Domestic Rugby seasons at the half-way point

As 2023 comes to a close, the major professional rugby unions in Europe reach the mid-point of their busy seasons.

England’s Gallagher Premiership Rugby has 9 rounds under its belt with Bath, Sale Sharks, Northampton Saints and Exeter Chiefs occupying the top 4 slots - so far. Sale have 1 more win but Bath’s excellent performance in gaining 8 bonus points (for scoring tries and narrow defeats) puts them ahead, by 1 point. With only a 12 point gap between #1 and #8 in the 10-team league, there is still everything to play for. The last weekend in calendar year 2023 sees all 10 teams in action with Northampton vs. Sale and Leicester vs. Bath as the marquee matches. (TV coverage - The Rugby Network)

The United Rugby Championship (top clubs from Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Italy and S. Africa) plays round 9 of 18 “pool” matches this weekend with teams playing their local competition for the second week in a row in deference to the family-focused holiday season. After 8 rounds, Irish powerhouse Leinster are in first place with Glasgow Warriors, Italy’s Benetton Rugby and the South African Vodacom Bulls all close behind. (TV coverage - Flo Rugby)

France’s Top 14 has played 10 of its 20 pool stage matches with Racing 92 on top, followed by Pyrenees club Section Paloise and Stade Francais Paris. While the French professional rugby is reckoned to be one of the best in the world, it is noteworthy that 4 major teams (Racing, Toulon, Stade Francais and Rochelais) have struggled thus far in the Investec Champions Cup against other European rivals.

To come:

The Six Nations tournament (England, France, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Italy) gets under way the first weekend of February, the 5-match series ending with all 3 final matches on Saturday, March 16. (TV coverage - NBC’s Peacock)

Super Rugby Pacific featuring the top professional clubs from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga starts on February 22 as those countries move into their winter season.

European Rugby gets underway

The Investec Champions Cup, aka the European Rugby Champions Cup saw its 2023/24 season get underway the first 2 weeks of December. Formerly sponsored by Heineken, this annual competition pits the best professional clubs from the English Premiership, France’s Top 14 and the United Rugby Championship (including South African sides since last season) against each other.

24 clubs in 4 pools play 4 matches in the round robin phase before moving to the knockout stage starting in April 2024. At that time, 16 teams will compete to reach the final in London on May 25 of that year.

Taking time off from their regular league play, the 24 teams played 2 consecutive weekends against different opponents and while early days, the power teams are starting to emerge:

7 teams have 2-0 records: Northampton Saints, Union Bordeaux-Begles, Exeter Chiefs, Bath, Stade Toulousian, Leinster and Leicester Tigers. 6 Teams have ground to make up starting the competition 0-2: Connacht, RC Toulon, Stade Francais Paris, Stade Rochelais, Racing 92 and Cardiff Rugby.

Refereeing note: In a welcome development for fans, the referee in Sunday’s Harlequins vs. Stade Toulousain match penalized the French team’s scrum half, Antoine Dupont early in the first half for taking too long to use the ball from a ruck. How many times do spectators hear the plaintive “use it” bellowed by the ref while teams organize their caterpillars. The referee is instructed to move the game along at a decent clip and penalize any unnatural/unnecessary delays - this was the first time I’d seen this and speaks well of the future.

Team note: French star #9 Dupont will not be seen in the Six Nations this season as he is preparing to represent France in Rugby 7s at the Paris Olympics. No doubt he is hoping to win a larger prize in front of his home crowd after the disappointment of the World Cup.

Another Olympic Note: The U.S. is the reigning Rugby 15s champion at the Olympics having taken home the gold in 1924, the last time it was played in that format. Rugby 7s was introduced in 2016.

Premiership Rugby, the URC and France’s Top 14 all restart their campaigns on Friday, December 22.

English Premiership Update: Week 8

Nearly halfway through the shortened, 10-team Premiership season, a couple of things are clear:

1 - English rugby from a performance point of view is in good shape, following on from a better-then-expected World Cup result (bronze medal). Recent matches have been of very high quality with lots of tries - great for spectators.

2 - But, organizationally, English rugby is facing major challenges; financially challenged clubs; and now two well-known faces in the game, England and Saracens Captain Owen Farrell and International Referee Wayne Barnes making decisions about their careers due to intolerable pressures off the pitch (more later).

