the main goal is international growth so yes. I somewhat understand the argument on the topic of 90-0 scorelines, but it provides exposure to some of the best players in the world, that players from lower ranked nations perhaps wouldn't get playing domestic rugby in their country...
Oh absolutely. Probably the best decision World Rugby made since creating the WC. Qualifying could have been better though and I’m saying this as a Portuguese, who will likely go through a mere formality to qualify. In 2007, Portugal lost 110-13 to the All Blacks in our first time playing the WC. Rough? Yeah. Vital to grow the sport in Portugal? Definitely. Don’t underestimate the importance of these games for T2 teams.
I'm in favour of Asia getting a direct entry but feel South America merited two direct spots in a 24 team RWC. With regards to mismatches I believe we'll see either the same or better performances from tier 2 teams for three reasons 1. There'll be no teams having byes so rest between games will be even. 2. One less pool game so their depth won't be tested as much. 3. The top teams will be spread out over six pools instead of four so you might just have one game against a top six team instead of two. So any concerns about blowouts doesn't take the above into consideration.
Expanding the world cup to 24 teams pretty much means further growth into Asia and Africa beyond Japan and South Africa respectively, but yeah the elephant in the room would be the South Americans having three competitive teams beyond Los Pumas. 🇨🇱 🇺🇾 🇧🇷
Expanding the world cup is how soccer/football grew so if you want more countries interested they have to be involved and gradually raise their standards
An expansion is amazing, as rugby in Africa and South America is getting more and more competitive, although this seems to be quite the opposite in Asia sadly. Zimbabwe managed to beat 9 time champions Namibia 32-10 in the semi-finals. Algeria managed to make it through to the final, for the first time in history, beating both Ivory Coast and Kenya in the process. Zimbabwe went on to win the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup (for the second time in history) beating Algeria 29-3 in the final. Namibia managed to grab bronze, beating Kenya 38-27, but this is surprising as Namibia have won the last 6 Rugby Africa Cups. Zimbabwe are also going to call up players to pledge allegiance for Zimbabwe, including ex-Wallabies and ex-All Blacks, as well as Junior Springboks, to aid them in the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers taking place in the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup. The growth in the quality of rugby in Zimbabwe, Algeria, Kenya and Uganda (if they can get their act together) will mean Namibia will struggle a lot more to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup than they did in previous World Cup qualifying cycles...
@@russoswerve7856 Ian Prior played for Zimbabwe in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup, as flyhalf. He won two caps for Junior Wallabies in 2010 and has played over 130 games in the Super Rugby competition for three different Australian teams. Kyle Godwin is a winger who plays in the Top 14 for Lyon, and has played over 100 games in the Super Rugby competition for two different teams, and nearly 70 games in Europe for Connacht and Lyon. He has won 5 caps for Australia U20 and 1 cap for Australia back in 2016. He would've been playing, but it was his wedding during the Africa Cup. Gareth Evans in a Number 8, who's 33 years of age, and has played nearly 100 games in the Super Rugby competition. He won 1 cap for New Zealand back in 2018. Eli Snyman is a lock who plays for Benneton Rugby, and has played nearly 70 games in Europe for both Leicester Tigers and Benneton. He won 5 caps for U20 Springboks/South Africa back in 2016. Another player eligible for Zimbabwe is Dave Ewers is a back-rower for the Stormers and has played 236 games for Exeter Chiefs.
I see the benefits of growing the sport. But like your contributor said, I do worry about 90-0 scorelines and risk of injury. There needs to be pathways to help countries develop, and the media needs to cover, for example, the Rugby Europe Championship which had some terrific matches this year
Hong Kong is probably the only big money rugby nation that is yet to feature in a RWC. It makes sense for world rugby to award Asia with this slot, as they know how much potential investment into the game could follow once Hong Kong are in the tournament
Thanks for the video man. I didn't know anything about Hong Kong rugby. Very interesting. I guess I'm a bit out of the loop about the new qualifiers for the wc.
