Why Rugby's 2007 World Cup will be a farce

Rugby's World Cup began with a hiss and a roar in the latter stages of the amateur era. The first three tournaments produced three different winners and five different finalists. There were surprises, there were near upsets, and there were new qualifiers every time.
In the professional age, conversely, the tournament has descended into a farce. During the last installment, 2003, there was only one upset in 48 games. No team debuted in the quarter-finals, which were contested by the same eight who were dominating the game a century ago.
In 2003 there was just one debutante, Georgia. There will be just one debutante again, Portugal, for this year's event in France.
In defending its decision to award the 2011 Rugby World Cup to 1987 hosts New Zealand, the IRB made reference to soccer's progress in the previous century. But soccer's first five World Cups were held in entirely different countries, and not until its 13th edition in 1986, when Mexico stepped in for Colombia, did any nation host it for a second time.
By the time soccer had staged its fifth World Cup, 12 different nations had appeared in the semi-finals and over 30 had played at the tournament. Only seven teams have so far appeared in rugby's World Cup semi-finals, and just 23 have played at its tournament - which comprises 20 teams. This despite the advantages of vastly improved transportation and communication technology. Moreover, world class soccer leagues were operating throughout Europe and Latin America and a pan-European championships had been drafted. The European nations and Copa Americas tournaments, open to all teams within those regions, were just around the corner.
Rugby in 2007 remains confined to two elite tournaments, comprising a grand total of nine teams, and neither of which is geographically all-embracing. Italy has been the only addition to Europe's elite competition since 1910.
There can be little doubt that the International Rugby Board is a facade. Lift aside the flags of ninety-five nations and you will find a self-absorbed little nest of primarily eight. Rugby's world constitutes the British Isles, France, Australasia and South Africa. These overwhelmingly hold the balance of power, with 16 of 21 seats on the IRB. These are the same member unions which were dominating the game in 1907!
While paying lip service to globalization, it is clear the privileged few are only looking out for themselves. Funding (much of it generated by that lopsided money-spinner which masquerades as a World Cup) is all well and good, but the only way to bring rugby's vast majority up to speed is by engaging them in regular competition at the highest level.
The so-called 'emerging' nations (some of which have been 'emerging' since time immemorial) suffer greatly through lack of access to elite geographical competitions (Italy notwithstanding), unfair and inadequate schedules (notably the Pacific Islands) and non-availability of first-choice players.
Trade not Aid. Why invite 20 teams to the tournament's showpiece event when half of them are not deemed fit to bother with the rest of the time?
The All Blacks have been installed as favourites for the 2007 Rugby World Cup. But what are we to make of these New Zealand All Blacks, who roam rugby's tiny world vanquishing the same half dozen foe year after year? Are we to admire them when it is the NZRFU which has played an integral role in keeping the pond so small? New Zealand, in particular, is obsessed with world domination of the sport. It has sabotaged its international development by blocking all attempts to expand the Southern Hemisphere's premier tournaments beyond three nations.
What are we to make of a nation whose rugby scouts plunder the Pacific Islands but whose administrators refuse to help develop those same islands through regular international competition?
It is interesting to draw a further comparison to the "parent code" here. Soccer began to make real progress only after Brazilian Joao Havelange wrested the FIFA presidency away from the conservative Englishman Stanley Rous.
Rugby is still being held back by Anglo stuffiness. It is no accident that of the major unions France has done by far the most to globalize the game through the FIRA competitions.
England, to its credit, has recently begun to take the game to North America by way of the Churchill Cup tournament. But even here, the very name of the trophy gives some indication of the prevalent mentality within English rugby. It is ultra-nationalistic.
The sport is going nowhere so long as the privileged few continue to hold sway and their xenophobic, myopic agendas take priority over the interests of the global game.
The IRB needs a complete overhaul; an injection of new blood conducive to a broader, less stagnant world order, which may well produce the "Joao Havelange" the international game so desperately requires.

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Two years ago England rugby captain Jason Robinson was reported to have said racist incidents in football would have no place in his sport. It may have escaped his attention, but football is a genuine world game, encompassing all continents, nations and races. Rugby, conversely, remains confined at elite level to Britain and a handful of its former colonies, with the notable exception of France.