LATEST RESULTS:

Results so far see some familiar names at the top of the League table but with 8 of 18 games played, there is plenty of time for some of the slower starters to put in a surge. The top 8 (out of 10) teams have only 10 points between them and the top 6 only 4 pts - remember, a bonus points win (4+ tries) earns 5 points and clubs receive a losing bonus points for being within 7 points of the winner and/or scoring 4 or more tries themselves. This explains why the top 5 clubs each have 5 wins and 3 losses but different points totals. Only 1 has 6 wins.

Going into the break, Sale Sharks are on top with 27 points, tied with Bath who despite a better points differential, are in second having lost to Sale in November. Harlequins are #3 with 26 pts, Saracens #4 with 25, Northampton Saints #5 with 25 and Exeter Chiefs #6 with 23. Leicester Tigers with a 4-4 record and 20 pts and Bristol Bears (3-5) 17 points are not far behind.

The first round of the Investec Champions Cup starts on Friday, December 8. This European & South African club tournament pits the top 8 teams from the Premiership, URC and Top 14 (France) arranged in four pools of 6 teams. Rounds 1 and 2 are played in December with 2 more in January and the knockout matches will be played in April and May (final in London on May 25, 2024). The English premiership resumes on Friday, December 22.

INTOLERABLE PRESSURES

Wayne Barnes, the 44-year-old referee, announced his retirement from the game after the recent World Cup. While it appears to be a pre-mediated decision - he has spent 3 decades as a referee and what better time to retire than after refereeing the biggest game in the sport, the World Cup Final - his clear comments about the need to identify and prevent abuse of referees in the game are a sad punctuation mark on a terrific career. Not only is he regarded as one of the best to have graced the sport with his emphasis on communication and deep knowledge of the game AND the players, but he has illustrated just how positive refereeing can enhance the game. The idea that his departure can be hastened by mindless thugs who threatened him, his wife and his kids because they didn’t like the RWC Final result should send a chill down the spines of rugby’s global leaders. Other sports have problems with outrageous and dangerous fan behavior, something rugby has managed to avoid until now.

Owen Farrell is another casualty of the intensity of rugby right now. Announcing he is taking time out from his international career - while continuing to play for and captain Saracens - he mentioned the need to “protect his and his family’s mental health”. Having attended the RWC23 Quarter Final between England and Argentina in Marseille in October, and listened to boos that rained down on him when his name was announced - mainly from England fans - I can understand why he might say “who needs this ….”? His record speaks for itself and his long performance for both club and country has been one of absolute commitment, through thick and thin.

Both of these top-class professionals have been performing at the peak of their skills for many years and it is disappointing to see the reaction from the mindless minority when things don’t go their way. It makes me laugh when players whine about decisions on the pitch - like they never make mistakes? And to hear spectators abuse players and referees from their seats is equally absurd. Sure we’re disappointed if our team loses and frustrated if participants haven’t performed at their best. But we’re in the stands and not on the pitch because we never got to the level these people perform at. Applaud their achievements and accept the outcome.

Don’t forget to turn out the lights

After 7 weeks and 1 day of competition, the Rugby World Cup 2023, hosted by France, has come to a close. It ended, in Saturday’s Final between South Africa and New Zealand with neither a bang nor a whimper. It was a riveting game which could have gone either way but was won by four penalties rather than thrilling tries. It was won by the slimmest of margins by a Springboks team that had survived the two previous knockout rounds by the same single point, against comparably tough opposition, the French hosts in the QF and a resurgent England in the Semis.

There has been plenty of comment about Sam Cane’s red card and Siya Kolisi’s yellow for a similar offense but that situation, which arguably affected the outcome of the match (despite New Zealand’s heroic, 14-man effort) is a stark reflection of the debate going on within the game today. How fitting, perhaps, that the biggest match in a 4-year span should be affected by the most important component in the game today - player safety.

But in many ways it was a fitting climax to a terrific tournament which, at its start, had at least 4 teams who had the potential and/or the form to go all the way and World Rugby and the hosts should feel proud of such a successful event. According to World Rugby a cumulative 2.4 million people attended the 48 matches on display. The global broadcast audience was calculated to be 800 million: both of these statistics were new records for this relatively young quadrennial event (it started in 1987). The average attendance across all 9 venues all over France was over 50,000 and tickets for the vast majority of games were tough to find, especially for the “bigger” teams.