I'm in favour of expansion. Look at Georgia. They never made the 16 team world cup. They appeared at the 99 rwc and lost heavily, as did other newcomers. If we went back to 16 teams for 03 their story would have ended there. Now because they had multiple appearances the game has grown stronger roots there and they have improved to the point where people want them in the six nations. Look at Portugal. Everyone knows about their impressive showing in 2023, but how many remember their original appearance in 2007? What about Uruguay and Chile? They would never have been looked at for a 16 team tournament, but everyone respects them now. Hong Kong is looking better than ever, they are playing more matches, why? Because they have a shot at a world cup. Europe has improved, even African nations are putting up a fight. Why? Because they all have realistic shots of making the World Cup now. The expansion allows for these unions to aim for a goal that will put them on the world stage, and that stage allows them to boost interest, participation and investment in their nations. That allows them to put forward better Rugby teams with time and grow the sport across the world. The only thing I also want is more matches between Tier 1 and 2 outside the wc.
If 2007 hadn’t happened for Portugal (batterings included), 2023 wouldn’t have happened either. A lot of the current Portuguese generation started playing because they saw Portugal playing against the All Blacks.
@@HuwGriffinRugby The final Qualification tournament is a complete tossup going by this year's results. Personally I hope to get a third African rep, but I'll take what I can get. It's definitely going to be fun.
The big Chinese market is definitely one of the factors that Asia is getting a spot. Btw, the Chinese women rugby 7 placed 6 in the olympics a few weeks back, and got huge coverage in the Chinese media. Most Chinese people didn’t even know the existence of the sport. Also, if HK plays in the next rugby World Cup, I’ll definitely go to their games.
@@marcm5488 that's the same reason the football world cup expanded. They want to lower the bar so China (and India) can finally qualify for it and they reach billions of people.
As someone who spent nearly 40 years living in HK and played most of my rugby there, I feel what HK has given to world rugby, especially not only with the 7's game, but also hosting world rugby internationals, with the Lions in 2013 as well as other huge games (Bledisloe Cup games), I think this is a huge positive for the country and the players alike. The establishment has never given up looking to improve the standard and quality of their games, given the small pool of players that they can draw from, when compared to the giants of the games in tier 1 rugby. What better incentive for young players to look forward to than a shot at going to a World Cup. The olympics have just finished, are you going to try and argue that athletes from small nations with no hope of a medal shouldn't have bothered going? Of course not so why should rugby be any different?
The short answer should be be an emphatic yes given the success of previous “minnows” in using RWC platform to raise awareness and standards domestically. Japan going from losing 145 - 17 against All Blacks to beating South Africa is true testament of this. For Hong Kong it is however much more nuanced. Having spent 15 years there and been involved in local rugby scene, the key difference is that all current development is built on sand. There just isn’t the local population or undercurrent of players to build lasting foundation. As your video touches on, recent success has been built on huge investment to attract foreign players to bolster the team. The big gamble from World Rugby is that the involvement of Hong Kong will kick-start a mass adoption within China itself. I am personally very sceptical of this as I believe China’s focus if it every truly “adopts” rugby will be solely on the 7s game as it is both (a) an Olympic event and (b) more suited to the natural athleticism of playing base. That being said I will be wholeheartedly supporting Hong Kong if indeed they qualify for the 2026 RWC in Australia
I'm afraid I agree with you. If we insist on pushing the whole "Global Game" spiel, then it's a little embarassing that a bunch of expats and foreign imports can become the second best team in Asia by such a wide margin. There's not one Chinese name in that lineup. I get that we want to break into the Chinese market. It's a big prize and everyone wants a slice. But this is a sport, not a venture capital firm. Does your average guy in China identify with a glorified Barbarian's side in Hong Kong - a city about as foreign to them as Hong Kong is to a Londoner? I have serious doubts. Imo the money would be better invested in a place like Korea, which has a much larger population, quite a healthy grassroots setup that has been getting some good exposure lately and a large diaspora community plying the trade in Japan.
Hong Kong is not uniformly densely populated. Rugby really isn't accessible for the majority of the population either. Almost their entire team is made up of players who missed out on contracts in their respective countries, but just chose to continue playing rugby. Their best player is an openside who's really kust a varsity level athlete.
