RWC 2019

Japan v Scotland - best match of the tournament so far - and by some way. At times it looked just like a 7s match with 30 players taking part!

So commiserations to Scotland and congratulations to Japan - always good when the host country does well in this sort of tournament - and I reckon they'll give South Africa a tough time in the quarters next weekend.

Fabulous performance by Japan in easily the most entertaining game of the tournament so far. At times it reminded me of Barbarians rugby and was a pleasure to watch. Scotland obviously played their part but once again came up short.

Is there room for these second tier teams in an additional league/competition? Absolutely  and the sooner the better!

Some very creative if not radical thinking is called for to provide regular seasonal top class exposure to those T2 sides already mentioned, I'd include Uruguay along with Japan and Georgia in the mix.  Some are calling for Italy to be 'dropped'!

The call for waist and leg tackles only is being made by some, it seems very likely now! The game is changing/will change considerably I think as a result of this World Cup far more than any of those preceding it. We live in exciting and interesting times.🏉

It was suggested in the past that Canada should be included in the list of 1st tier clubs, and being included to make it a 7 Nations tournament, but they have gone backward, probably because they are not getting sufficient game time against other tier 1 nations.

What’s to stop the ‘Americas nations cup’ USA, Canada, Argentina etc from organising their own 6N type tournament, it would expand rugby union as a sport & give them exposure to next level rugby. It only needs vision👍🏻. I doubt they’d like European input particularly if it meant them taking a regular hammering.

The Americans don’t like losing, hence they invent sports such as American Football and Baseball and call it the World Series,😂 But their Soccer teams have come on leaps and bounds now, Women’s especially, current World Cup holders.

Playing top class opponents lifts performance. At least that’s what I used to tell myself when watching Middlesbrough FC trounce Manchester City 9-1! But then those perfidious Arabs got involved.........

I think the problem with this is that non of these teams are established Tier 1 sides. Even Agentina need the likes of the All Blacks, Aussies and South Africa to develop further as do those other countries we are now talking about. It's exposure to the top flight that's needed not another 'second' rate championship. 

Sorry, Mickysf, but that was the attitude adopted by the Home Nations Soccer teams  !! And we ( well some of us  ) recall the 6 -- 3 drubbing those useless European upstarts gave the Worlds No 1 side at Wembley in 1953 .

It all begins somewhere, no major country needs to be spoon fed. If they want it they will get it. Pacific island rugby teams are renown. 

Whatever happens in the future, I think this World Cup and the IRB has changed the game forever. No more contact with the head, mitigating or not, can only be a good thing for the game. As Micky touched on earlier, tackling allowed only from the waist down may soon become part of the game.
But wasn't that how it used to be?