Rugby Union World Cup

Gonna be a lot of fun over the next few weeks!

Of course there are quite a few meaningless games early on & with spreads of anything up to 70/80 points not much chance of any big upsets!

However i love watching some of the non glamour nations especially if they are a little competitive like when they play each other!

Fiji up tonight or rather 4.30 in the morning gonna tape it as i love the fast flowing style of Fiji & i also love there rendition of there national anthem,something about 20 stone black athletes singing high pitch notes really is quite endearing!

Come on Fiji!!!

I take it no one is actually watching this nonsense? Wales 81-7 Namibia says it all about how stupid the concept or rugby 'World' Cup is. How can you call it a world cup when only a small minority of people are interested in the game in half a dozen countries, and interest has to be invented in places like Namibia and Japan. Seeing Scotland humiliated by a country where 90% of the population have never even heard of rugby was slightly amusing though., it would have been even more amusing had it been England.

Can't agree with your negative outlook on the rugby here Gal, i've been enjoying it enormously (aside form the unfortunate timings of the games). Ireland v Australia was a cracking match and New Zealand v France also well worth a watch. There has always been a big imbalance between the top nations and the minnows in rugby, but how else are the minnows to make progress unless they are exposed to the better teams? Also, I don't see the problem in calling it the World Cup when they've got such a wide range of countries entered. Doesn't matter if they suck at the sport they are still taking part. Surely the World Series is a much greater misnomer?

Like any tournament, the best games will come later, as nearly every knock-out game should be a watchably close contest.

As a Scotsman, I can't say I enjoyed watching us lose to Argentina, but you're very dismissive of them as a rugby nation considering they finished 3rd at the last World Cup and are joining New Zealand/Australia/South Africa in the tri-nations next year!!!

Scotland v England will no doubt end painfully for Scotland as well, but i'll still be tuning in to see what inventive way of getting knocked out we come up with this time

How many countries actually take the game ven semi-seriously? Let's see, there's the UK, Ireland, France, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, just six and in at least three of those countries it's a minority sport, and always will be IMHO.

The only place in Argentina that has any interest in Rugby is Patagonia, and most of the players from there probably qualify to play for Wales.

Maybe I'm being unfair, but I wouldn't mind betting far more people outside the US watch the World Series than there are those outside the UK watching the rugby. Although you are right in implying that World Series is a daft name too, and of course that gets ridiculed on a regular basis too.

I've watched some of the games, I certainly am interested but I just don't think it really gets going until the knockout stages when it's down to the 6 nations teams and the tri nation teams.

The smaller teams have to start somewhere and it's great to see Argentina improve so much in recent years. They may not love the sport but at least they are challenging. More teams able to challenge, the better the compeition.

So I'm not as mad about it as a football world cup, but I certainly appreciate it.

Pet of my problem is I don't see any chance of the 'make up the numbers' teams like Namibia ever getting much, if any better. Aregentina, whith it's Welsh emigree population always had a chance of becoming mediocre, but will they ever really be able to expand the game beyond that given the fanaticism they have for football?

Can you imagine playing any physically draining sport in Namibia? * that for a game of soldiers!

I've watched a lot of the games & the best match of the tournament for me so far has been Japan V Canada,great crunching tackles from the Japaneese & Canada were very lucky to get a draw out of it!

Obviously i dont agree with Gal as i feel a lot of these countries despite seeing Rugby as a minority sport are very enthusiastic about there participation & take it very seriously adding to the spectacle,whilst the second tier Countries like the three Pacific Island nations,Argentina,Italy etc have a strong Rugby tradition!

I guess it all comes down to what one wants from a competition,for me any sports tournament is not just all about who wins the trophy,there are a lot of other interesting enjoyable levels & facets of it that run paradoxically & if the tournament has been organised well can even help to bring the event to a natural climatic conclusion!

If one can only appreciate the elite then you may as well just get the two top seeded sides going into any competition & have the one match,not really a lot to get the imagination going!