As the title of this post suggests, we should get rid of the weak teams, such as Portugal and Japan from the rugby world cup.
Lets start with Japan who have attended all of the world cups. Their record is poor - yet we keep inviting them back.
In 1987 England beat them 60-7
In 1991 Scotland beat them 47-9
In 1995 New Zealand beat them 145-17
In 1999 Wales beat them 64-15
In 2003 France beat them 51-29
In 2007 Australia beat them 91-3
Now, before you start bleating about the need for development, stop and think a minute - then tell me how has this team developed since 1987? Have they got better? No, they keep turning up and keep getting beaten.
Next, it’s the new kids on the block - Portugal. I wrote my All Blacks Portugal match review at half time, as the only aspect of interest was the number of points we could rack up. We ended up scoring 108 points - and no, this was not a twenty20 cricket match, it was a game of rugby.
That’s all well and good, but getting slaughtered by the All Blacks will not help them develop.
So why are they here?
Is it to spread the word about rugby?
Is it so we can show happy, cheering Portuguese in the crowd?
Portugal is a proud nation, and the folks there are proud of their team, as the comments in my last post shoed, but folks lets get real - Portugal should not be participating in this world cup. I noted in my post the only benefit it will give them is an All Blacks jumper and a the experience of a lifetime - taking on the All Blacks.
The All Blacks said they would ease off pushing in the scrum if the Portuguese were in any physical danger. This article quotes Graham Henry as saying
“We’re taking this game as important for our development,” Henry said. “But at scrum time, if we’ve got dominance, and hopefully we will have, we’ll look after the opposing props. We’ve got to be sensitive there — if we have that dominance.”
For pity’s sake, when did the rugby world cup become an international man love fest?
Clearly Graham Henry and the All Blacks don’t think much of the Portugal. Portugal does not need embarrassing talk like that.
Anyway it’s not just a Portugal player that may have been injured, there is also a huge risk in the top players playing the weak teams at this tournament, and getting injured. After the All Blacks beat Portugal, fullback Mils Muliaina sustained a minor injury. Worst case scenario this match could have resulted in an All Black being injured out of the tournament - and for what - a 100 point score line?
For the All Blacks themselves, the feeble competition is doing them no favours. I posted earlier about these teams being of the reasons the All Blacks will lose this tournament. Going into a semi final, we will hardly be match hardened by Portugal and Romania.
Japan and Portugal are not the only teams that should not be here. Namibia, who got thumped by France 87-10 is one team that should be on the hit list. And Romania? Well, lets just hope that an All Black does not get injured as we try and rack up a 2nd century ;)
The IRB have are now considering a reduction in the number of teams, and quite rightly so. A 16 team world cup would be shorter and more interesting.
There would not be so many one sided matches to bore people. Of course it would also make it harder to qualify, but this is a good thing.
It will mean teams like Portugal, Japan, Romania, Namibia etc will have to fight each other harder to make it - and that my friends is how they will begin to get better.
10 comments ↓
I like your point of view, but there is a need to popularize rugby and this is one way of launching the sport in non rugby playing nation. Portugal brought alot of passion in the game and they played the best team (All blacks). This is another way of building the momentum for a more exciting crunch matches at the business end of the tournament. I am waiting for a Samoa vs England match, I am sure there will be a surprise result there. We will just have to wait and see.
KD
Hi
Did you see how passionate our players were while they sang the National Anthem. They had to do qualifying matches to get to the world cup - they deserved to be there. Yes they lost by 100 points, but that does not matter, we took on the all blacks and Portugal is so proud of them that they made it to the world cup.
We know Portugal cant win but we earned our place and we will enjoy the time
Hello again,
After reading this post and according to your opinion, I think You should also defend to ban:
- Italy they were also trashed 76-14 (they only one extra point then the portuguese amateur team),
- Romania because they lost 42-0 against Scotland,
- Samoa they were trashed 59-7 against South Africa,
- England as they couldn’t score a single point against Australia.
Also, there are some teams, like Fiji, Canada, USA, Tonga, Namibia and Georgia, do they really have any chance to win a single game against the kinds of NZ, SA, Australia, Argentina and even the British nations and France? I don’t you ban them also? They are not fighting for the tittle and your idols also could get injured playing against them.
Don’t be so arrogant, just be happy, let the others play and try to understand what sport is about.
PS - All the three portuguese games were played in full stadiums and the audience of the payed TV broadcasts were exceptionally high. If this is not promoting the rugby, what is?
PS - Of course, if the rugby became more popular there will be more nations playing, they will progress in their game and with the time passing it will be a lot more difficult for the ABs to maintain their leadership in the game.
I.m A All Black Fan. And Yes 20 Team Not 16. Rock On Portuguese You Did Good. I Love Team Who Play With Passiona And Heart. And If Portuguese Can Other Team Can OK. So Rock On Rugby. Its Is For The Good Of Rugby. I Love Watching Team Play Rugby, That I Have Not Watch Befor
Let’s not forget that the teams in the cup are not all there to play the All Blacks. The smaller teams also play each other and it DOES lift their game - better exposure and experience overall.
It’s all about admiration and enjoyment of the game.
It’s true too that a GREAT number of people enjoyed the game drubbing or not.
If you start kicking teams off the list - you might as well just narrow it down to the Southern Hemisphere - or lets do what the Americans do with Baseball!
Limit it to their own country and call it the World Series!
Good flamebait - or do you believe this?
Steevo, that’s a good point about the minnows playing each other - Portugal v Romania may a decent (reasonably close) match to watch.
I really do believe this - not to the extreme that some of these comments might suggest - but I believe 16 teams is a better number. 20 is just a waste of time.
The AB’s have now played 3 games at this tournament, but it’s hard to be inspired by what I’ve seen.
We are in the weakest pool, and I wrote earlier how the crap european teams could be why we lose this cup - this for me is a key reason to get rid of the minnows.
Read it here
http://sportsthought.com/rugby/why-the-all-blacks-will-lose-the-rugby-world-cup
I would like to see a continuation of the topic
You are right!
Why don’t the AB play against each other? It should boost the TV audiences, especially for 4 million people in the South hemisphere and perhaps another 5 hundred people around the world!
Let’s face it. Why should the other countries bother and be bothered with such a retarded sport like rugby? Keep it to you guys. It suits well your IQ.
The diversity of countries that play a given sport and the quality of their squads defines a sport. Who cares about rollerskate-hockey? ice hockey? baseball? american football? rugby? Maids running with kites World Series? All localized sports. Did not make it broader for some reason: because they suck!
Keep it to yourselves and spare our time. There are better things to see on TV than your little sport, specially for you little nzeland neighbor. My team when it plays draws more people to the stadium and to the tv screen than all of your country population!!! Rugby World Cup… right, that make me laugh. You’d wish it was WORLD something! Btw, why don’t you guys play a “world” superbowl match between All-Black and NFL champions? I wonder who would kick ass out there…
welcome sports man . . please tell me . . . .who is your team?
Real Madrid CF
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