Last season’s Championship Finalists New York and Seattle will have the benefit of an extra import player in 2023 thanks to a bizarre ruling on eligibility by Major League Rugby. Ironworkers forward Brad Tucker and Seawolves scrumhalf JP Smith have been granted ‘exemptions’ that will see them considered domestic players …
Read More »All of the Rugby World’s Eyes on Chile in 2023
All of the Rugby World’s eyes are on Chile in 2023. Los Cóndores’ qualification for the Rugby World Cup is what is new about France 2023. How the Chileans qualified is what others’ seeking to qualify ought to scrutinize over deeply. An article published by World Rugby last week was …
Read More »Spain vs Argentina is what rugby needs so badly
The Centennial Celebration of 100 year of Spanish Rugby will involve the special fixture of Spain vs Argentina. Los Leones will take-on Los Pumas in Madrid two weeks before the giants of South America open their World Cup campaign against England in Marseille. How this fixture came together was impressive. Branded …
Read More »Five Predictions for 2023
Results in test matches in 2022 are an indication that predictability has deceased. In comparison to the closing of a year before prior Rugby World Cups, there is relative freshness in the air. This makes projections for the World Cup less certain. With the World Cup returning to France in …
Read More »Uruguay Progression from World Cup Return until 2023
Uruguay has been a success story of the past decade. Los Teros returned from missing out on Rugby World Cups 2007 and 2011 to now be a consolidated participant. For Uruguay, the focus changed from qualifying for World Cups to a sustainable long-term structure. How this happened may offer a …
Read More »Rugby Regional Progression, Regression and the World Cup
Rugby World Cup 2023 will be the tenth men’s Rugby World Cup. Sixteen teams competed in four pools of four at the inaugural tournament in 1987. It was expanded to twenty teams competing in five pools of four for RWC 1999. It changed to four pools of five for RWC …
Read More »Desirable World Cup 2023 Warm-Up Matches
Rugby World Cup 2023 will begin on September 08, 2023. Teams are to have a thin corrider in which to prepare in between the completion of professional seasons and the World Cup. There will be RWC warm-ups played. What are desirable World Cup warm-up matches for the Americas? Obtaining player …
Read More »Serious Eligibility Questions asked of more Italian World Cup players
Italy and World Rugby face an escalating player eligibility scandal. Hot on the heels of Spain’s disqualification from Rugby World Cup 2023, serious questions have arisen concerning the eligibility of Italian players that played in past Rugby World Cups. Italy has capped many players from Argentina. Among them are Italy’s …
Read More »Eligibility doubts over second Italy player at Rugby World Cups
Rugby faces a problem. Spain qualified for Rugby World Cup 2023 in March. In April the governing body of the sport deducted 10 points from Spain’s Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifying matches. The result in June was that Spain was out of the World Cup. Gavin van den Berg was …
Read More »Urgent Questions asked of Italy Player Eligibility at Rugby World Cups
In a significant reveal for rugby, a top player took to the field for an elite country in four World Cups and played in over 100 test matches despite not being eligible to do so. Italy fielded an ineligible player at Rugby World Cup 2003 and in three subsequent tournaments. …
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