Nations which have gone backwards

[dimitri]

besides nations which have previously been in world cups and have not made it this time

eg ivory coast

i think the team which has gone backwards the most is WALES

gee they look ordinary


also USA never seems to get any better

 

[CanadianSteve]

Unfortunately my country seems to have gone backwards. We have always won 1 game in previous WC's, and last year we beat the US twice, Scotland (admittedly under-strength) once, and won the WC qualifying round. Now it looks as if we may not win one this Cup, and the team is a bad mix of over the hill veterans and inexperienced young amateur players.

 

[iggy plop]

besides nations which have previously been in world cups and have not made it this time

eg ivory coast

i think the team which has gone backwards the most is WALES

gee they look ordinary


also USA never seems to get any better

Every country except Japan and England. Everyone will bar up about Georgia getting within 30 points of South Africa B, but I can't see why. Even so-called strong yawnion countries like Wales and Scotland are total crap.

Should have been a 12 team world cup.

 

[MR GEORGE]

i think australia has took a couple of steps back too.

 

[incredible_holc]

obviously Tonga has gone back. They didnt ever used to be that crap did they?

 

[Blade]

I had the first opportunity in many years to watch the US side a couple of days ago now, and they were downright appalling.

Canada are not much better either.

It's sad that two countries with so much potential - on all levels - are performing below ordinary.

 

[iggy plop]

A lot of the games have been of an appalling standard and I'm being serious here. Even the middle of the road teams have been rubbish.

What about Fiji - a shambles.

Bring on the semis!!! Puleeeesseee!!

 

[weasel]

I think it's understandable that teams have gone backwards. One word: professionalism. In the first three world cups it was still an amateur sport and amateur vs amateur is always much more likely to produce an upset or at least a close match than professional vs semi-professional. Granted the 99 World Cup was possibly more competitive but at that stage professionalism had only been around for three years and the younger pool of players that had been developed as professionals had yet to come through. Now another four years on we've got a situation where fully professional players have been playing in fully professional leagues for years up against amateurs, semi-professionals or professionals who are hardly outstanding in the leagues they appear in (i.e. Georgians in French League). Understandably the teams you would expect to improve the most would be New Zealand and England as they have the best two professional comps. Australia only really has three professional teams which may account for why we have gone "backwards". The lesser teams will catch up in time but the top tier teams were always going to have a headstart when the code first went professional.

 

[Blade]

...The lesser teams will catch up in time but the top tier teams were always going to have a headstart when the code first went professional.

IMHO, it'll be several Rugby World Cup's until many of the teams in this tournament "will catch up."

If to ever become competitive on a truly global scale. Sad but...

 

[Marcus]

I wouldn't say teams have gone backwards, its just the superpowers in the game are improving faster than the minnows.

A lot of the new ideas in coaching and training techniques have not been passed down to the minnows. Thats why there is a noticeable disparity between the top sides.

So really for the minnows to get better, we need the superpowers in the game to start helping out. If anyone has seen Japan play this tournament they have actually been very good in attack, the best that I have ever seen of them. Reason for this, Mark Ella is their backs coach. His experience has proven a winner for the Japanese side. All is needed is for more "Mark Ellas" to go out there and help the Georgians, Uruguayans etc.

I'm sure the IRB are looking at the tournament now and thinking that the highscores are unacceptable and something needs to be done before the next world cup arrives.

 

[dimitri]

there have been high scores at every union world cup

they have probably said the same thing after every one

but it hasnt got any better