Americas Rugby News Rugby news from across the Americas!
Rugby World Cup 2003 took place in Australia. It would be the second RWC of the professional era but unlike RWC 1999 the tournament in 2003 would be staged in just one country.
RWC 1999 had five pools of four which saw them being spread around Great Britain, Ireland, and France. For RWC 2003 the plan was for Australia and New Zealand to co-host the event only for problems with stadium rights in New Zealand ultimately seeing Australia going alone.
Relations between Australia, and New Zealand would suffer as a result though both would be the better for it. Australia was able to host the World Cup in 2003 and New Zealand eight years later in 2011.
Changes from RWC 1999 to 2003 saw four pools of five. This saw the removal of the Quarter Final qualifying round to have all teams playing the same number of matches. There tournament would be the better for it though appalling match scheduling from the International Rugby Board (now World Rugby) would see massive imbalance in when the teams played.
Argentina had played their fourth pool match before England had played their third. Italy, and Tonga were also given unsporting schedules. Italy’s pool opponents, New Zealand and Wales would play a full week after Italy had completed their four pool matches.
The Tier 1 sides with the better scheduling happened to be the same teams who made it to the Quarter Finals. Argentine captain at the time, Agustín Pichot would famously say in his post match interview after playing against Ireland that “the organizers will be happy with what they have gotten.”
.