I don't enjoy the one-sided games either, even when it's my team winning. I'd rather see my team narrowly lose a competitive game than demolish a much weaker team. BUT The weaker teams benefit from the opportunity to play significantly stronger teams on the big stage. They gain visibility in their own country, which leads to more interest and thus more support and more youngsters playing, and they gain a much more comprehensive understanding of where the bar is for international level competitiveness. And besides that, for every one-sided affair, there will be great competitive games, like the Georgia/Portugal draw during the 2023 world cup, not to mention upsets like Portugal vs Fiji or the Brighton Miracle.
Obviously HK wins more than half their games... They are mostly foreign professionals playing against teams that my amateur club in Argentina would out 30 point on. Chile plays against Uruguay, USA, Canada and an Argentina C team good enough to easily qualify to a WC even in Europe (they have many times beaten the likes of Spain, Rumania and even Georgia), regularly
Right. Asian rugby getting an automatic spot is ridiculous. It’s a pity South Korea with a home grown squad has gone so far backwards since they lost 23-21 to Hong Kong in a qualification play-off for the 2023 world cup. Hopefully the teams with actual potential like Korea and Zim/Kenya can pass the teams like Hong Kong and Namibia that offer no long-term growth and are almost completely reliant on expats.
@@Tar-ZA-n Zimbabwe have already passed Namibia beating them 32-10 in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup semifinals, and ex-All Blacks and Wallabies willing to represent Zimbabwe in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup.
Agreed. I don’t think we should be rewarding unions with negligible domestic participation for astroturfing their rugby programmes with expats & foreign imports
Expansion is the key in the long run. The problem isn't the direct spot for Asia, it's the favoritism for North America. Canada can get to the playoffs without winning a single game! 5 out of 6 regional unions voted against this format, the difference being that the 6th in the Pacific Nation Cup went straight to the FQT and South America had 2. Why consult the unions if WR ends up doing what it wants?
Most sports have the same problem, the people in charge of sports want to make money and they try do that through expansion of WCs. We saw with cricket this year. Football in 2026. It really destroys the product because a WC should be a battle of the best
2026 football world cup won't see ridiculous thrashings, as we saw teams like italy, sweden, chile and nigeria fail to qualify for the 2022 world cup, showing the quality of teams that don't even qualify for world cups
Yeah, after the last world cup I'm now convinced that Romania don't deserve to be there anymore. I'd much rather see their automatic qualifying spot given to Chile or Brazil
Yes, but hopefully the new additions kick on and become actually competitive. We don’t need more Namibias. They have been to almost every word cup, but never won a single game there. For several years they’ve been benefitting for the others in the region being unprofessional or just apathetic. They don’t win easily because they are good, but because the other unions are run terribly.
@@Tar-ZA-n did you not watch the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup?! Zimbabwe knocked Namibia out in the semi-finals, beating them 32-10, and Algeria made it to the finals for the first time in history, beating Kenya and Ivory Coast in the process. Zimbabwe have ex-All Blacks and Wallabies who are willing to play for Zimbabwe in the future, and all of Algeria's players play professional rugby in France, with 10 players playing in either the Top 14 or in the Pro D2
@@madrikz.fj.679 They’ve done similar in other non-qualification years. Namibia always turn it up at the right time. But here’s hoping Zim can perform next year when it really matters.
@@madrikz.fj.679 Algerian rugby is an interesting one. Almost every single player in their national team is part of the Algerian diaspora community in France - some of them well into their 3rd generation. There's even a few Christian French names in there too, which makes me suspect that some of them are actually descended from pieds-noirs! (look it up if you don't know the history... the less said about it here the better lol). Meanwhile, the domestic rugby setup in Algeria itself is very underdeveloped. It's analogous to how Lebanon have a fairly competitive national rugby league team despite the sport barely existing in the country, entirely due to the Lebanese diaspora in Australia. Maybe this can be different. The Algerian diaspora in France is huge, geographically close, and familial ties are extensive. So perhaps support from French Algerians could kickstart a more serious domestic scene. If it works, then it could be an interesting model. Maybe you could repeat it with French Moroccans too. But until we have proof that it's a workable model, I'd rather see the game develop more organically in areas where you already have the framework to do so.
