Levelling playing field for Japan
Hartley free to play
TWO YEARS out, it looks as if the 2019 World Cup is developing into a twohorse race between New Zealand and England with the All Blacks leading by a head at this stage.
This is all very exciting if you are English or a Kiwi but a great tournament needs a wide spread of great sides and the other previous finalists are in a state of disrepair.
South Africa and Australia are inconsistent while France, who drew at home to Japan on Saturday, are lost souls.
All three have the resources to repair themselves in time for the tournament, but are starting from a long way back.
It could be that Ireland or even a resurgent Scotland, if they maintain the progress under Gregor Townsend, end up being in a better place to mount a challenge although neither have an impressive recent World Cup pedigree.
Rugby union could do with an alternative threat and heads within the sport have been turned by the way their 13-a-side cousins have created one at the Rugby League World Cup. Tonga’s run to the semi-final energised the entire tournament. But for a knock-on in the final play, they would have eliminated England and reached the final.
It may have been the Tongan players who created the magic but it was a wave of the wand higher up which levelled the playing field.
The controversial eligibility relaxation introduced a year out from the tournament which allowed players not selected by a Tier One country – Australia, New Zealand or England – to represent a Tier Two country, which they also qualify for, changed the landscape. Tonga suddenly had NRL talent on tap.
Union is moving the other way with residency qualification being extended to five years from 2020 but some within the game are eyeing the potential benefits of a one-off rule change just for the World Cup. Samoa are being cited as an example. They have not even qualified for Japan 2019 yet and did not win a game in 2017, beaten by a record 48-14 at Twickenham on Saturday.
Throw in Charlie Faumuina, Will Skelton and Victor Vito into their pack and they start to look a different proposition. Add Ma’a Nonu and Julian Savea to the backs and the upgrade starts to become alarming for opponents. It is unlikely England would pick both Manu Tuilagi and Ben Te’o in the squad. Whoever misses out qualifies for Samoa – as does Denny Solomona.
The same applies to Tonga. The Vunipola brothers will be required by England but Malakai Fekitoa, lost to the All Blacks as a French exile, would pep up their midfield and if New Zealand decided they could do without Charles Piutau, Nehe MilnerSkudder or Vaea Fifita, they would gladly take them. Likewise the Fainga’a brothers who both wore the Wallaby green and gold with distinction. If Semesa Rokoduguni misses out with England, he could play for Fiji.
The top countries are unwilling to share their gate receipts when the Pacific Islands come to play; this move would give them the chance to share their adopted players, so the argument goes.
Other countries could also benefit. After years of struggles to find a stand-off, Italy could ❑ ROSS MORIARTY’S move to the Dragons, confirmed yesterday, is not only a statement signing in itself but also a signpost for George North.
Newport has been the last-ditch resort of Welsh rugby but Moriarty’s move to Rodney Parade next season – and on a lucrative deal financed by the region rather than a national dual contract – shows the Dragons’ new-found clout.
The 23-year-old Lion was a wanted man across Wales after the rule change over the selection of ‘overseas-based’ players necessitated a move away from Gloucester. Now North will spend the next few weeks deciding which Welsh region to join having opted to move on from Northampton. whistle up Danny Cipriani – or maybe Alex Lozowski, if overlooked.
The upshot, proponents argue, is an equalising effect on the competition and raising of standards. The idea of a World Cup – apart from finding out who is the best team – is to showcase a sport’s leading talent.
Rugby union has a big decision to make. DYLAN HARTLEY has escaped a citing and will be available for Northampton’s Premiership game against Newcastle on Friday.
The England captain, right, had been under scrutiny after leading with a forearm into a collision with Samoa centre Kieron Fonotia on Saturday. The Saints have lost successive league games in his absence. Meanwhile, no club are keener to welcome back their
A COUNTRY TO FEAR
(all capped by other countries) Karmichael Hunt (Australia); Rieko Ioane (New Zealand), Manu Tuilagi (England), Sonny-Bill Williams (New Zealand), Julian Savea (New Zealand); Lima Sopoaga (New Zealand), Augustine Pulu (New Zealand); Scott Sio (Australia), Asafa Aumua (New Zealand), Charlie Faumuina (New Zealand), Will Skelton (Australia), Patrick Tuipulotu (New Zealand), Jerome Kaino (New Zealand), Ardie Savea (New Zealand), Victor Vito (New Zealand). Replacements: John Afoa (New Zealand), Uini Atonio (France), Nepo Laulala (New Zealand), Steven Luatua (New Zealand), Christian Lealiifano (Australia), Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand), Ben Te’o (England), Denny Solomona (England). England contingent than Saracens, who have had four successive defeats. The European champions travel to Harlequins on Sunday. Wasps are set to be without captain Joe Launchbury, because of the shoulder injury that forced him off at Twickenham, for Saturday’s derby against Leicester, who must wait and see if their top tryscorer Jonny May will recover from concussion in time. EDDIE JONES’ gong for coach of the year was a rare victory for England at the World Rugby awards – the last English winner of that prize was Clive Woodward in 2003. It was also the wrong call.
Nine Test wins out of 10 and a Six Nations title represented a superb year for Jones but the award still should have gone to Warren Gatland.
There has been some rewriting of history since the Lions tour so that the narrative in some quarters now reads that New Zealand were there for the taking and the tourists missed a trick in not winning the series. Don’t believe a word of it.
However Wales’s autumn ends, 2017 should still be Gatland’s year.