There is no shortcut to anywhere worth going, as rugby discovered to its acute discomfort following the fumbled embrace of professionalism after the “Mandela World Cup” a little over 30 years ago, and the governing classes learned the lesson well. These days, the people at the top of the sport take the most scenic route to everywhere before ending up in the wrong place.
Are they aware that this luxury will not be available to them indefinitely?
The decision to award the next-but-one global gathering to the United States has automatically created the conditions for another upheaval, the consequ...