In addition to spectator “firsts” at least 2 of the Tier 2 countries could feel happy on the journey home: Chile entered the competition for the 1st time having edged out the USA in the qualifiers by a South Africa-esque margin; and Portugal won their 1st match in the World Cup beating World #10 and eventual quarter finalist, Fiji. Fiji too, are challenging the top nations and may even be disappointed that they didn’t go further, losing to England in the quarters.

So the Springboks won, again (they beat in England in the 2019 Final in Tokyo) and look very comfortable with the way they turn up for the biggest of games. They also have the most World Cup triumphs, 4, edging out the All Blacks with whom they were tied at 3, until the 28th of October.

So what’s next?

Fans of the Rugby World Cup will turn their attention to 2027 and the tournament in Australia but there is much to enjoy before then, including a British and Irish Lions tour Down Under in 2025 and the normal calendar of club and international rugby that entertains us every year.

Players for European and South African clubs will go straight back to work as the season is already underway for the English Premiership, France’s Top 14 and the multi-country United Rugby Championship. One hopes that some of them will get a brief break after the rigors of the World Cup but hopefuls for Six Nations caps can’t rest too long - the competition starts on February 2.

Super Rugby in the Southern hemisphere (clubs from New Zealand, Australia and the Pacific Islands) does not start until February 22nd so many of those players will get a well-earned rest, having played the World Cup right at the end of regular season.

While the French and URC leagues look sound, the same cannot be said for the English Premiership which lost 3 clubs last season due to financial woes. There will be intense scrutiny on the remaining 10 clubs this season, some of whom are rumored to be struggling. After a strong showing in the World Cup, English rugby looks good. Some of the young players who were given a chance to shine at RWC represent a strong future for English rugby - hopefully, renewed attention being paid to the health of the club system will guarantee them a sound platform from which to excel.

The Six Nations 2024 will have some additional spice coming after the World Cup and the disappointing showing of the Northern hemisphere nations, two of whom were favorites to bring home the trophy. Ireland and France will be keen to put some silverware in the cabinet and England will feel refreshed from their better-than-expected finish. Scotland, who failed to get into the knockout stage also will be out for revenge.

RWC’s future hosts

Australia are hosts of the 2027 Rugby World Cup and they will be more than anxious to turn the page on their worst ever performance in 2023. This was the first time the Wallabies had failed to make the knockout stage so the 2-time RWC Champions have a lot to do to impress local fans, increasingly distracted by the strength of Aussie Rules Football and Rugby League.

Similarly, USA Rugby must now take a hard look at the system for domestic rugby development with its early-stage pro game and widely dispersed club format. 2031 (2033 for the Women’s World Cup) is around the corner and a system that promotes top talent alongside college players through robust national competition is essential if America wants to perform well. This will be only the second time a World Cup has been held outside of the Tier 1 nations (Japan in 2019 was the first) and a good showing, both in terms of player participation/quality plus strong local spectator interest will be key to the long-term health of the game.

It all comes down to this

So, the stage is set for the last games of the 2023 Rugby World Cup. After 7 weeks and 46 matches of top-flight rugby, with 20 teams from all over the world competing for silverware, respectability or both, the two finalists will clash on Saturday, October 28 at the Stade de France in Paris.

But first, the two losing semi-finalists, England and Argentina will play for the bronze medal in a repeat of a Pool stage match that opened each team’s account back in early September. Argentina, who lost comprehensively to the resurgent All Blacks take on an England side that was burdened by low expectations but which ran the Springboks very, very close in last weekend’s Semi-Final. Argentina have maintained their elite ranking with their performance in this World Cup, reaching the semi-finals for the third time in their history (3rd in 2007 and 4th in 2015). England have never been 3rd in the competition having been losing finalists 3 times (1991, 2007, 2019), 4th in 1995, and Champions in 2003. England in particular have much to play for; the relatively dismal performance in the last two Six Nations competitions seems to be receding in the rear-view mirror with this World Cup performance and the team will want to finish the 2023 international season on a high note, laying down a marker to the home nations about next year’s competition.

The Final, between New Zealand’s All Blacks and South Africa’s Springboks features two of the world’s pre-eminent sides, in a rivalry that dates back over 100 years. In World Cup history they have faced each 5 times before this final with New Zealand having a slight 3-2 edge. South Africa won their only appearance in a Final, winning 15-12 at home in 1995. The Springboks won once more in Wales (1999) while New Zealand won the last 3 World Cup encounters in 2003 (Australia), 2015 (London) and 2019 (Japan). Of course, there are a host of other match results from the annual southern hemisphere Rugby Championship (formerly Tri-Nations) with New Zealand having won 62, South Africa 39 and four draws.

