Aussies punt rugby World Series
29 Mar 2006
The ARU has come up with a way of making Tests between World Cups matter. They believe rugby needs a “World Series” in which the results of Tests every second year would determine the two leading teams, who would then meet in a final.
Tests between World Cups are often regarded as preparation for the next World Cup, with countries selecting second-string teams for less-important matches.
France, for example, used their South African tour last year to blood several youngsters ahead of the 2007 World Cup, while the All Blacks played their ‘B’ team against Ireland and Scotland on the Grand Slam tour, opting to save their best side for Wales and England.
The Sydney Morning Herald has learnt that a concept is to be put to the IRB which involves Tests, including pre-season and end-of-season internationals played by major nations, being allocated points on a win/loss basis.
Greg Growden reports that the two teams that finish with the highest number of points or best win ratio would meet in a final at the end of the calendar year. That match would be played at a neutral venue, with lucrative prizemoney on offer.
Aussie officials have been concerned for some time that when northern hemisphere teams travel Down Under before Tri Nations series the matches have often taken on the status of a friendly rather than a fully fledged Test.
Officials argue a World Series, which would be held only in years when the World Cup is not being staged or when the British & Irish Lions are not touring, would dramatically increase the importance of these matches because every game would be crucial in determining the final spots.
It would also make the Tests outside the Six Nations and Tri-Nations a far more attractive product for spectators, broadcasters and sponsors, while putting pressure on national coaches to pick their best sides when on tour.
The World Series would involve about eight or nine matches. In one season, Australia’s World Series games could involve Ireland, England, Italy and Argentina in June-July, followed by two matches of the Tri Nations series (one each against New Zealand and South Africa), before they played Wales, Scotland and France in November.
The other countries would have similar schedules.
The major problem with a World Series is that it would detract from the World Cup. The World Cup is the IRB’s big cash cow and they would be reluctant to detract attention from the main event.
69 Comments
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29 Mar 2006, 15:56 pm
i’ve read that greg growden’s articles on rugby heaven and in my opinion he’s another idiot.
it seems the poms and certain of the aussie media are just not terribly sensible and dont have proper rugby values. Its all 1-upmanship, no decent analysis or balanced comment.
29 Mar 2006, 15:56 pm
Sounds good!
29 Mar 2006, 15:58 pm
that being said, this sounds like a reasonable idea.
29 Mar 2006, 15:59 pm
At least the SA Coach can’t say ‘JUDGE ME ON THE WORLD CUP’
29 Mar 2006, 16:09 pm
Ek hou nie van die idee nie. Ek soek toere. Lekker middel van die week games en n beste uit 3 toetsreeks. Dit, is rugby op sy uiterste en nie n ****** sirkus nie.
29 Mar 2006, 16:10 pm
even a better idea from Veltie.
Exactly, three-match tours, what happened to those. and more to the points what you been up to Veltie?
29 Mar 2006, 16:12 pm
Howzit Cab my old mate. Been busy. O, and too humiliated to show my face after the Stormers’ campaign so far.
29 Mar 2006, 16:12 pm
The IRB rankings are ready full of holes….this is going to be like the cricket test rankings – slow out of date and generally no one will give a flying fooook !
Howzit Velite !
29 Mar 2006, 16:14 pm
We are clever folk having revolutionised cricket in the 70s, started the Rugby World Cup in the mid-80s and instigated rugby to become professional in 1995 due to the super league threat…
29 Mar 2006, 16:16 pm
Veltie,
ya know the feeling all to well, but the stormers are looking better this week with MJ back in and hopefully Naas Olivier can run the backs a bit.
29 Mar 2006, 16:17 pm
I hate the facts that World Cups are all that coaches and nations worry about.
The world cup is 6 weeks every 4 years. Meanwhile there are 60+ test for each nation between tournaments. Test are always used to plan for he world cup. It shouldnt be that way a team should aim to be competitive each year for every test.
The world series therefor makes sense and if the money is serious countries will take it serious.
We always seem to have a collapse in the international rugby scene the year after a world cup and the two years after that.
There should be a cup for the team that finishes top of the IRB league, that makes sense and that should be the world champs, the world cup is of course bigger but a team that consistently beats everyone else should be the worlds best. They just need some recognition.
At present England are the world champs (or world chumps!) yet New Zealand have nothing to show. Not quite right is it.
