Win hearts and minds
decided yet’’ how they would exploit this opportunity.
That task will be made all the easier if Jamie Joseph’s Brave Blossoms manage to eclipse the feats of Eddie Jones’ Japan four years ago in England. Even if a minority sport will take time to register on the consciousness of a nation of 120 million, there is no doubt that the World Cup itself is set for a crackerjack opening weekend, followed by an equally appetising spread of contests over the first four days and onwards across the next six weeks.
This is the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup and it is without doubt the most competitive. There have only been four winners of the Webb Ellis Cup: New Zealand (three times), South Africa (twice), Australia (twice) and England.
It is high time that cabal admitted someone else to the club and while Wales’ prospects looked quite promising until Rob Howley’s exit under a cloud this week, there is still a legitimate train of thought that the upheaval caused by the expulsion of the attack coach may have a circle-thewagons effect.
The fact that Ireland are the third team in just the last few weeks to top a ranking system that had only ever had three other teams at its summit in 16 years, shows how engagingly volatile the standings are.
There are half-a-dozen prime contenders, with France and Argentina eminently capable of delivering a bloody nose from outside the front-runners. New Zealand and South Africa will set a resounding tone in Yokohama tomorrow as the World Cup’s pre-eminent exponents. The two sides have been revving up across the week, knowing that this is a statement fixture. The World Cup will not be won tomorrow but a marker will have been laid down.
RWC 2019 is also a marvellous opportunity for the northern hemisphere to show that it has more than just financial muscle to offer. In the 39 matches between north and south teams in World Cups, there have only been six European victories. That is a pitiful return.
It will be a failure of considerable proportions if the northern hemisphere does not manage to step up to the plate.
It would be good, too, if the tier-two countries could continue the trend of closing the gap on the well-resourced tier-one nations, the margin of difference having reduced from 48 points in 2013 to 31 points at the 2015 World Cup. Fiji against Australia, Tonga against England, Georgia against Wales and then on to putative possibilities for Japan against Scotland later on.
The tournament will be diminished if the tier-two teams are swamped. For now, though, the vibe is upbeat, the mood optimistic and the desire to welcome all-comers heartfelt. RWC 2019 is a bold venture, a step into the unknown, a gesture redolent with significance. If it is a success, then the game will be immeasurably the better for it.
– The Daily Telegraph