However, that record means little in a World Cup Final with the added spice of South Africa playing as defending Champions (beating England in Tokyo in 2019) and both teams playing for the title of most World Cup trophies - they are tied at 3 each.

Viewers in America will be able to see the Final on CNBC at 3:00 PM Eastern, 12 Noon Pacific on Saturday, October 28 and all of the 48 matches can be seen on NBC’s Peacock streaming service (for a fee).

Well, we didn’t see THAT coming!

After a weekend of rugby that included what will be considered two of the best clashes in first-class rugby history, we have the time to sit back and ponder the implications of what just took place.

Short version: two favorites beaten and on their way home, dazed and confused; three of the four semi-final slots are southern hemisphere teams with England being the lone northern hemisphere representative.

Long version: four matches of which none were settled until the closing moments. A fantastic spectacle of spectator sport, which is after all the whole idea. Yes, winning is what all of these teams want to do and they have different ways of trying to achieve that aim, but if you can thrill the crowd and have pundits talking about the best halves of play EVER, something is going very right. Hats off to all 8 teams, they did us proud.

Wales v. Argentina: 17-29. Arguably the least nail-biting of the four QFs but a match of consequence nonetheless. Wales perhaps favored after a renaissance of play in the tournament (like England they have been off their best in recent months) but Argentina’s strength and absolute commitment won the day, with 2 converted tries and 5 penalties against 2 converted tries and just 1 three-pointer for Wales.

Ireland v. New Zealand: 24-28. The top-ranked team in the world playing against what had been a sub-par All Blacks team in earlier rounds, but not any more. The Kiwis came out hard and opened up and early lead before Ireland scored their first points and kept the lead for the match. But Ireland continued to press, only down by 1 at the half. Despite losing two players at different times to yellow cards, the All Blacks kept their composure withstanding a massive assault by Ireland in the closing minutes of the game. In a period of over 35 phases, Ireland were unable to break down the New Zealanders and saw the curse of the quarter-finals continue. A sad end to Johnny Sexton’s glittering career but for the spectators, a night to remember.

England v. Fiji: 30-24. England have not looked comfortable when challenged seriously for the last several months and although the first half went well, the Fijians, who had beaten England at Twickenham in a summer “friendly”, caught up in the second half and only a drop goal and a penalty late in the game saw England squeak a win.

France v. South Africa: 28-29. Another titanic battle, this time the defending champions against the host country in the Stade de France in Paris. In the first half, the speed and intensity of the French play overwhelmed the South Africans but they hung on with their backs scoring sensational tries. France were ahead until the last moments of the game when fly half Pollard slotted a 52 meter penalty to crush French hopes. In all, France scored 3 tries (2 converted) and 3 penalties while the Springboks scored 4 tries (3 converted) and only 1 penalty. Key moment: Springboks winger Cheslin Kolbe charged down a conversion attempt by Ramos, the France #15 - those two points lost would prove to be crucial in a 1-point victory.

So after the Quarters were settled the consequences of the Pool selections came into stark relief: The two top favorites, Ireland by virtue of their #1 ranking and France as the powerful hosts, were out, defeated in two matches that should have been Semi-finals and would have graced a Final. And, two teams from the lower ranks of the elite international teams, England and Argentina, were given an unexpected chance of a berth in the Final. And on a geographic note, at the start of the weekend there were hopes that rugby could see 4 northern hemisphere teams in the Semi-Finals for the forst time in rugby history - in all 4 matches the northern teams were given a good chance of winning. Imagine the dismay when only 1, England, survived.

On to the Semis!

“Everyone out of the pool”

So now the tournament moves on to the knockout phase where every match is one-and-done and the time for experimentation is over.

The results of the pool phases have, for the most part panned out as expected; the top 4 teams in the world are through and the other four contestants are not too surprising, although Scotland and Australia, already on their way home must feel some remorse. Scotland, having been drawn in the same pool as Ireland and South Africa; and Australia having had a dismal tournament. Among the qualifiers, England must feel a sense of relief having looked remarkably unconvincing in their pool matches. The magnificant semi-final against the All Blacks in 2019 in Japan seems a lot more than 4 years ago.

