We’re in world of woe if Wales reach top of rankings ahead of men in black
Read all about it. Wales could be the world’s top-ranked rugby side by the end of the weekend. Seriously? Are you having a laugh?
Warren Gatland’s Wales, with magnificent Alun Wyn Jones leading the troops, deserve massive respect.
On one hand, it would be great for world rugby, breaking the monotony.
But the distorted ranking system is a lie which threatens to elevate Wales above their true status.
Wales might displace New Zealand at the top of the list, having lost 30 consecutive matches to the All Blacks.
But that is not the entire point, far from it.
The world rugby rankings have always been a crock. World rugby is a rort which conspires against Pacific Island nations.
Tonga, Samoa and Fiji are shut out of decision-making, battle to keep players and play most major games away from home.
The Pacific Island countries never cop an even break over major competition structure decisions.
World rugby is an old boys club, designed to stay that way.
As the Nations Cup concept collapse showed, old rivalries and self-interest among the Six Nations still shape the game.
British rugby columnist Stephen Jones, a controversial character in this part of the world, wrote a brilliant column on the subject in June.
There isn’t a clear top team right now but the Welsh climb tears away the rankings facade.
They have put a long winning run together, but all their major victories have been in Cardiff.
Their win against South Africa in Washington DC a year ago was condemned as a farce between two substandard selections.
The last time Wales played significant tests at away venues was in early 2018, when they lost to Ireland and England.
Send Wales on a tour against fullstrength and well-prepared Fiji, Tonga and Samoa teams, and see where their world ranking ends up.
The world rugby rankings represent a sport mistreating its own. The Pacific Island countries are regarded as talent factories and under-prepared cannon fodder for warm-up matches.
The powerbrokers pat them on the head, hope they provide some World Cup charm, and make sure they go away before the trophies are handed out.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely. The rugby rankings are a reminder of that.
Run Api, run
Sea Eagles hooker Api Koroisau is good at running and he should keep running — away from the Warriors, who are chasing his NRL signature.
If the Fijian international Koroisau
wants to win titles, he’d be better of going to the wobbly Bulldogs.
Money isn’t the only thing which motivates players. They want to enjoy the game. And too many careers have crashed in Auckland.
As per usual, the Warriors will have to pay over the odds to get a good player. And we all know it will go nowhere.
Mark, my words
Former Warriors and Kiwis coach Frank Endacott deserves praise for injecting sanity into the debate about alleged league refereeing bias against the Warriors.
“I don’t think they’re biased at all,” he said recently, adding: “As it stands, I don’t see any of the referees as cheats. They do make some curious decision, and the Warriors have had a couple in recent weeks, but so have other teams.”
It was desperately sad to see Mark Graham dredging up an alleged incident of a referee’s racial slur against a Polynesian player in a Warriors team he coached many years ago. Racism needs to be treated far more seriously than as a convenient topic during a debate over the quality of league refereeing.
Graham may be the greatest of all Kiwi players. But he just wasn’t a good first grade coach.
Unfortunately, such an unsubstantiated racism claim just adds to the impression of a club that has failed because it is mired in excuses.
And it has no place in the Warriors/referees debate anyway, because every NRL team includes Polynesian players.
Despite pockets of success and a few fabulous contributors among players and coaches, the club is a 25 year old shambles.
Graham’s claim his teams were always running uphill against the NRL referees can’t be discounted entirely, but it has nothing to do with an anti-New Zealand conspiracy, in my opinion. For starters, the Warriors have often been coached by Aussies, with Australian players to the fore.
As Graham Lowe’s remarkable appointment as Queensland coach years ago showed, they’re more interested in what you can do than where you are from.
Kiwi players have been treated with the utmost respect in the NRL.
Australians probably associate the Warriors with thoughts of gross incompetence.
As the Graham story suggested, this might affect a few 50/50 decisions. But the Warriors’ woes are entirely self-inflicted.