A quick look at the Hong Kong lineup and there's barely one Chinese name in there. This also seems to apply to most of the high-level domestic clubs too. Complete reliance on expats and foreign imports. It all feels a little astroturfed, I'm afraid. I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to be a troll; HK aren't breaking any rules so if they make the Asia 1 spot, then they've done it fair & square and best of luck to them. But seriously if we're trying to push the whole "global game" spiel, isn't it a little bit embarassing when the second best team in Asia is a bunch of British & Kiwi expats based out of a global financial centre? Really doesn't do much to shake off rugby union's reputation as an Anglo private school & barracks sport that still persists in some parts of the world.
Umm ...Hong Kong is not a nation. It's a part of China. A city in China. A special administrative region like Puerto Rico is to the US. Neither are nations. And before becoming a special administrative region of China it was a colony of the UK. Also was not a nation then. It has literally never been a nation. That being said my issue with the HK team is that the whole team is western. It hardly represents Asia in any way. I mean they can't find a single token Chinese guy to be on the team? It looks and feels like a mercenary team. Sure ..most national rugby teams have several expats on them .....but literally the entire team??
This is idiotic. Teams need to hit the high standards in order to play at the World Cup. Playing one sided games ruins the product (as rightly said) and is a danger to players. The only team that hits the standard in Asia is Japan, but even so, it’s still the underdog… even with all the imports or non-Japanese domestic players. In terms of Hong Kong, it will get mauled on the international stage. Just look at the World Rugby U20 Trophy (not the Championship) - the Hong Kong team that was made up of overseas kids was steamrolled! Also, winning the ARC means absolutely nothing. It cannot be a benchmark. Beating teams like Malaysia (which ain’t a rugby nation) isn’t a challenge! 😂 So, to summarise… this is a stupid idea and a waste of money. A HK v New Zealand / Australia / South Africa / Argentina / Any Six Nations Team game will be a massacre. I don’t see how inclusion in this manner helps the team or sport.
how do you expect them to compete with tier 1 nations, if they never play tier 1 nations. a world cup is the only chance for a lot of countries to play tier 1 nations
The issue is that the majority don't get the opportunity to play against Tier 1 teams. Tier 2 teams get so few opportunities. The closed shop mentality does little for the growth of the sport
Portugal - who basically only qualified because of some retarded clerical error by the Spanish Rugby Federation - beat Fiji and gave France a real scare. Embarassing scorelines like those against Romania & Namibia are getting far rarer. Also there's good reasons for those teams' horrific underperformance. Namibian rugby in particular look like they've been running on fumes for the past few years and it's increasingly doubtful that they'll take the Africa 1 spot. They just crashed and burned out of the Africa cup and their union is in severe financial difficulty.
is increasing the world cup to 24 teams the right move?
the main goal is international growth so yes. I somewhat understand the argument on the topic of 90-0 scorelines, but it provides exposure to some of the best players in the world, that players from lower ranked nations perhaps wouldn't get playing domestic rugby in their country...
Yes 🙌
Oh absolutely. Probably the best decision World Rugby made since creating the WC. Qualifying could have been better though and I’m saying this as a Portuguese, who will likely go through a mere formality to qualify.
In 2007, Portugal lost 110-13 to the All Blacks in our first time playing the WC. Rough? Yeah. Vital to grow the sport in Portugal? Definitely. Don’t underestimate the importance of these games for T2 teams.
@@joelmonteiro1419 great input, cheers!
Beaumonts Swiss accounts says so
As a Chinese rugby fan I never went to the rugby world cup, but if HK make it to Australia, I will definitely be there to support them.
@@jywei5785 thank you for watching! Great to hear from you, will think of you next time i watch HK play!
I'm in favour of Asia getting a direct entry but feel South America merited two direct spots in a 24 team RWC.