However, the winners and runners-up of Pools C & D (Wales; Fiji; England & Argentina) have a wonderful opportunity to advance in this tournament further than perhaps they deserved or expected. The ramifications of the Pool selection process held in December 2020 are in full view - the top 4 teams - Ireland; South Africa; France; New Zealand - have to play each other in the Quarter-Finals with only 2 advancing to the Semis. It is possible that those 2 may meet again in the Final but two teams from the other half, perhaps Wales and England have a chance too. In a perfectly seeded competition, the top 4 teams would meet in the Semi-Finals and sadly, that cannot happen in this competition.

Saturday, October 14 sees Wales play Argentina’s Pumas in Marseille at 5:00PM (local) and Ireland play New Zealand’s All Blacks at 9:00PM in Paris.

Sunday, October 15 sees England play Fiji in Marseille at 5:00PM and hosts France play South Africa’s Springboks at 9:00PM in Paris.

A fine weekend of rugby that will select the 4 Semi-Finalists: the October 14th winners will play on Friday, October 20 and the October 15th winners will play on Saturday, October 21, heading for the Final on October 28th, all at Stade de France in Paris.

Enjoy!

Pool matches - the final weekend

With the majority of pool games complete, the tournament moves into the final weekend with some interesting outcomes yet to be decided.

France and New Zealand emphasized their superiority in Group A with emphatic wins over Italy and Uruguay respectively but Pools B, C and D have yet to determine who will fill out the remaining slots in the Quarter Finals.

Both of Pool B’s representatives could be decided by the result in Saturday night’s Ireland vs. Scotland game which promises to be a thriller for just about everyone, including South Africa. It doesn’t seem likely that the Springboks can fail to move on although there could be a 3-way tie on 15 points if Scotland win a bonus point victory, and Ireland score a loser’s bonus point. That would invite comparions of point differentials and head-to-head results to decide the outcome. Slightly more likely (although against the grain of Ireland’s performance thus far) woud be a Scotland 5-point victory elimiinating the Irish.and tossing them out of the competition. For Scotland, that is the only meaningful result.

In Pool C, Wales are already through but Australia must wait to see what happens between Fiji and Portugal on Sunday. A win or a draw is enough for Fiji to eliminate the Wallabies who must be mightily disappointed at their performance in this World, Cup. But while Portugal only have a draw to their name in the first 3 games, their performance has been robust and they have enough power in their game to make the Fijians a tad nervous.

And in Pool D either Japan or Argentina, tied on points and who play each other also on Sunday, could join England in the Quarters. Winner takes all but a draw favors Argentina who have a better point difference.

Reflections on RWC23 Week 2

Fourteen games were played between Saturday, September 16 and the 24th, confirming some teams’ progress toward the quarter-finals and dashing the hopes of others.

Four teams have a perfect 3-win record so far: hosts France; Ireland (following a key win against South Africa); Wales; and England.

New Zealand and South Africa each have a loss but are expected to make the quarters.

Teams who are flirting with disaster but may still pull the cat out of the bag include Australia (1W - 2L); Scotland (1 - 1); and Argentina (1-1).

Teams who are in the hunt but need some luck from pool team results PLUS good performances include: Italy (2 - 0); Fiji (1 - 1); and Samoa (1 - 1).

Biggest surprises of the period came from the severe injury to France #9 Antoine Dupont, who sustained a facial fracture in the win over Namibia, and Australia’s miserable World Cup thus far.

Latest results:

Pool A: Italy 38 - Uruguay 17; France 96 - Namibia 0;

Pool B: Ireland 59 - Tonga 16; South Africa 76 - Romania 0; South Africa 8 - Ireland 13; Scotland 45 - Tonga 17

Pool C: Wales 28 - Portugal 8; Australia 15 - Fiji 22; Georgia 18 - Portugal 18; Wales 40 - Australia 6

Pool D: Samoa 43 - Chile 10; England 34 - Japan 12; England 71 - Chile 0:

The top two teams battle in the Pool Stages

On a cool Saturday night in Paris, Ireland and South Africa met in a thrilling Pool B match that might, just might be repeated in the Final.

The number 1 and number 2-ranked teams in the world put on a nail-biting display of force and speed that yielded few points and could have gone either way until the last 5 minutes of the encounter. True, Ireland seemed to have the majority of the possession and were constantly pressuring the Sopringboks close to their line. But the 13-8 score will be disappointing to the South Africans given they left 11 points on the field through a missed conversion and three penalties. So, should they meet again, it promises to be a mouth-watering encounter.

