
Pool B : NZ, Austr, Wales, Japan, USA
Pool C : Ire, Eng, Geo, Fiji, Spain
Pool D : Fr, Arg, Por, Samoa, Rom.
That would make an exciting RWC...a bit of sensible thought should go into it not a chance lottery.
The answer to the problem of having games you don't think are worth watching is not to watch them. Nobody forces you to watch!
However for the people of the minnow country playing the game will very possibly of great interest.
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See this article about World Rugby's proposed overhaul. This includes a new global competition for 24 teams and likely the end of traditional tours. Sounds like the same watered down shit that killed the Super series.