The draw of the 2027 Rugby World Cup has once again shown that a Rugby World Cup Championship that is subject to chance will always end up in a disaster. Ending second in Pool A or B will definately be more to the advantage of the tournament.
In 2027, the organisers will have trouble selling tickets for the opening round as most of the matches will have almost nothing to do with shaping the Round of 16 and playoffs and a 60+ points difference will be the order of the day.
The Springboks and All Blacks should meet in a quarter-final, robbing the tournament of one of the favourites early on. Should Australia lose to Japan in the Round of 16 or against England in the quarter final, I expect that the Australians will lose interest in their eighth most popular sport.
Why have a ranking system if you do not use it? If I were a bookie ..........................
Pool A: New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Hong Kong China.
Pool B: Springboks, Italy, Georgia, Romania.
Pool C: Argentina, Fiji, Spain, Canada.
Pool D: Ireland, Scotland, Uruguay, Portugal.
Pool E: France, Japan, USA, Samoa.
Pool F: England, Wales, Tonga, Zimbabwe.
Prediction Round 0f 16:
1) All Blacks (Pool A Winner) vs USA (Pool C,E,F Best 3rd)
2) Springboks (Pool B Winner) vs Tonga (Pool D,E,F Best 3rd)
3) Fiji (Pool C Runner Up) vs Wales (Pool F Runner Up)
4) France (Pool E Winner) vs Scotland (Pool D Runner Up)
5) Australia (Pool A Runner Up) vs Japan (Pool E Runner Up)
6) England (Pool F Winner) vs Italy (Pool B Runner Up)
7) Argentina (Pool C Winner) vs Tonga (Pool A,E,F 3rd)
8) Ireland (Pool D Winner) vs Georgia (Pool B/E/F Best 3rd)
Prediction Quarter Final
1) All Blacks vs Springboks
2) Wales vs France
3) Australia vs England
4) Argentina vs Ireland
Prediction Semi-Final
Springboks vs France
England vs Ireland
Prediction Final
Springboks vs England