For sheer volume and general enthusiasm, can anyone beat the Irish fans? It was difficult to tell relative numbers at the stadium given the Springboks wear green too (and changed to white for this encounter), but what an atmosphere! The opening ceremony and game between France and New Zealand on September 8 was dominated by an amazing French crowd but if, as expected, the Irish continue to march through this tournament, their fans will provide a 16th man - where are we? Dublin?

Reflections on the first week

The first week is over and 10 games have been played - no major shocks, but some closer games than anticipated and some sighs of relief for some nervous fans.

The Eiffel Tower on a rugby pitch

France, as hosts, kicked off the tournament at a rocking Stade de France with a defeat of number 4 seed, New Zealand. After an interesting if somewhat baffling opening ceremony that celebrated France’s artistic approach to life, Les Bleus survived an uneasy first half and moved ahead decisively in the second half winning 27-13. The result is unlikely to change the outlook of both teams making the quarter finals but France must be disappointed to lose their hooker to injury at the start of the event.

Anyone got a key?

The logistics of organizing events attended by eighty-plus thousand spectators at Stade de France in Paris and more than sixty thousand at the Velodrome in Marseille are not easy, and for the most part, everything worked out OK. However, a couple of issues arose during the first weekend that were surprising; spectators for the England/Argentina game in Marseille on the first Saturday queued for a long time to get into the ground. With the constant press of new fans arriving every minute it was both uncomfortable and, with steep steps involved, potentially dangerous. (The next night, for the South Africa vs. Scotland match, access to the ground was much smoother.) But perhaps more alarming to the average rugby fan was that both locations ran out of beer by half-time! Given that temperatures were much higher than usual at around 80-85F, consumption was no doubt higher, but really?

Stade de Marseille - football and rugby

But overall the facilities are fine and there isn’t a bad view in the house. It is obvious, especially in Marseille, that local support for sports including rugby is strong and the facilities provided by the municipality help clubs attract large crowds and focus their expenditures on players not assets used sparingly throughout the year. Hopefully, there will be some useful analysis coming out of the French Rugby World Cup that focuses on the structure of their professional game, in comparison to the currently stressed English clubs and the embryonic American pro system that is in its infancy.

First week results:

Pool A: France 27 - All Blacks 23; Italy 52 - Namibia 8; France 27 - Uruguay 12; All Blacks 71 - Namibia 3

Pool B: Ireland 82 - Romania 8; South Africa 18 - Scotland 3

Pool C: Australia 35 - Georgia 15; Wales 32 - Fiji 26

Pool D: England 27 - Argentina 10; Japan 42 - Chile 12

Latest World Rankings

World Rugby/Cap Gemini release the latest rankings ahead of Friday’s RWC Opening Ceremony

In a final reshuffle of the deck before the tournament gets underway, the latest rankings confirm the impact of this summer’s warm-up games, potentially adding some extra spice to spectator banter and bragging rights. Of particular note:

1) Ireland 6) Argentina

2) South Africa 7) Fiji

3) France 8) England

4) New Zealand 9) Australia

5) Scotland 10) Wales

While the powerhouse nations at the top of the global game retain their top 4 status, the weaker performance of other teams during the last two seasons has made the Pool picks selected in December 2020 look decidedly out of wack. The top 5 teams (Ireland, South Africa, France, New Zealand and Scotland) are all in one half of the draw, meaning three will not be in the semi-finals. That is no doubt a relief to the undeperforming English, Australian and Welsh squads and offers a wonderful opportunity to the now consistently strong Argentine team. However, spectators might feel slightly disgruntled that the picks were made so far in advance of the tournament when the rankings had some marked differences. In December 2020, the top teams were:

1) South Africa; 2) England; 3) New Zealand; 4) France (up from 7th a year earlier); 5) Ireland; 6) Australia; 7) Scotland (9th); 8) Argentina; 9) Wales (down from 4th); 10) Japan. Fiji were ranked 11th. What a difference 2 1/2 years makes and given the improved performance of the “Tier 2” nations (Fiji and Georgia, for example), Pool selctions closer to the actual tournament become a matter of reality, and fairness.

Rugby participation

Friday, September 1st saw a publication from World Rugby (www.world.rugby) citing a rapid expansion in participation rates in the sport of rugby around the world since 2022.

According to their report, 8.46 million people now participate in the sport, an 11% increase on 2022 levels now across 132 national member unions.

