The last words between All Blacks head coach Ian Foster, midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown and Argentina assistant coach Felipe Contepomi before the teams battle it out in the semifinal. Video / NZ Herald
OPINION
One of the greatest things about the rivalry between Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic was the amount of finals they played against each other, as the biggest names met on the biggest occasions.
It wasn’t coincidence. While their enduring brilliance meant they kept making deep runs intournaments, they were also held apart by seedings and the draw, designed to ensure the best players met when it mattered.
It was just as well World Rugby had nothing to do with running tennis tournaments, otherwise we’d be talking about Federer and Nadal in the fourth round.
As was widely predicted before this tournament, the lopsided Rugby World Cup draw has been a shemozzle. Sure, it created some epic quarter-final match-ups, but also left a deep sense of unfairness, whichever team you follow.
Ireland are ranked world No 1 and have beaten everyone over the past 18 months, including the holy grail of a series win in New Zealand. They topped their group in France, beating South Africa and Scotland on the way and were rewarded with a quarter-final against the most successful team in tournament history.
Sure, the men in green had a chance to control their own destiny last Sunday, but it doesn’t excuse the ridiculous draw.
Jonathan Sexton of Ireland is tackled by Aaron Smith and Richie Mo'unga of New Zealand during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 quarter-final. Photo / Getty Images
What about France? Their best side in years, who took care of New Zealand in the tournament opener, end up with the defending champions in the last eight.
Even if the results were reversed last weekend, it wouldn’t have felt right to have the All Blacks and South Africa on their way home, while England and Argentina have reached the semifinals without facing any of the top-five nations.
That’s why we should feel some sympathy for Ireland and to a lesser extent France, as it was a cruel cut – especially for their fans.
Most frustratingly, World Rugby has form in this area. In 2015 they also conducted the draw three years before the tournament, which led to one badly skewed group, with Australia, England and Wales together, though nothing as impactful as this.
The only positive out of this mess is that a change to the system is inevitable. Making the draw so far out is daft. There are economic imperatives – to sell commercial packages and tickets – but World Rugby needs to follow the Fifa model for their World Cups, with the pots allocated as late as possible to reflect current strength.
It doesn’t mean that it won’t still be unbalanced – as one side is always stronger – but it should never be as bad again as we have seen in France.
World Rugby may trumpet the best quarter-finals weekend in tournament history, but Michelin stars aren’t awarded based on entrées. The final two weeks is how tournaments are judged and the absence of two of the best four teams leaves a hollow feeling for many.
Michael Burgess has been a sports journalist since 2005, winning several national awards and covering Olympics, Fifa World Cups and America’s Cup campaigns. A football aficionado, Burgess will never forget the noise that greeted Rory Fallon’s goal against Bahrain in Wellington in 2009.