With regards to mismatches I believe we'll see either the same or better performances from tier 2 teams for three reasons
1. There'll be no teams having byes so rest between games will be even.
2. One less pool game so their depth won't be tested as much.
3. The top teams will be spread out over six pools instead of four so you might just have one game against a top six team instead of two.
So any concerns about blowouts doesn't take the above into consideration.
@@suasagala8025 good points!
Expanding the world cup to 24 teams pretty much means further growth into Asia and Africa beyond Japan and South Africa respectively, but yeah the elephant in the room would be the South Americans having three competitive teams beyond Los Pumas. 🇨🇱 🇺🇾 🇧🇷
@@Samizouza love to see brazil get in!
Expanding the world cup is how soccer/football grew so if you want more countries interested they have to be involved and gradually raise their standards
@@conchronic good point!
An expansion is amazing, as rugby in Africa and South America is getting more and more competitive, although this seems to be quite the opposite in Asia sadly. Zimbabwe managed to beat 9 time champions Namibia 32-10 in the semi-finals. Algeria managed to make it through to the final, for the first time in history, beating both Ivory Coast and Kenya in the process. Zimbabwe went on to win the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup (for the second time in history) beating Algeria 29-3 in the final. Namibia managed to grab bronze, beating Kenya 38-27, but this is surprising as Namibia have won the last 6 Rugby Africa Cups. Zimbabwe are also going to call up players to pledge allegiance for Zimbabwe, including ex-Wallabies and ex-All Blacks, as well as Junior Springboks, to aid them in the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers taking place in the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup. The growth in the quality of rugby in Zimbabwe, Algeria, Kenya and Uganda (if they can get their act together) will mean Namibia will struggle a lot more to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup than they did in previous World Cup qualifying cycles...
Who are these ex wallabies and ex ABs who Zimbabwe are calling up? Curious
@@russoswerve7856 Ian Prior played for Zimbabwe in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup, as flyhalf. He won two caps for Junior Wallabies in 2010 and has played over 130 games in the Super Rugby competition for three different Australian teams. Kyle Godwin is a winger who plays in the Top 14 for Lyon, and has played over 100 games in the Super Rugby competition for two different teams, and nearly 70 games in Europe for Connacht and Lyon. He has won 5 caps for Australia U20 and 1 cap for Australia back in 2016. He would've been playing, but it was his wedding during the Africa Cup. Gareth Evans in a Number 8, who's 33 years of age, and has played nearly 100 games in the Super Rugby competition. He won 1 cap for New Zealand back in 2018. Eli Snyman is a lock who plays for Benneton Rugby, and has played nearly 70 games in Europe for both Leicester Tigers and Benneton. He won 5 caps for U20 Springboks/South Africa back in 2016. Another player eligible for Zimbabwe is Dave Ewers is a back-rower for the Stormers and has played 236 games for Exeter Chiefs.
@@madrikz.fj.679 Have read all about these. Really would love to see Zim back at the World Cup
I see the benefits of growing the sport. But like your contributor said, I do worry about 90-0 scorelines and risk of injury. There needs to be pathways to help countries develop, and the media needs to cover, for example, the Rugby Europe Championship which had some terrific matches this year
There will always be hammerings but the games between T2 teams and between them and the lower ranked T1s are magical.
@@xcskidog6937 well said!
Hong Kong is probably the only big money rugby nation that is yet to feature in a RWC. It makes sense for world rugby to award Asia with this slot, as they know how much potential investment into the game could follow once Hong Kong are in the tournament
@@Shendersonsports3003 absolutely do not blame world rugby for targeting it
@@HuwGriffinRugby I have my reservations, I'm afraid
Thanks for the video man. I didn't know anything about Hong Kong rugby. Very interesting. I guess I'm a bit out of the loop about the new qualifiers for the wc.
@@philbled my pleasure, glad you liked it!
I'm in favour of expansion.
Look at Georgia. They never made the 16 team world cup. They appeared at the 99 rwc and lost heavily, as did other newcomers. If we went back to 16 teams for 03 their story would have ended there. Now because they had multiple appearances the game has grown stronger roots there and they have improved to the point where people want them in the six nations.
