Cup goal: Teeth for minnows

By WYNNE GRAY at the World Cup

It took 10 games, but finally the World Cup had a decent contest as the United States came within one kick of beating Fiji.

Until then, the tournament results had been fairly predictable, even in the opening game when the Wallabies saw off a one-dimensional Argentina. Hints of upsets had been rare.

Japan threatened against Scotland but fell away in the late stages, and Romania muscled up for spells against Ireland.

But the opening week was essentially rugby's senior nations warming up with victories over inferior opponents.

There was much to admire in the attitude of sides such as Uruguay, Georgia and Namibia, but their skills and resources are as far removed as Australia and Georgia are geographically.

In this professional era, as Canadian captain Al Charron remarked, the gap may be getting wider.

Those statements bring back into focus England's rejected proposal to host a 2007 tournament in which teams would be divided into sections based on their ability.

The proposal had flaws, but careful thought will have to be given to the draw and qualifiers for the next event, to be hosted by France.

The plight of the lesser nations and the number of mismatches has the IRB talking loudly about ensuring the next cup is more competitive.

It is a common debate, but finding a solution is far more difficult than the mission facing the taskforce reviewing competitions in New Zealand.

"Over the past four years or so, what we've been doing is trying to get more nations playing rugby," says IRB chief executive Mike Miller. "We've done that, as we now have 96 members of the IRB.

"Over the next four to eight years, we have to go with a slightly different approach - we need to begin to target our money more strategically.

"We need to bring the next five or six nations to a similar standard to the top five or six. If we can do that, we won't see as many of these lop-sided scores."

In the first week of this fifth cup, England, France, New Zealand and South Africa cantered to easy victories, and the Home Unions all had some initial difficulty before putting away lower-ranked sides.

Nothing has changed from previous cups. Only a few sides are capable of winning the Webb Ellis Cup.

Miller says raising standards will take time.

"We've been professional only eight years, but we would like to get to the point where 10 to 12 teams could win the rugby World Cup."

At this event, there are many layers of quality below the elite.

Even Wales, a side the All Blacks should beat comfortably in their final pool game, were far too strong for the Canadian amateurs whose World Cup trip was financed by an IRB grant.

Canada's coach, Dave Clark, felt the IRB was doing a good job wrestling with the demands of raising standards.

Money helped, but he also thought a nation like Canada would benefit from more tours like the recent visit from the NZ Maori.

A steady roster of matches against superior opponents was the only way to improve Canadian rugby.

"If they [the International Rugby Board] are going to spend any money, then the best service they can give us is give us more competition more consistently," Clark said. "Otherwise the gaps will just get wider."

Welsh coach Steve Hansen says the Canadians suffer because rugby is an amateur game in their country.

"It is easy for us who have been in an environment where it's your national game and every penny you have is spent on it.

"But these guys are the fourth or fifth picks after ice hockey or basketball or baseball, so it's difficult for those types of countries to produce world-class rugby players."

Charron said Canada had always battled, but it had become even more of a struggle since the sport went professional in 1995.

"Professional rugby hasn't really helped Canadian rugby," he said. "They're taking two steps forward, we're only taking one and that's catch-up ball.

"Once in a while you can catch a team off guard, but it's harder and harder nowadays because the players are paid and the coaching staff prepare them well."

Hansen, who has dealt with rugby riches in New Zealand and slogged away as Wales look to resuscitate their game, also favours giving minor nations more games.

"If you don't get the opportunity to play the big boys, then you don't get the chance to say 'hey, we need to grow in this area or this area'," he said.

"I'd be very disappointed if we didn't get to play the teams we've played in the last 12 months.

"We've played New Zealand twice, Australia, South Africa, and it is from those teams that you learn things.

"If you're going to have a World Cup you need to have a proper one."

Full World Cup coverage