Despite having roots steeped in colonial history, rugby has never really enjoyed much popularity in India, continuing to remain as a niche sport. The only time rugby probably got a mention was when actor Rahul Bose burst on to the scene with his performance in English, August and the media woke up to the fact that he had represented India in rugby . Which is a pity because as a sport, rugby is an entertaining event to follow, combining the speed and athleticism of football with more physical intensity (and minus the dives that have become commonplace in football nowadays). And if you have ever been vaguely interested in the sport, this might just be the best time to follow it – the Rugby World Cup starts on Friday in England with 20 international teams and some of the world’s top players on one stage.
Here’s a small thing though that should be kept in mind: this will be the rugby union World Cup. Similar to cricket, rugby is played in two formats – rugby union and rugby league. They are both administered by different bodies and have quite different rules regarding the nature of the game (for example, rugby union is played by 15 players while rugby league is played by 13 players). The upcoming World Cup will be the eight rugby union World Cup and the tournament has been dominated by countries from the Southern Hemisphere – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa winning the tournament twice with England being the sole winner from the Northern Hemisphere.
The format consists of four pools of five teams. The top two teams from each pool qualify for the quarter-finals while the third placed team in each pool (along with the top two teams) directly qualify for the next World Cup in 2019, scheduled to be held in Japan.
Group of Death
Pool A is shaping up to be the toughest group in the tournament. Australia, England and Wales, three among the top five rugby teams in the world, will be joined by Fiji and Uruguay. The Wallabies (as Australia are referred to) are coming off a run of great form, having just defeated defending champions New Zealand and South Africa, while the pressure on hosts England is immense. As for Wales where rugby is a part of the national culture, the rugby team are also under expectations that they can finally deliver a World Cup to their rugby-obsessed public.
South Africa, winners in 1995 and 2007, are the clear favourites to top Pool B, but four consecutive losses in this year for them will embolden the other countries in the group. The battle for second place is between Scotland and Samoa and the deciding match between them promises plenty of entertainment. Among the rest, Japan will be the only Asian representative while the United States will be hoping to make the odd upset.
Battle of the hakas
It’s difficult to look beyond New Zealand in Pool C, they are the world’s number one ranked team with arguably the best player in world rugby at the moment (Dan Carter). Rugby newbies, though should watch out for the haka – a traditional Maori war dance, performed by the All Blacks (as New Zealand are called) before every match, quite a spectacle to watch. The Tongas have their own version, called the Sipi Tau so the buildup before the match between the two nations should be entertaining! Argentina will be looking to finish second in the group, while Georgia and Namibia will be looking to be competitive, more than anything else.
Pool D is a straight clash for top spot between Ireland and France on October 11 with neither team wanting to finish in second place. The reason – both the teams will be looking to avoid a potential clash with New Zealand, the most likely winner of Pool C, in the quarter-finals. Ireland have not lost to France in their last four outings, but their World Cup preparation has been patchy, while the Les Blues have always a found to perform on the big stage, as their record of three finals, three semi-finals and one quarter-final testifies to. Italy will find it hard to upset either of France or Ireland but will fancy themselves against the minnows of Pool C – Romania and Canada.
Sounds exciting? Give it a go – watch a game? The 2015 Rugby World Cup kicks off with England taking on Fiji in the inaugural game with the tournament to telecast on the Sony Six network.
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Here’s a small thing though that should be kept in mind: this will be the rugby union World Cup. Similar to cricket, rugby is played in two formats – rugby union and rugby league. They are both administered by different bodies and have quite different rules regarding the nature of the game (for example, rugby union is played by 15 players while rugby league is played by 13 players). The upcoming World Cup will be the eight rugby union World Cup and the tournament has been dominated by countries from the Southern Hemisphere – Australia, New Zealand and South Africa winning the tournament twice with England being the sole winner from the Northern Hemisphere.
The format consists of four pools of five teams. The top two teams from each pool qualify for the quarter-finals while the third placed team in each pool (along with the top two teams) directly qualify for the next World Cup in 2019, scheduled to be held in Japan.
Group of Death
Pool A is shaping up to be the toughest group in the tournament. Australia, England and Wales, three among the top five rugby teams in the world, will be joined by Fiji and Uruguay. The Wallabies (as Australia are referred to) are coming off a run of great form, having just defeated defending champions New Zealand and South Africa, while the pressure on hosts England is immense. As for Wales where rugby is a part of the national culture, the rugby team are also under expectations that they can finally deliver a World Cup to their rugby-obsessed public.
South Africa, winners in 1995 and 2007, are the clear favourites to top Pool B, but four consecutive losses in this year for them will embolden the other countries in the group. The battle for second place is between Scotland and Samoa and the deciding match between them promises plenty of entertainment. Among the rest, Japan will be the only Asian representative while the United States will be hoping to make the odd upset.
Battle of the hakas
It’s difficult to look beyond New Zealand in Pool C, they are the world’s number one ranked team with arguably the best player in world rugby at the moment (Dan Carter). Rugby newbies, though should watch out for the haka – a traditional Maori war dance, performed by the All Blacks (as New Zealand are called) before every match, quite a spectacle to watch. The Tongas have their own version, called the Sipi Tau so the buildup before the match between the two nations should be entertaining! Argentina will be looking to finish second in the group, while Georgia and Namibia will be looking to be competitive, more than anything else.
Pool D is a straight clash for top spot between Ireland and France on October 11 with neither team wanting to finish in second place. The reason – both the teams will be looking to avoid a potential clash with New Zealand, the most likely winner of Pool C, in the quarter-finals. Ireland have not lost to France in their last four outings, but their World Cup preparation has been patchy, while the Les Blues have always a found to perform on the big stage, as their record of three finals, three semi-finals and one quarter-final testifies to. Italy will find it hard to upset either of France or Ireland but will fancy themselves against the minnows of Pool C – Romania and Canada.
Sounds exciting? Give it a go – watch a game? The 2015 Rugby World Cup kicks off with England taking on Fiji in the inaugural game with the tournament to telecast on the Sony Six network.