29 Mar 2006, 16:18 pm
Ig my man
Lekker man. Spring has dawned – eventually- in London and my mood is lighter.
I don’t rate this above system at all. Rugby is already suffering from too much money being invested in the game, too many sponsors to keep happy and too little REAL rugby. The standard of the S14 has been dismal. I think it is because of too much rugby being played.
Being a player myself (only a club level – I know) I know that you can only pshyce yourself up and physically maintain a level of excellence for so long. And that is only club rugby. In England. hardly the bonecrunching stuff that 1st class rugby is made from.
29 Mar 2006, 16:20 pm
One of games are useless. Imagine cricket test series being reduced to a single winner takes all mentality.
It takes something special away from international rugby. Mid week games to test new player NOT test matches wasted on testing new players.
Test status will then be lifted to where it was before, teams can then build a team while putting everything into their weekend test match.
BRING BACK TOURS!!!
Keo help us!!
29 Mar 2006, 16:21 pm
Sweet, good to hear – been a bit of embarresment the ole Stormers this year. Thought you were heading back to SA for a bit ? Agree – i rather have a three match tour than a reason to extend the current one tour fiasco we have now !
Although we playing England twice at the end of the year and if Jake gets his way hes gonna have the whole CC to prepare !
29 Mar 2006, 16:22 pm
Amen JoeO
29 Mar 2006, 16:24 pm
I’m with Veltie on this one!
In anycase… since when does a test match between SA and the All Blacks count for nothing? Anyone who saw the two tests last year would have seen rugby at its best (even better than a lot of the WC games)
29 Mar 2006, 16:33 pm
Ig
was home for 3 weeks in december/January. Fantastic. Except the whole of damn Cape province was on fire…
As for the rugby…
I’ll be at Twickers to see the manne end of the year.
It is a second prize, as tours would wake the whole world up. look how much interest the Lions tour generated.
As I said, real rugby.
29 Mar 2006, 16:36 pm
cab totally agree with your 1st post, he is a plonker and so are most of them worldwide I guess.
Trust the Aussies to start Americanizing the sport…oh wait to late for that.
29 Mar 2006, 16:36 pm
A concept like this would then force all countries to always play there best players. Australia is the only top nation than doesn’t have a gruelling domestic competition. We have the Curri Cup, New Zealand the NPC and Europe have there individual leagues as well as Heineken Cup and 6 Nations.
This is another smart ploy by the Aussies to better there chances of winning the world cup every four years
29 Mar 2006, 16:37 pm
Bring back isolation.
LOL
29 Mar 2006, 16:40 pm
LOl @ dooodddd
Veltie – hoping to make at least one of Twickers tests this year ! Catch you for beer after !
29 Mar 2006, 16:40 pm
probably head off to twickers as well, but we better not bloody lose again, puts me in a bad mood for a couple of month afterwards when we lose.
shouldn’t be losing to that team, its become psychological i tell you.
29 Mar 2006, 16:41 pm
Ig
Deal. My treat. Should be good. the way the Pommies are playing now we actually have a decent chance of beating them. Huge issue with leadership in the camp; and nobody is trusting the coach. Some people even want to bring back Woody…
Let the ******* burn.
29 Mar 2006, 16:43 pm
coffee, ja some of them aren’t too bad, but alot of their rugby union types are just ****, whingers like the pompoms.
No, we must not lose those two tests, its becoming embaressing..
29 Mar 2006, 16:44 pm
Sweet ! Its been fun watching the poms implode – heres hoping they can keep it up for another year or two !!!!!
Losing to Scotland was sweet to watch, losing to Ireland at the detah made it to good to be true !
29 Mar 2006, 16:45 pm
Ig, Veltie
I will be joining you lads.
cab
Come along if you decide to come.
Will be a blast and I will leave jondood online.
29 Mar 2006, 16:46 pm
I was sitting next to an englishman watching the game. Close to the end of the game i asked him if he could remeber , a couple of years ago, when Brian o d scored the winning try against England. His face went pale (paler than usual) when o ‘Gara chip kicked ahead and the ball bounced perfectly for the Irish. I had to leave the pub very quickly after that…
It was perfect, you’re right.
29 Mar 2006, 16:47 pm
Sweet dood
29 Mar 2006, 16:49 pm
cheers for now boys. gotto get back to work again.
check you later.
