Wynne Gray: Territory will rule at Cup's crunch

Uncover the crystal ball. Remove the scarf from the gypsy's friend and let us look into the future.

Give us a glimpse of next year's World Cup, not the frothy bits we will see in pool play, but the serious stuff once the quarter-finals begin.

While we are enjoying the style differences during this season's Super 14, from the freewheeling Blues and Reds to the more controlled game-plans of the Crusaders and Stormers, we should also get a fair dose of entertainment during the Tri-Nations series.

Changes to interpretations at the breakdowns and cleaning up several other areas have reduced the amount of kicking and created a better spectacle. Well, they have on this side of the equator; stodgy matches are still played in tougher conditions up north.

Meanwhile, the International Rugby Board talks glowingly about worldwide alterations in style and content as pigs fly round their Dublin headquarters.

The same mob is hosting a conference next month to discuss rugby's shape and how the sport is being refereed, with recommendations from the meeting to be further discussed in October. They will give themselves a collective tick.

But when it comes to the World Cup in New Zealand next year, nothing is surer than constricted game-plans once sides reach sudden-death.

Sorry if it disappoints the thousands who pour into Aotearoa to be part of the seventh World Cup, but when the knockout squeeze comes on, when those games are being played in early spring a few hours shy of midnight, conditions will not favour running rugby. No matter the rules or the intent of lawmakers, coaches and players, the wisest policy will be to sink the leather into the synthetic and shoot for territory.

Rugby specialists from the leading countries will sift data about global playing trends when they meet next month. Chairman Bernard Lapasset has been waxing about the meeting's merits as plans are made for the debut of sevens at the Olympics in 2016 and the following three World Cups.

The shame is they have not considered the meteorological impact of playing rugby late at night in New Zealand in September and October. They have been more concerned about kickoffs to suit a television audience north of the equator.

At least the game will look normal to those switching on their tellies in that part of the globe.