Look at Portugal. Everyone knows about their impressive showing in 2023, but how many remember their original appearance in 2007? What about Uruguay and Chile? They would never have been looked at for a 16 team tournament, but everyone respects them now.
Hong Kong is looking better than ever, they are playing more matches, why? Because they have a shot at a world cup. Europe has improved, even African nations are putting up a fight. Why? Because they all have realistic shots of making the World Cup now. The expansion allows for these unions to aim for a goal that will put them on the world stage, and that stage allows them to boost interest, participation and investment in their nations. That allows them to put forward better Rugby teams with time and grow the sport across the world.
The only thing I also want is more matches between Tier 1 and 2 outside the wc.
@@prielknaaphofnar.9754 it will be fascinating to watch the qualification process
If 2007 hadn’t happened for Portugal (batterings included), 2023 wouldn’t have happened either. A lot of the current Portuguese generation started playing because they saw Portugal playing against the All Blacks.
@@HuwGriffinRugby The final Qualification tournament is a complete tossup going by this year's results. Personally I hope to get a third African rep, but I'll take what I can get.
It's definitely going to be fun.
The big Chinese market is definitely one of the factors that Asia is getting a spot. Btw, the Chinese women rugby 7 placed 6 in the olympics a few weeks back, and got huge coverage in the Chinese media. Most Chinese people didn’t even know the existence of the sport.
Also, if HK plays in the next rugby World Cup, I’ll definitely go to their games.
@@marcm5488 that's the same reason the football world cup expanded. They want to lower the bar so China (and India) can finally qualify for it and they reach billions of people.
As someone who spent nearly 40 years living in HK and played most of my rugby there, I feel what HK has given to world rugby, especially not only with the 7's game, but also hosting world rugby internationals, with the Lions in 2013 as well as other huge games (Bledisloe Cup games), I think this is a huge positive for the country and the players alike. The establishment has never given up looking to improve the standard and quality of their games, given the small pool of players that they can draw from, when compared to the giants of the games in tier 1 rugby. What better incentive for young players to look forward to than a shot at going to a World Cup. The olympics have just finished, are you going to try and argue that athletes from small nations with no hope of a medal shouldn't have bothered going? Of course not so why should rugby be any different?
@@CalliesFamily well said! Thanks for sharing your experience!
The short answer should be be an emphatic yes given the success of previous “minnows” in using RWC platform to raise awareness and standards domestically. Japan going from losing 145 - 17 against All Blacks to beating South Africa is true testament of this.
For Hong Kong it is however much more nuanced. Having spent 15 years there and been involved in local rugby scene, the key difference is that all current development is built on sand. There just isn’t the local population or undercurrent of players to build lasting foundation.
As your video touches on, recent success has been built on huge investment to attract foreign players to bolster the team. The big gamble from World Rugby is that the involvement of Hong Kong will kick-start a mass adoption within China itself.
I am personally very sceptical of this as I believe China’s focus if it every truly “adopts” rugby will be solely on the 7s game as it is both (a) an Olympic event and (b) more suited to the natural athleticism of playing base.
That being said I will be wholeheartedly supporting Hong Kong if indeed they qualify for the 2026 RWC in Australia
I'm afraid I agree with you. If we insist on pushing the whole "Global Game" spiel, then it's a little embarassing that a bunch of expats and foreign imports can become the second best team in Asia by such a wide margin. There's not one Chinese name in that lineup.
I get that we want to break into the Chinese market. It's a big prize and everyone wants a slice. But this is a sport, not a venture capital firm. Does your average guy in China identify with a glorified Barbarian's side in Hong Kong - a city about as foreign to them as Hong Kong is to a Londoner? I have serious doubts. Imo the money would be better invested in a place like Korea, which has a much larger population, quite a healthy grassroots setup that has been getting some good exposure lately and a large diaspora community plying the trade in Japan.
Hong Kong is not uniformly densely populated. Rugby really isn't accessible for the majority of the population either. Almost their entire team is made up of players who missed out on contracts in their respective countries, but just chose to continue playing rugby. Their best player is an openside who's really kust a varsity level athlete.