It seems ironic the finger is being pointed at a sport which has unreservedly embraced the international community by one which, comparatively speaking, has not. Let us consider also that South Africa was kept out of football completely during the Apartheid era while most of the rugby heavyweights maintained some contact with the republic.

Football in Europe is the sport of the common man and the masses. Rugby in Britain, and indeed most of the established playing nations, is the traditional domain of the upper class. Socio-economic factors undoubtedly play a part in forming racist attitudes. European football abounds with black players; while the non-white international remains a novelty inBritish rugby. The public school graduates may not be chanting racist taunts from the terraces, but this type of behaviour is not unknown in New Zealand, one of the very few nations in which rugby is number one, the sport of the common man.

Ironically, The 2002 British and Irish Lions in Australia claimed they were the victims of racism from the local press, who termed them "Poms." That, of course, is only evidence of their own hypocrisy and ignorance. "Pom" is a reference to a nation, not a race, quite regardless of race, in fact.

No, we are not confronted in rugby by such vivid images as those captured on television during various high-profile football fixtures two years ago. But high-profile football matches are played and televised all over the world every other day. In rugby there are comparatively few.

The problem exists in rugby, without doubt, but is swept under the carpet and merely tolerated. One might well tune into talkback radio or log into a rugby website chatboard and encounter racist comments. (I am aware of once instance where English, New Zealand and South African staff of a London-based rugby website habitually post racist comments on their own forum and use the internet to harrass those who object).

Robinson's views are not necessarily those of the rugby community in general, of course, least of all its administrators. It would be inappropriate for rugby, among all the sports that are, to exploit football's hour of shame to promote its own image.

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Ideas for developing the game in the Southern Hemisphere through expansion of existing elite competitoins:

Expand the tournament Super 14 to 18, split into three geographical zones, and rename it the Southern Hemisphere Rugby Championships. NSW, Queensland, Act, Victoria, Western Australia and a Suva-based Pacific team will form a Pacific Conference. The existing New Zealand sides plus North Harbour will form a New Zealand conference, and the South African teams will be joined by Orange Free State and Buenos Aires in an Atlantic Conference. Teams will play their conference rivals home and away each season. They will also play three sides from each of the remaining conferences. Teams will thus receive eight home games and eight away games a season. A rotation system will allow them to meet all inter-conference rivals biennially and host them quadrennially. The overall effect is more teams, more games and marginally less travel. Playoffs will entail the conference winner with the worst record, and the three runners-up, meeting in two wildcard playoffs to progress to semi-finals against the two conference winners with the best records.
Week 1: NSW at Hurricanes, Victoria at Highlanders,ACT at Crusaders, N Harbour at Reds, Blues at WAustralia, Chiefs at Pacific.(Byes: Buenos Aires, Stormers, Bulls, Cats, OFS,Sharks)
Week 2: Buenos Aires at Stormers, Bulls at Cats, OFSat Sharks, Reds at Victoria, ACT at W Australia,Pacific at NSW, Blues at N Harbour, Hurricanes atChiefs, Highlanders at Crusaders.
Week 3: Buenos Aires at OFS, Sharks at Bulls, Cats atStormers, Pacific at ACT, W Australia at Reds,Victoria at NSW, Highlanders at N Harbour, Crusadersat Chiefs, Hurricanes at Blues.
Week 4: Buenos Aires at Cats, Stormers at Sharks,Bulls at OFS, Pacific at Victoria, NSW at W Australia,Reds at ACT, N Harbour at Hurricanes, Blues atCrusaders, Chiefs at Highlanders.
Week 5: Buenos Aires at Bulls, Cats at Sharks, OFS atStormers, Pacific at Reds, W Australia at Victoria,Crusaders at Hurricanes, Highlanders at Blues.(Byes: ACT, NSW, Chiefs, N Harbour)
Week 6: Sharks at Buenos Aires, Stormers at Bulls, OFSat Cats, Reds at NSW, Victoria at ACT, Crusaders at NHarbour, Blues at Chiefs, Hurricanes at Highlanders.(Byes: Pacific, W Australia)
Week 7: NSW at Crusaders, Victoria at Hurricanes, ACTat Highlanders, N Harbour at Pacific, Blues at Reds,Chiefs at W Australia.(Byes: Buenos Aires, Bulls, Cats, OFS, Stormers,Sharks)
Week 8: Pacific at OFS, Reds at Cats, W Australia atBulls, Hurricanes at Sharks, Crusaders at BuenosAires, Highlanders at Stormers, ACT at NSW, Chiefs atN Harbour.(Byes: Blues, Victoria)
Week 9: Pacific at Bulls, Reds at OFS, W Australia atCats, Hurricanes at Buenos Aires, Crusaders atStormers, Highlanders at Sharks, N Harbour at Blues,NSW at Victoria(Byes: Chiefs, ACT)
Week 10: NSW at Buenos Aires, Victoria at Stormers,ACT at Sharks, Chiefs at Cats, Blues at OFS, N Harbourat Bulls, Pacific at W Australia.(Byes: Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders, Reds)
Week 11: Bulls at Buenos Aires, Sharks at Cats,Stormers at OFS, Reds at Chiefs, W Australia at NHarbour, Pacific at Blues, Highlanders at NSW,Hurricanes at ACT, Crusaders at Victoria.
Week 12: Stormers at Buenos Aires, Cats at Bulls,Sharks at OFS, NSW at Pacific, Victoria at Reds, WAustralia at ACT, Chiefs at Hurricanes, Crusaders atHighlanders.(Byes: Blues, N Harbour)
Week 13: OFS at Buenos Aires, Bulls at Sharks,Stormers at Cats, ACT at Pacific, Reds at W Australia,N Harbour at Highlanders, Chiefs at Crusaders, Bluesat Hurricanes.(Byes: NSW, Victoria)
Week 14: Cats at Buenos Aires, Sharks at Stormers, OFSat Bulls, Victoria at Pacific, W Australia at NSW, ACTat Reds, Hurricanes at N Harbour, Crusaders at Blues,Highlanders at Chiefs.
Week 15: Buenos Aires at Sharks, Bulls at Stormers,Cats at OFS, Reds at Pacific, Victoria at W Australia,NSW at ACT, N Harbour at Chiefs, Hurricanes atCrusaders, Blues at Highlanders.
Week 16: Stormers at NSW, Sharks at Victoria, BuenosAires at ACT, Cats at Pacific, Bulls at Reds, OFS at WAustralia, N Harbour at Crusaders, Chiefs at Blues,Highlanders at Hurricanes.
Week: 17: Stormers at ACT, Sharks at NSW, Buenos Airesat Victoria, Cats at N Harbour, Bulls at Blues, OFS atChiefs.(Byes: Hurricanes, Crusaders, Highlanders, Reds,Pacific, W Australia)
Week 18: Stormers at Hurricanes, Sharks at Crusaders,Buenos Aires at Highlanders, Cats at Blues, Bulls atChiefs, OFS at N Harbour, NSW at Reds, ACT atVictoria, W Australia at Pacific.
Week 19: Wildcard playoffs - lowest ranked conferencewinner hosts lowest ranked conference runner-up;highest ranked conference runner-up hosts secondranked conference runner-up.
Week 20: Semi-finals: Two highest ranked conferencewinners host winners of Week 19 playoffs.
Week 21: FINAL

* Argentina and the Pacific Islanders will be added to the Tri Nations, which will be reduced to a single round of games.

* Pacific 5 Nations fixtures will be awarded test status, with the A teams (or age-restricted sides) of New Zealand and Australia being recognised as national teams.

* Biennial Northern and Southern Hemisphere tournaments will be established to slot in between World Cups. The former will involve the 6 Nations, joined by the top two 6 Nations B teams, two North American qualifiers, and the Asian champion and runner-up, drawn in four groups of three, leading to semis and a final. The latter will involve the Tri Nations, joined by the South American champion and runner-up, the Pacific Islands champion and runner-up, and the African champion, in two groups of four leading to semis and a final. The Northern Hemisphere champion will meet its Southern Hemisphere counterpart in a 'World Crown' game at a venue such as Tokyo.

NB: The last idea would replace the traditional Autumn internationals, and would be a preferable option, from the perspective of developing the international game, to those being mooted by the IRB and elite playing nations.