The Rugby World Cup in England has now gone on for 2
weekends now and off the fhield, the tournament is set to be the most commercially
successful in its brief history.
Taking the game to traditional football stadia like Wembley
Stadium, Villa Park, Elland Road, etc. appears to have been a masterstroke by
organisers, with close-to-capacity crowds for every game including new records
set for World Cup attendances.
With rugby set to visit the homes of Newcastle United and
Manchester City in the coming days, the dollar signs are set to hang around the
organiser’s eyes for a while yet.
Certainly from a commercial point of view, the difference
between this tournament and 1999, the last time England hosted the World Cup is
like chalk and cheese.
The same can’t quite be said about the quality of the rugby
though.
On a positive note, the minnows have definitely closed the
gap to the giants and appear to have consigned century scores to the annals of
Rugby World Cup history. Good preparation and coaching has ensured the likes of
Namibia, USA, Canada and Romania can compete with the giants even if not for
the whole game.
Obviously, the story of the tournament has been Japan
following their unprecedented win over South Africa in Brighton, although their
rise to this level isn’t really a surprise given they have had a professional
league with plenty of input from the giants for a decade now, and have been preparing
for their impending entry into Super Rugby – and possibly even the Rugby
Championship along with the Pacific Islands.
On the other hand, the quality of rugby has been slightly
anonymous and stodgy. We are yet to see a star really make a mark on this
tournament like John Kirwan, David Campese, Jonah Lomu or Bryan Habana have in
the past – Nehe Milner-Skudder has put up his hand a few times and Cory Allen
could have made an impact had he not suffered that tournament ending injury
after his hat-trick against Uruguay.
In a bid to ensure the correct calls are made in each game, more
time has been added on to games as TMOs digest almost each and every play to
see how forward that pass was or how much less of the hands were involved in
that tackle.
I don’t dispute the TMOs being involved in checking on
scoring plays that could ultimately influence the plot of the game – those complaining
that they shouldn’t be there perhaps need reminding that had we had the TMO 8
years ago in Cardiff, the game against France might have turned out quite
differently.
However, there seems to be a need for the TMO to be involved
in rucks and mauls where the referees should have the most say. Along with the
persistent scrum resets, this area threatens to dilute the entertainment value
of this World Cup.
Indeed, World Rugby appears to have missed a trick by not
emulating the cricket and rugby league World Cups, by being able to get the TMO
on air for viewers to listen as he studied each inch of footage for a knock-on
or forward pass. A missed opportunity perhaps to engage the viewers with the
maligned officialdom.
Perhaps in the quest to bring parity to world rugby, the
quality has had to suffer a bit with many sides now more adept and aware of the
strengths of their opponents – Eddie Jones’ knowledge of the Boks surely was a
key in helping the Blossoms upset their highly-rated rivals.
The football World Cup has suffered a bit – while the game
has never been more open, the quality of football isn’t quite as exciting as it
was.
Hopefully, there is more to come from this Rugby World Cup with
the big sides keeping their cards to their chest before the knockout stages.
Could Waisake Naholo be the man to turn this World Cup
around? He better be.
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