Male and female active, registered players grew by 26% and 38% respectively; 57% of all players are pre-teen of which 24% are girls. The number of clubs has increased by over 30% globally with especially strong growth in emerging nations.

Influences on these growth numbers include a recovery in participation post-COVID, enthusiasm for the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2021 (played in 2022) which smashed all previous attendance and viewership records; strong market awareness for this fall’s Men’s Rugby World Cup in France; and aggressive implementation of Covid-aware and Community law variations and lowered tackle-height recommendations.

World Rugby applauded the innovations coming into the game and thanked the huge groups of community rugby volunteers who help make this possible. Plans for long-term sustainable growth will continue to be developed, focusing on retention of existing platers as well as attracting new participants at all levels of the game.

The run-up to the tournament

Two surprises have hit the rugby world in the last 2 weeks before the tournament kicks off in Paris:

England have continued their poor performance of recent seasons with a shocking loss to Fiji (22-30) at Twickenham on August 26, capping a miserable run of match results ( 5 losses in 6 games)that will encourage little optimism for their chances in France.

New Zealand’s All Blacks, after an inconsistent string of matches that recently had shown promise, were taken apart by South Africa (35-7) in their final preparation for the big stage, also at Twickenham Stadium in London.

True, England have been beset by problems in the preparation period: red cards for ill discipline for two key players, captrain Owen Farrell and #8, Billy Vinupola that resulted in bans that delaying their appearances in the World Cup; and injuries to key players such as Anthony Watson and first-choice scrum half, Jack van Poortvliet (both out for the whole World Cup) and first-choice regulars Kyle Sinckler, Tom Curry, Eliot Daly and Henry Arundell. But the loss to Fiji for the first time ever at home must have the Argentine Pumas licking their lips for the first pool stage match on September 9 in Marseille.

Due to the lighter competition in their pool and their half of the main draw, England may still pull a rabbit out of the hat and advance to the semi-final (Wales, Australia, Argentina and now Fiji stand in their way), but New Zealand have a much tougher challenge right from the first whistle. The route to the knockout stages looks achievable, France being their strongest opponent in Pool A, but the Quarter Finals will bring them face to face with either South Africa, Ireland or even Scotland, all of whom have been on excellent form of late.

England will be ruing their missed opportunities over the last few weeks and even have a surprising apathy to contend with from their supporters; while England mamaged to get 50,000 + fans in to Twickenham for their match against Fiji, the Springboks vs. All Blacks match was sold out, with over 80,000 in attendance at the same stadium.

Observations from RWC 2023

Over the next several weeks, I will be attending some cracking matches in France, in the cities of Paris, Marseille and Lyon. I will be seeing some of the best teams in the world battle it out in the pool stages and see two of the Quarter Finals taking place in Marseille. My intention is to post my experiences at this festival of rugby, with some observations about what it might mean for each teams future in the tournament, all from the perspective of a spectator. Watch this space!

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The Opening Ceremony

Test, test

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2023 Round-Up Of Six Nations, Gallagher, Heineken, and URC

With three exciting finals the Northern Hemisphere's 2022/23 professional rugby season has drawn to a close, providing plenty of fodder for Rugby World Cup pundits ahead of this summer’s warm-up matches.

SIX NATIONS

Of course, the 2023 Six Nations Championship provided plenty of talking points with Ireland (1) and France (2) dominating, Scotland finishing a strong 3rd, England (4) disappointing at the start of Steve Borthwick’s reign, and Wales limping into 5th with Warren Gatland unable to repeat his previous successes, for now. Italy won the wooden spoon again but have some great young players starting to make their mark.

Opponents from the southern hemisphere at this year’s RWC will be paying especially close attention to the combination of power and speed the Irish and French have in their games that has taken them to number 1 and 2 in the world rankings.

GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP

In an historic season, for all the wrong reasons, the Gallagher Premiership nonetheless provided a feast of rugby for spectators and lots to think about for England's selectors, providing some tricky problems in some key positions. The problem, simply, is not an absence of talent, but whom to pick from a long list of standout players, especially in the back row of the scrum and in the 9 and 10 roles.

The season was notable for several positive reasons including an emphatic return by Saracens, recently relegated for salary-cap offenses but back at the top of the English game, winning the regular season on points and defeating league runner-up Sale in the Premiership final. Leicester, last season’s champions, were third in the table and lost in the semi-final to Sale, while fourth-place Northampton Saints fell to Saracens in the second semi-final.

