How can rugby be improved?

Experts speak out ahead of World Cup

A LACK of quality referees, the upcoming Rugby World Cup being the most closely contested in history, and the need for rugby to increase its global competitive depth.

These were issues a group of top rugby brains discussed in a debate about the game at this week’s Laureus World Sports Awards in Shanghai.

Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, former All Black skipper Sean Fitzpatrick, legendary Argentine flyhalf Hugo Porta and former Springbok captain and 1995 team manager Morne du Plessis were part of the state-of-thegame discussion at Shanghai’s Grand Theatre.

“I think it’s going to be the toughest World Cup ever,” Meyer said. “I think there isn’t a lot to choose between the top sides and any side can win it.”

Fitzpatrick predicts that up to eight teams are capable of winning the World Cup, and he believes the northern hemisphere teams will be better prepared than they have ever been for a World Cup.

“I think it’s the first time the northern hemisphere is taking the World Cup quite seriously in terms of the preparation of their teams.

“I’m on the board of Harlequins and it’s the first time the English clubs have actually been sympathetic towards the national team in looking after the players better.

“The English guys are only going to get four weeks’ rest before they go back into a World Cup camp, so they will be very well prepared.”

Meyer agrees that the southern hemisphere will be playing catch-up in terms of World Cup preparation.

“For the southern hemisphere teams I think it’s going to be one of the more difficult World Cups because we only get the players late because of Super Rugby.”

Fitzpatrick was critical of the standard of refereeing. “I don’t think we’ve got enough good referees. You can probably count on one hand the quality referees.

“There are problems at scrum time, and for me that’s a scourge at the moment. But when you have a good referee the scrums aren’t an issue.”

Du Plessis hopes rugby will become more unpredictable at the top level, like football.

“We have rugby entering the Olympics next year and I think it’s important for the game to start getting the second tier teams more competitive with the top teams.” he said.

“It’s what our World Cups have lacked – you always know who is going to be in the last four. In football World Cups you don’t know. What makes football a global game is that a small country can beat a big country.”

-Michael Vlismas