29 Mar 2006, 16:57 pm
jondood,
sounds good, whats wrong with the online version?
we were sitting right amongst a section of poms last time. After being 20something down, one of the buggers puts a hand on my boet’s arm to make pals, but the boeta is a tad highly strung, and without thinking executes some kind of judo hip-throw 9dont know what it was) and proceeds to explain the finer points as to why Percy had not stepped into touch (while pinning him to the floor). Very amusing. Teach them to winde-up a saffa while his team is getting pummeled.
29 Mar 2006, 17:13 pm
Not a bad idea. why must the damned ozies come up with it?
29 Mar 2006, 17:14 pm
Shos
“Not a bad idea. why must the damned ozies come up with it?”
Trust me there will be a price if this is realised.
The Aussies do nothing that they dont gain something from.
29 Mar 2006, 17:14 pm
cab
The real jondood is bigger in life than the online one.
29 Mar 2006, 17:21 pm
It cannot be called the World Series. That is played each year between the winner of the American League (baseball) and the winner of the National League (baseball)! Even though baseball is a world apart from rugby, the Yanks will be quick on the trigger to throw the lawsuits at rugby. Remember a few years ago how the Blue Bulls had to change their logo because it was to similar to the logo of the Chicago Bulls (basketball) and the latter complained.
29 Mar 2006, 17:24 pm
true jondood
29 Mar 2006, 17:26 pm
yessus, well i know DavidS is 6ft8, Ig is also apprarantly 6ft6, Veltie play locks so he’s gotta be thereabouts, if you’re also that tall, i’ll be considered a midget at only 6ft3, but i reckon i weigh more than you lads.
29 Mar 2006, 17:45 pm
cab
LOL
I am only 6ft.
29 Mar 2006, 17:47 pm
Cab
I am an inside centre. A number 12 through and through. Locks and the rests of the forwards are the piano movers. I am the piano tuner… lol.
About 6’1 myself and Jondood is prob about my lenght.
29 Mar 2006, 17:49 pm
Cab
is that story about what your boet did true? If so, send him my congratulations. Stuff of legends.
29 Mar 2006, 17:54 pm
cab
Forgot to mention Veltie is even bigger.
You cant shut him up once he gets pissed.
29 Mar 2006, 18:01 pm
veltie, its an understatement, anyone that knows the bugger would have laughed his head off, temper on him that one.
jondood, hehe…nothing wrong, its a saffa thing, told my boss to go get fokked the other day after a few, but he deserved it.
29 Mar 2006, 18:01 pm
LOL JonD!
29 Mar 2006, 18:03 pm
ooh **** i can imagine you bunch, throw in Stan and Murph and there’ll be some wise-cracks of note.
29 Mar 2006, 18:06 pm
Cab,
It will be lekker man. Now all we need is for the Boks to kick ***, Chuck Norris style.
29 Mar 2006, 18:07 pm
yeah, big time.
29 Mar 2006, 18:32 pm
This sounds like a party i want to gate crash lol
im hoping my Pomey trips this year coincide with the tests, You have to Love Twickenham. Last time we were all walking out, got to the roundabout and there was a lady cop directing traffic, and out of the crowd you hear on top of your voice “Show us your tits” it was class lmao.
29 Mar 2006, 19:18 pm
Someone better tell the Aussies that tests between World Cups already matter!!! No sense of heritage those okes
29 Mar 2006, 19:27 pm
Rugby needs something that is for sure. I even found myself being thoroughly pleasant to an Irishman a day after the defeat at HQ. I even said I enjoyed the game! He seemed a little embarrassed.
If everyone is heading down HQ this way I may even host a pre-match picnic. Although Cab you can keep your ruffian friends away.
I must admit to a great deal of disappointment as to how the younger generation of Bok fans respond to defeat these days. There is just a little too much aggression for my taste. Living your life through other people is not very healthy.
29 Mar 2006, 20:37 pm
nope sounds rubbish, world series my eye
29 Mar 2006, 21:22 pm
StM,
your last comment is the wisest advice you have ever offered. now if only you could convey those sentiments to the majority of your populace.
I have yet to experience a graceful pom in defeat, you must be a very rare individual indeed. i must say tho your online persona does you a disservice in this regard, since we only see you banging on about england’s magnifecense when they’re winning. You have been conspicuously hard to find of late Mr magnanimous.
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