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<blockquote data-quote="Not Eddie Jones" data-source="post: 1013559" data-attributes="member: 81025"><p>I don't think that the World Cup could be improved by having new sides coming through so much as by the existing sides doing better. Sure, there have been only 5 nations contest the final, let's call them the RWC5 (England, France, Oz, SA, NZ ), but it's been far more of a closed shop than that. The RWC5 teams have only ever lost a knockout game to a non-RWC5 team twice. In 28 knockout games. Consider that for a moment: when an RWC5 team meets a team that is not in the RWC5 in a World Cup knockout game, they have won 26 out of 28 games. Only in 1987 when Wales beat England in the quarters and in 2019 when Wales beat France in the quarters have they lost. </p><p></p><p>The more you think about, the more mind-boggling it is. It's not like Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Argentina don't beat those teams inbetween World Cups, occasionally even in the group stages of a world cup, and yet when it comes to World Cup knockout stages, they crumble almost every time. In such games, Nz are 7-0, SA are 6-0, Aus 6-0, France 5-1 and England 2-1. The southern hemisphere big 3 have effectively had a bye to the next round every single time. </p><p></p><p>What I'd love to see is Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Argentina pulling their weight in the knockout stages, winning the odd one, knocking out a big gun and throwing the knockout stages wide open, as opposed to just the RWC5 all knocking each other out until one is left standing, as if it's just a mini-tournament comprised of 5 teams. </p><p></p><p>Couple of interesting tidbits in looking at these figures:</p><p>1. England have had only 3 knockout games against non-RWC5 teams (out of 17 world cup knockout games!), half the amount that Oz, France and SA have had and less than half that of NZ. </p><p>2. SA have only beaten a fellow southern hemisphere giant in the WC knockouts once: NZ in the final in 1995. Yet since then, they've won 2 World Cups, taking down Fiji, Argentina and England in 2007 and Japan, Wales and England in 2019.</p><p></p><p>The draw you get really does matter...</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Not Eddie Jones, post: 1013559, member: 81025"] I don't think that the World Cup could be improved by having new sides coming through so much as by the existing sides doing better. Sure, there have been only 5 nations contest the final, let's call them the RWC5 (England, France, Oz, SA, NZ ), but it's been far more of a closed shop than that. The RWC5 teams have only ever lost a knockout game to a non-RWC5 team twice. In 28 knockout games. Consider that for a moment: when an RWC5 team meets a team that is not in the RWC5 in a World Cup knockout game, they have won 26 out of 28 games. Only in 1987 when Wales beat England in the quarters and in 2019 when Wales beat France in the quarters have they lost. The more you think about, the more mind-boggling it is. It's not like Wales, Ireland, Scotland and Argentina don't beat those teams inbetween World Cups, occasionally even in the group stages of a world cup, and yet when it comes to World Cup knockout stages, they crumble almost every time. In such games, Nz are 7-0, SA are 6-0, Aus 6-0, France 5-1 and England 2-1. The southern hemisphere big 3 have effectively had a bye to the next round every single time. What I'd love to see is Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Argentina pulling their weight in the knockout stages, winning the odd one, knocking out a big gun and throwing the knockout stages wide open, as opposed to just the RWC5 all knocking each other out until one is left standing, as if it's just a mini-tournament comprised of 5 teams. Couple of interesting tidbits in looking at these figures: 1. England have had only 3 knockout games against non-RWC5 teams (out of 17 world cup knockout games!), half the amount that Oz, France and SA have had and less than half that of NZ. 2. SA have only beaten a fellow southern hemisphere giant in the WC knockouts once: NZ in the final in 1995. Yet since then, they've won 2 World Cups, taking down Fiji, Argentina and England in 2007 and Japan, Wales and England in 2019. The draw you get really does matter... [/QUOTE]
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