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2015 Rugby World Cup Seeding Has Led to the Group of Death
Published: July 4, 2014
As Nick Cain, writing in The Rugby Paper notes:
It is hard to believe that any other professional sporting organisation would have contemplated the own goal that the IRB have managed by putting the hosts, England, and their nearest neighbours, Wales, in jeopardy in the first stage of the event.
This only serves to highlight that the seeded draw for the World Cup should take place much nearer to the tournament, rather than nearly three years before it. France, seeded fourth for example, have had a poor few years and have dropped to seventh in the IRB World Rankings.
It was in December 2012 that the draw was made: About two years too early. With the previous World Cup finishing in late October 2011, in December 2012 the teams were at the start of a new cycle and very much in a period of transition. Seeding the teams then cannot be an accurate representation of where they will be in September 2015.
Making the draw a year out from the World Cup, perhaps now that the northern hemisphere teams have finished their tours of the south, would mean the seedings would provide a fair reflection of the team’s form and ability. It would also give the administrators more than enough time to make the necessary plans ahead of the tournament.
With South Africa in line to play the runners-up in Pool A, the implications of not topping the group may be an early exit, especially given that pool matches between Australia, England and Wales will all be high intensity.
If the draw wasn’t kind to Eng...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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