Rugby Mad - Review of the Year

As 2008 ends, its time to give a quick review of the year past.

With so much focus on the World Cup these days the first year after a World Cup seems to be a re-building stage for many on the international scene, there are plenty examples of this throughout. The recent Autumn Test series demonstrates the changes in the international game since the end of the last year.

The introduction of the ELVs caused a great deal of a stir amongst everyone in the game. Some of the rules have been understandable and work well, the little changes. Some are still work in progress and I am not sure improve the game.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

In the Super 14, the Crusaders dominated again and Munster were victorious in Europe. As a whole, the domestic game goes from strength to strength, especially in Europe with an influx of south hemisphere talent. Questions still remain over the benefits this will have on the youngsters coming through in Europe. The questions also remain on the domestic front around the scheduling and structure of the EDF and the Magners league.

The Best of the Best 2008

Rugby Moment of the Year

Munster vs. the All Blacks. What real tour rugby is all about.

Team of the Year
Grand Slam......Wales. Beating England at Twickenham and the Irish at Croke Park, an amazing turn around from the team that went out to Fiji in the RWC.

Coach of the Year
For the same reason, Warren Gatland.

Player of the Year
Richard McCaw demonstrated why he is the best in the world yet again, missed so much by the All Blacks when he was injured but came back to show them to victory in the TriNations and a Grand Slam in the Autumn Tests.

What will 2009 bring....

Rugby World Cup Draw - Why so early?

I am a supporter of using the IRB rankings to shape the seedings for the Rugby World Cup, but why so earlier?

Any thing can happening in three years, just look at Wales. One minute they are chucked out of the RWC by Fiji and the next they are Grand Slam champions. We just have to look at England to see the reverse.

I am with Zinzan Brooke, who when speaking to the BBC said - "I'd like to see a situation where the draw is done a year before the World Cup begins. By doing that you will avoid mismatches in the pool stages. "

The only reason I can think of that makes the draw so early is a matter of qualifying, for those who have to do it. I am not sure the logistics of the process but surely it does not take three years to sort out qualifiers.

Even if it does there must be a way round such an early draw.

Do the qualifying in stages, the teams in the lower ends of the world rankings have to start qualifying earlier and the system works its way up until a year before the event.

For Example
Teams ranked - lets say for the sake of argument - 50th (at that point) and below start qualifying 3 years before the RWC.
X number of those teams progress to play teams ranked 25th and below 2 years before RWC.
X number of those teams progress to play teams ranked 13th and below 1 year before.
Who ever comes through, clearly this will have to be regionally divided too, will then be placed in a draw with the top 12 teams (that did not need to go through qualifying, they could at this point be 13th or below in the rankings), and the pools decided with IRB rankings at that point.

Does that make sense? Does that work? Or am I complete wrong and confusing things more?