The men’s Rugby World Cup that is set to kick off in Paris on Friday evening has been more eagerly anticipated than any that has come before it, even the 1995 “Madiba” version that is so memorable for South Africans in particular and was immortalised in the movie Invictus.
This is in part because the most recent competition — won by the Springboks for a record-equalling third time — took place in Japan in 2019 in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, which put a bit of a damper on events (but from an SA point of view at least, not on the outcome).
Mainly, though, it is because never before in the history of the World Cup has the competition been so wide open. At least four national teams — top-ranked Ireland, title defender SA, France and New Zealand — have a credible chance of winning, and the next several, as far down as 10th in the rankings, are more than likely to cause a few serious upsets along the way.
That contrasts with almost all of the Rugby World Cups since the first in 1987 that were dominated by a handful of countries, mainly from the southern hemisphere after SA was readmitted to host the ’95 competition. The 2023 version will not only be hosted by a resurgent France, but Ireland tops the international rankings going into the competition and the best Scotland squad in decades is snapping at the heels of the top four.
Argentina and Fiji have improved considerably in the past four years, and while England has struggled for form in recent months and is paying the price for poor discipline with key players suspended going into the competition, Australia is struggling with a lack of depth, and administrative chaos in Wales has threatened to undermine a promising build-up, the big four take a win over any one of these teams for granted at their peril.
That is a recipe for an enthralling 2023 Rugby World Cup, which the Boks’ crushing of the All Blacks in their final “warm-up” game at Twickenham two weekends ago has done nothing to diminish. Rugby fans are in for a prolonged treat — this 10th edition of the competition will be the longest yet, stretching over more than seven weeks to the final scheduled for October 28, apparently to give the players more time to rest between games and reduce the risk of injury.
Skewing effect
As with any marathon, staying power and pacing yourself will be vital, which is why squad depth is more important than before. For the first time World Rugby has decided to allow each squad to include 33 players, again to reduce the risk of injury, and that too will favour nations such as SA that have the most top tier players to choose from.
Much has been written about the skewing effect of the early (December 2020) draw, which has resulted in the first, second and fifth-ranked teams going into the competition ending up in the same pool, and the third and fourth-ranked set to lock horns with the best two of the former three as early as the quarterfinals.
That may well mean the “real” final will be played two weeks early, and given that SA is one of the teams in the “pool of death”, the Springboks could be one of the participants. Then again, it will make the moment even sweeter when Bok captain Siya Kolisi holds the William Webb Ellis trophy aloft for an unprecedented fourth time at the end of next month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.