What to do about minnows?

The Rugby World Cup has caught the imagination of the spectators in Japan as well as audiences on television across the globe. The talent of New Zealand, Wales, England and South Africa have been on display in imperious wins over rivals as well as the minnows of the tournament.

Most of the leading sides avoided embarrassing defeats in the Pool stage, but Ireland were humbled by Japan in a 19-12 defeat that did put their place in the knockout round in jeopardy. However, the All Blacks were naturally ruthless in their contests, putting Canada, Namibia and even Italy to the sword with absolute ease.

Those results, along with their dismantling of South Africa in the opener, reaffirmed why they were the leading contenders in the rugby tips to win the competition, although Ireland were the number one ranked side ahead of the World Cup. The joy of watching the tournament stems from the performances of the elite teams, and although the stories of the minnows can be intriguing, the majority are there to make up the numbers.

It raises the question of whether there should be more matches between the Tier 1 sides in the tournament, with the possibility of a team like New Zealand not playing Wales in their bid to win the competition due to them being on the other side of the draw. The All Blacks barely need to turn up to beat the minnows, and the same can be said for the rest of the top teams. Scotland crushed Russia in their contest, while Australia and Wales had their way with Uruguay and Georgia.

You’re not learning a great deal about the performances of the top sides. The best the minnows can hope for is to hold their opponents at bay for as long as possible. The United States displayed that progress against France, only to be undone by a late onslaught from Les Bleus. Teams of the ilk of Japan and Argentina have made strides improving their standards, although they are able to face top-tier talent on a regular basis.

Georgia, Uruguay, Namibia, Canada and the United States are not so fortunate, and that means they lack experience and cohesion in their play against the elite teams. It’s not an enjoyable watch to see such a one-sided contest, although they have produced the occasional breathtaking moment such as TJ Perenara’s brilliant try against Namibia. No one in the rugby tips business would be predicting an upset against the well-drilled top outfits.

The elite sides also reduce the risk of picking up injuries to their best players by leaving them out of their gameday squads for such matches. It does not speak volumes for the competitive nature of the games if key players are left out, and forcing coaches to not make changes would also create problems. If a player of the ilk of Beauden Barrett or Owen Farrell sustained a tournament-ending injury in the contest, there would be uproar. It’s not the answer World Rugby are looking for, but something has to be done to create more competitive matches involving the minnows – even if it means restructuring the competition.