I don't enjoy the one-sided games either, even when it's my team winning. I'd rather see my team narrowly lose a competitive game than demolish a much weaker team.
BUT
The weaker teams benefit from the opportunity to play significantly stronger teams on the big stage. They gain visibility in their own country, which leads to more interest and thus more support and more youngsters playing, and they gain a much more comprehensive understanding of where the bar is for international level competitiveness.
And besides that, for every one-sided affair, there will be great competitive games, like the Georgia/Portugal draw during the 2023 world cup, not to mention upsets like Portugal vs Fiji or the Brighton Miracle.
Obviously HK wins more than half their games... They are mostly foreign professionals playing against teams that my amateur club in Argentina would out 30 point on. Chile plays against Uruguay, USA, Canada and an Argentina C team good enough to easily qualify to a WC even in Europe (they have many times beaten the likes of Spain, Rumania and even Georgia), regularly
Right. Asian rugby getting an automatic spot is ridiculous. It’s a pity South Korea with a home grown squad has gone so far backwards since they lost 23-21 to Hong Kong in a qualification play-off for the 2023 world cup.
Hopefully the teams with actual potential like Korea and Zim/Kenya can pass the teams like Hong Kong and Namibia that offer no long-term growth and are almost completely reliant on expats.
@@Tar-ZA-n Zimbabwe have already passed Namibia beating them 32-10 in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup semifinals, and ex-All Blacks and Wallabies willing to represent Zimbabwe in the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup.
Agreed. I don’t think we should be rewarding unions with negligible domestic participation for astroturfing their rugby programmes with expats & foreign imports
South Africa wasn’t allowed to be part of the world cup due to human rights abuses so neither should China be allowed for theirs. South African here.
Expansion is the key in the long run. The problem isn't the direct spot for Asia, it's the favoritism for North America. Canada can get to the playoffs without winning a single game! 5 out of 6 regional unions voted against this format, the difference being that the 6th in the Pacific Nation Cup went straight to the FQT and South America had 2. Why consult the unions if WR ends up doing what it wants?
Most sports have the same problem, the people in charge of sports want to make money and they try do that through expansion of WCs. We saw with cricket this year. Football in 2026. It really destroys the product because a WC should be a battle of the best
2026 football world cup won't see ridiculous thrashings, as we saw teams like italy, sweden, chile and nigeria fail to qualify for the 2022 world cup, showing the quality of teams that don't even qualify for world cups
@@madrikz.fj.679I’m not so sure. I think over 25% of the planet will play the 2026 Football World Cup. It’s inevitable that a few thrashings happen.
@@joelmonteiro1419 true, but football is nearly every country's national sport, as well as the most watched sport in the world
Tell us more about this new system. Like why in hell EU have 4 spots and South Americans have just only 1?
Yeah, after the last world cup I'm now convinced that Romania don't deserve to be there anymore. I'd much rather see their automatic qualifying spot given to Chile or Brazil
its good the world cup is expanding to 24 teams its good for rugby
Yes, but hopefully the new additions kick on and become actually competitive. We don’t need more Namibias. They have been to almost every word cup, but never won a single game there.
For several years they’ve been benefitting for the others in the region being unprofessional or just apathetic. They don’t win easily because they are good, but because the other unions are run terribly.
@@Tar-ZA-n did you not watch the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup?! Zimbabwe knocked Namibia out in the semi-finals, beating them 32-10, and Algeria made it to the finals for the first time in history, beating Kenya and Ivory Coast in the process. Zimbabwe have ex-All Blacks and Wallabies who are willing to play for Zimbabwe in the future, and all of Algeria's players play professional rugby in France, with 10 players playing in either the Top 14 or in the Pro D2
@@madrikz.fj.679 They’ve done similar in other non-qualification years. Namibia always turn it up at the right time. But here’s hoping Zim can perform next year when it really matters.
