Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Last week’s expulsion of Belgium, Romania, and Spain from World Cup qualification has deep meaning for World Rugby and the Rugby World Cups. Based on that decision both Scotland and Wales should have been disqualified from past World Cups.
Belgium, Romania, and Spain were found to have players not meeting eligibility laws in the 2017-2018 World Cup qualifiers. Played as part of the Rugby Europe Championship, three of the five competing for Europe 1 were found guilty by an independent committee.
The findings from the independent committee that saw Belgium, Romania, and Spain all out of RWC 2019 mean the trio all officially cheated. With it a precedent is now set and deems prior offenders to also have cheated.
It raises the question of what if Wales and Scotland were penalized too?
The answer is changes would be required to (a) RWC record books and (b) there would be different teams advancing from the pool stage in RWCs 1995 and 1999.
The findings from the independent committee handed them 5-point penalties for each qualifying game in which an ineligible player was used. This would require alterations to represent the point systems used by the IRB (now World Rugby) in RWCs 1995 and 1999.
At both RWCs 1995 and 1999 teams were awarded 3 points for a win and 1 point for a loss. There were no bonus points. As such 3 points was the maximum gain and this would thereby be the deduction penalty for fielding players lacking eligibility.
The Rugby Europe Championship penalization handed down was as follows:
– Spain: 40 point deduction (8 games, 2 players)
– Romania: 30 point deduction (6 games, 1 player)
– Belgium: 30 point deduction (6 games, 5 players)
The above demonstrates that penalties are equal independent of the number of players fielded who were not eligible.
Applying this to RWC 1995 in the case of Dave Hilton means that Scotland would be deducted 3 points per game for fielding him. Hilton qualified for Scotland via the grandparent ruling yet it was later discovered that his grandfather was born in England. This is similar to allowing Sione Faka’osilea to play 13 times for Romania.
Hilton played against Tonga and France in pool matches in RWC 1995 and against New Zealand at the Quarter Finals stage. With Hilton never being eligible for Scotland the Scots would have been deducted 6 points to finish the pool stage with 1 point.
| Country | 1995 Points | Corrected Points |
| France | 9 | 9 |
| Scotland | 7 | 1 |
| Tonga | 5 | 5 |
| Ivory Coast | 3 | 3 |
The result means that Scotland would have missed out on facing New Zealand. With it Tonga would have finished in second place of what was Pool D. Tonga therefore would advance to face the All Blacks in the final eight.
Four years later Hilton appeared in a second RWC. With his eligibility not becoming correctly known until 2000 Scotland’s RWC 1999 campaign can also be corrected to reflect corresponding outcomes to those handed down to Belgium, Romania, and Spain.
In RWC 1999 Hilton played in all three of Scotland’s pool matches. This saw him starting against Spain and coming off the bench against South Africa and Uruguay. It is worth remembering that until RWC 2003, pools consisted of four, not five, teams.
All of Scotland’s pool matches would see the Scots losing 3 points. With Scotland scoring 7 in total it means they would finish with -2. Uruguay would officially finish in second spot and would advance, in place of Scotland, to the Quarter Finals play-off’s, a round used only for RWC 1999.
| Country | 1999 Points | Corrected Points |
| South Africa | 9 | 9 |
| Scotland | 7 | -2 |
| Uruguay | 5 | 5 |
| Spain | 3 | 3 |
In the 1999 Quarter Finals play-off’s Scotland faced Samoa. Changes would mean Samoa would actually win their pool and Uruguay would have faced Argentina. The winner of that game would have played New Zealand in a Quarter Final in Edinburgh.
This means that Argentina’s historic victory over Ireland in Lens was an error. If corrected Ireland would have faced the best third placed side from the pool stage. Argentina finished third, on score differential, behind Wales and Samoa in Pool D. All three obtained 7 points.
Wales had fielded both Shane Howarth and Brett Sinkinson against Argentina, Japan, and Samoa in the Pool stage and against Australia in the Quarter Finals. Neither player was eligible for Wales with both, like Hilton, having falsely qualified via a grandparent.
Wales would be docked 3 points per match to thereby finish the pool stage with -2 points. Samoa would advance to face Australia in Cardiff in the Quarter Final with Argentina filling Samoa’s spot in the Quarter Finals play-off’s.
| Country | 1999 Points | Corrected Points |
| Wales | 7 | -2 |
| Samoa | 7 | 7 |
| Argentina | 7 | 7 |
| Japan | 3 | 3 |
With Argentina finished second Japan would be third in Pool D but with 3 points from pool play Japan would not be the best third-placed side. Occupying Argentina’s place in Lens against Ireland would be Canada.
| # | Rankings of Third-Placed Teams | Pts | Corrected 3rd-Placed Teams | Pts |
| 1 | Argentina | 7 | Canada | 5 |
| 2 | Canada | 5 | Romania | 5 |
| 3 | Uruguay | 5 | Tonga | 5 |
| 4 | Romania | 5 | Spain | 3 |
| 5 | Tonga | 5 | Japan | 3 |
World Rugby are remaining quiet until the 14-day appeal date ends. Romania is confirmed as appealing and Spain is likely to follow. Should the decision stand then World Rugby will have the task of publicly declaring changes to RWCs 1995 and 1999. It is only consistent and fair after all.