A bigger, much less encouraging problem was the unprecedented departure of two teams during the season due to financial difficulties - Worcester Warriors and Wasps, and the announcement of London Irish going into administration (meaning the club is insolvent) at the end of the season.

This highlights the great dichotomy taking place in English rugby these days: a top quality, highly entertaining product on the pitch; and complete disarray off it (rumors suggest that there are more English clubs with financial problems). While the French club game is in strong shape, helped by municipal ownership of major stadiums and lucrative TV rights, the same cannot be said for clubs in England. Competition for the top players worldwide has created an arms race in salaries that many clubs struggle to compete with and selling tickets at the turnstile does not provide enough revenue to compensate. Ultimately, this season’s developments require a major restructuring in the rugby “pyramid” that provides players with a real future in the game, and spectators with a high quality product.

(While preparations for the World Cup will dominate the airwaves during the summer, the perilous state of the Premiership, reduced to 10 teams for the 2023/24 season will be under the microscope as soon as the RWC is over.)

Heineken Champions Cup

The competition pits the top club teams from the European region and South Africa’s leagues in a season-long tournament - qualification depends on the club’s position in their domestic league the year before. 24 clubs are divided into 2 pools of 12 and play 4 matches. The top 8 teams in each pool move to the round of 16 for the knockout phase, single matches played up to and including a final.

This season, in what was described as one of the best games of rugby seen in years, Stade Rochelais beat Leinster, in what was effectively a home match for the Irish team, in Dublin (the venue for the final is selected before the participants are known), winning by 1 point, 27-26, in a come-from-behind thriller. On display were the best teams from the top 2 countries in the world and the fact that both teams were stacked with players likely to be selected for RWC duty by Ireland and France was not lost on the millions of spectators who tuned in for the game.

United Rugby Championship

Comprising 4 pools of club teams from 5 countries (Ireland, South Africa, Wales, Scotland + Italy) each team plays 6 matches in the pool stage, home and away, against the other 3 teams in their pool. The top 8 teams enter into a knockout phase of QF, SF and Final.

In a tight match hosted by the defending champions, DHL Stormers in Cape Town, Munster scored a late try to win their first trophy since 2011 with a 19-14 final score. On this occasion, even home field advantage for the Stormers wasn’t enough to see off an Irish team that had beaten them, again in Cape Town, in April during the regular season.

Note: South African teams first played in the URC in the 2021/22 season and in the Heineken Champions Cup in 2022/23 after many years of Super Rugby, Super 14 and Super 12 competition against other southern hemisphere clubs from Australia and New Zealand. So far, their participation in these northern hemisphere competitions is regarded as a success, notwithstanding the huge distances traveled.

Rugby World Cup 2023

+ World Cup Preparations - Warm-up matches; Bledisloe; Rugby Championship

A heavy schedule of “friendly” matches and the southern hemisphere’s annual Rugby Championship (RC) fixtures, including Bledisloe Cup (BC) action between Australia and New Zealand, will provide spectators with a feast of rugby as an appetizer for the World Cup. This will also give the national team coaches the chance to refine their squads - 33 player names to be provided to World Rugby by September 1.

Of course, with a grueling World Cup schedule coming up (the “final four” will play 7 matches in total), fitness and conditioning will be key. Inevitable injuries during the summer warm-up phase will no doubt cause heart-burn and last-minute changes in World Cup squads.

Some major fixtures during the summer include (France’s club season finishes July 14):

Date	Match 1	Match 2	Note
Jul 8	S. Africa vs. Australia	Argentina vs. New Zealand	(RC)
Jul 15	New Zealand vs. S. Africa	Australia vs. Argentina	(RC)
Jul 29	Australia vs. New Zealand (BC)	S. Africa vs. Argentina	(RC)
Aug 5	New Zealand vs. Australia (BC)	Argentina vs. S. Africa
	Scotland vs. France	Ireland vs. Italy
Aug 12	England vs. Wales	France vs. Scotland
Aug 18	Ireland vs. England
Aug 19	France vs. Fiji	Wales vs. S. Africa
Aug 25	New Zealand vs. S. Africa (at Twickenham Stadium, England)
Aug 26	England vs. Fiji
Aug 27	France vs. Australia
Sep 9	Rugby World Cup Opening Ceremony at Stade de France in Paris
Sep 9	First match - France vs. New Zealand @ 9:00 PM