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Rugby World Cup should follow the lead of Sevens Rugby

Roar Pro
12th October, 2015
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England's run was good enough to draw even with the All Blacks, but who wants to kiss their sister? (Photo: AFP)
Roar Pro
12th October, 2015
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1721 Reads

The Japanese Brave Blossoms this morning finished their inspiring World Cup campaign with a hard fought 28-18 victory over the USA Eagles. This win sees them equal South Africa and Scotland’s tally of three victories, and only miss out on a quarter-finals appearance based on bonus points.

Japan’s efforts in England have been memorable in every sense. Their last-gasp victory over South Africa set the Rugby world alight, their brave performance against Samoa showed us size isn’t everything, and this morning’s win wrapped up their fairy-tale World Cup in impressive fashion.

But for the Japanese, the road ends here. Despite winning just as many games as their Pool C counterparts in South Africa and Scotland, Japan will return home empty handed. Also bowing out in the group stages is international powerhouse England, Pacific Nations champions Fiji, Six Nations underdog Italy and the determined Georgia, among others.

Despite heavyweight status or impressive performances, none of these teams will advance past their group.

The World Rugby Sevens Series uses a four-trophy system, ensuring that even the weaker nations have a tangible goal for which to strive. In descending order of prestige, teams play for the Cup, whose winner is the overall tournament champion, Plate, Bowl and Shield.

This system not only gives teams a reason to play every time they take to the field, it also means life after (World Cup) death for teams who don’t qualify for the quarter-finals. This translates into more Rugby to play for the players, and more Rugby to admire for the viewers. It means more games, and more income for the host nations as well as the players. A tiered trophy system allows nations to take on teams of similar skill to them, opening the door for more experience and better play for the smaller Rugby nations.

A multi-trophy World Cup allows for more than just a competition – it makes for a celebration of Rugby where thrilling game after thrilling game plays out in front of ever-growing crowds. Rugby is a world sport, but it can only continue to grow so much if minnow remain as World Cup punching bags. These developing sides need to come up against opposition of similar strength in order to grow and gain real experience from World Cups.

If the fifteen-man format of the game were to adopt the system which has been effective for the Sevens tournament, it would see the top two teams in each pool advance into quarter-finals. The subsequent losers of each quarter-final would drop down into the Plate competition. Those teams who place 3rd and 4th in their pools enter a separate bracket competing for the Bowl. Those who fail to seize victory in the Bowl quarter finals drop into a competition for Shield.

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This is just one format a multi-trophy system could take. Such a system could also open the door for an additional 4 teams competing at the World Cup, in which case those who lose a quarter-final could come up against 3rd placed sides, while those who came 4th and 5th in the pools battle it out with their equals. This format would expand upon Rugby’s global presence and create exciting matches as lower-placed nations play for pride or redemption.

I view the Rugby Sevens multi-trophy model as an exciting concept for the world of fifteen-a-side Rugby, as it would bring the sport’s international development forward in leaps and bounds. It would create determined Rugby from minnow nations as they strived for a real, tangible goal, and it would heighten the World Cup’s status as a celebration of Rugby and enrich the experience of the event as a whole.

If such a system were implemented in 2015’s edition of the World Cup, I think it would look like this:

QF1: South Africa v Wales
QF2: New Zealand v France
QF3: Ireland v Argentina
QF4: Australia v Scotland
SF1: South Africa v New Zealand
SF2: Australia v Ireland
Final: Australia v New Zealand

Plate Match 1: Wales v Georgia
Plate Match 2: Argentina v Japan
Plate Match 3: France v England
Plate Match 4: Scotland v Italy
Plate Semi Final 1: Wales v Argentina
Plate Semi Final 2: France v Scotland
Plate Final: Argentina v France

Bowl Match 1: Samoa v Uruguay
Bowl Match 2: Tonga v Canada
Bowl Match 3: Romania v Namibia
Bowl Match 4: Fiji v USA
Bowl Semi Final 1: Samoa v Tonga
Bowl Semi Final 2: Romania v Fiji
Bowl Final: Samoa v Fiji

Shield Semi Final 1: Uruguay v Canada
Shield Semi Final 2: Namibia v USA
Shield Final: Canada v USA

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