@@madrikz.fj.679 Algerian rugby is an interesting one. Almost every single player in their national team is part of the Algerian diaspora community in France - some of them well into their 3rd generation. There's even a few Christian French names in there too, which makes me suspect that some of them are actually descended from pieds-noirs! (look it up if you don't know the history... the less said about it here the better lol). Meanwhile, the domestic rugby setup in Algeria itself is very underdeveloped.
It's analogous to how Lebanon have a fairly competitive national rugby league team despite the sport barely existing in the country, entirely due to the Lebanese diaspora in Australia. Maybe this can be different. The Algerian diaspora in France is huge, geographically close, and familial ties are extensive. So perhaps support from French Algerians could kickstart a more serious domestic scene. If it works, then it could be an interesting model. Maybe you could repeat it with French Moroccans too.
But until we have proof that it's a workable model, I'd rather see the game develop more organically in areas where you already have the framework to do so.
A quick look at the Hong Kong lineup and there's barely one Chinese name in there. This also seems to apply to most of the high-level domestic clubs too. Complete reliance on expats and foreign imports. It all feels a little astroturfed, I'm afraid.
I'm sorry. I'm really not trying to be a troll; HK aren't breaking any rules so if they make the Asia 1 spot, then they've done it fair & square and best of luck to them. But seriously if we're trying to push the whole "global game" spiel, isn't it a little bit embarassing when the second best team in Asia is a bunch of British & Kiwi expats based out of a global financial centre?
Really doesn't do much to shake off rugby union's reputation as an Anglo private school & barracks sport that still persists in some parts of the world.
Are you related to Dr Who?
@@lungabiyela9081 yes
Make video on sri Lanka rugby plz
@@overpoweredits24 i remember seeing them play 7s in the commonwealth games, not much beyond that?
@@HuwGriffinRugby rugby is rn growing sport in Sri Lanka
Umm ...Hong Kong is not a nation. It's a part of China. A city in China. A special administrative region like Puerto Rico is to the US. Neither are nations. And before becoming a special administrative region of China it was a colony of the UK. Also was not a nation then. It has literally never been a nation.
That being said my issue with the HK team is that the whole team is western. It hardly represents Asia in any way. I mean they can't find a single token Chinese guy to be on the team? It looks and feels like a mercenary team. Sure ..most national rugby teams have several expats on them .....but literally the entire team??
How about adding Georgia and Portugal and make it the 8 nations instead of 6. Two groups of 4 then SF and Final.
Meow
This is idiotic. Teams need to hit the high standards in order to play at the World Cup. Playing one sided games ruins the product (as rightly said) and is a danger to players.
The only team that hits the standard in Asia is Japan, but even so, it’s still the underdog… even with all the imports or non-Japanese domestic players.
In terms of Hong Kong, it will get mauled on the international stage. Just look at the World Rugby U20 Trophy (not the Championship) - the Hong Kong team that was made up of overseas kids was steamrolled!
Also, winning the ARC means absolutely nothing. It cannot be a benchmark. Beating teams like Malaysia (which ain’t a rugby nation) isn’t a challenge! 😂
So, to summarise… this is a stupid idea and a waste of money. A HK v New Zealand / Australia / South Africa / Argentina / Any Six Nations Team game will be a massacre. I don’t see how inclusion in this manner helps the team or sport.
Ha
Imagine the Chinese playing the Boks
The cheaters cheating😂😂😂😂😂
The refs will win
Nope, waste of time till they can compete with the tier 1 nations
how do you expect them to compete with tier 1 nations, if they never play tier 1 nations. a world cup is the only chance for a lot of countries to play tier 1 nations
The issue is that the majority don't get the opportunity to play against Tier 1 teams. Tier 2 teams get so few opportunities. The closed shop mentality does little for the growth of the sport
Portugal - who basically only qualified because of some retarded clerical error by the Spanish Rugby Federation - beat Fiji and gave France a real scare. Embarassing scorelines like those against Romania & Namibia are getting far rarer.
Also there's good reasons for those teams' horrific underperformance. Namibian rugby in particular look like they've been running on fumes for the past few years and it's increasingly doubtful that they'll take the Africa 1 spot. They just crashed and burned out of the Africa cup and their union is in severe financial difficulty.