One of the long-standing problems for teams like Portugal, Spain, Romania, Georgia, Chile, Uruguay, Hong Kong China and Zimbabwe has been the lack of regular, meaningful Test matches. Too often they’d play just a handful of internationals each year, usually against the same opponents.
Three rounds into the Nations Cup, there are already some encouraging signs:
Matches have generally been competitive, with very few one-sided scorelines.
Teams are facing a wider variety of opposition, which is valuable for player development.
The tournament has produced genuine upsets and close finishes, making every game matter.
Coaches can build combinations over a six-match campaign instead of preparing for isolated Tests.
Portugal are a good example. They’ve already played:
USA (lost by 1)
Canada (won comfortably)
Tonga (won by 4)
Those are very different styles of rugby, and that’s exactly the sort of experience they’ll need if they want to keep progressing after the 2023 World Cup.
Zimbabwe have also impressed despite their results. They’re much more competitive than a few years ago, while Hong Kong China’s win over Uruguay showed that the gap between teams isn’t as large as many expected.
The real test will be whether World Rugby sticks with the competition. If these unions get this level of opposition every July for the next decade, rather than every four years around a World Cup, it should raise the standard across the second tier. That’s probably the biggest positive to come out of the new international calendar so far.
- does anyone think this tournament will lift the overall quality of these teams. Been pleased with how competitive Zimbabwe have been as well.
