Jamie Joseph’s Caps
The last Top League tournament before the 2019 Rugby World Cup has officially started.
At this stage of the World Cup cycle, Jamie Joseph will have more focus on putting his strongest match-day 23 together rather than bringing in new...
Tier 2 World Cup schedule winners and losers
The 19th team (Africa 1) to qualify for next year's World Cup will be decided next week on the 18th August.
Depth and fitness will be essential for teams' success at next year's World Cup. But by analysing the schedule,...
Comparing the FIFA World Cup with Rugby
If we are to compare World Cups it will come as no surprise to anyone that FIFA World Cups have been far more competitive than rugby's down the ages.
Although the difference is perhaps not quite so glaring if we...
Rugby World Cup Standings
The June internationals are over and the Rugby World Cup is only 15 months away!
I thought I'd take a look at how the teams who have qualified for next year's World Cup in Japan are performing in their various...
Why the Rugby World Cup needs to expand
The Rugby World Cup features twenty teams in a quadrennial battle for global supremacy, the ninth instalment scheduled for Japan next year, but don't expect too many surprises from an event which almost invariably goes according to the script.
Firstly,...
Four upsets for 2019 Rugby World Cup (potentially)
Introduction
With 17 out of 20 teams for the Rugby World Cup 2019 confirmed, I thought I would write an article of matches at the World Cup where Tier 2 countries could put one over a Tier 1.
First of all,...
South Africa: A dark horse for 2019
The odds of South Africa winning the 2019 Rugby World Cup are currently 14/1. Therefore the team is seen by some bookmakers as having half the chance England have of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy next year.
Is this a...
Rugby and FIFA World Cup qualification processes: What’s the difference?
FIFA and Rugby World Cup qualifying differences
There are glaringly obvious FIFA and Rugby World Cup qualifying differences, as well as in their respective World Cups. But there are some subtle differences which illustrate the aims and values of the two...
Applying FIFA World Cup qualification process to rugby – 3
This is the third and final article on my view of how the FIFA World Cup qualification process could be adopted by rugby.
To get the complete picture of my thought process take a look at Part 1 and Part...
Applying FIFA World Cup qualification process to rugby – 2
In the first article on the FIFA World Cup qualification process, we looked at that process. We also loosely proposed a possible application in rugby.
This article goes into a bit more detail about how it may work. If you...
Applying FIFA World Cup qualification process to rugby – 1
What would happen if the FIFA World Cup qualification process was applied to Rugby? This is a question that I have pondered on many occasions.
I see football as a genuine threat to the future of rugby in New Zealand...
How to predict a World Cup
We keep hearing that the 2017 November tests are mainly for building depth of national squads and that the results are irrelevant. So, which results are most important?
To answer this question, we will use 2012, 2013 and 2014 test...
How will Japan perform in their own World Cup?
The 2015 Rugby World Cup was still a huge success, despite England crashing out in the group stages.
However, big sporting events always seem to benefit when the host country does well. So how does Japan look ahead of 2019?...
RWC19: Ireland, 2 years out
We’re two years out from the Rugby World Cup, and a question on every rugby fanatic's mind is how will Ireland perform this time around?
Positioned 4th on the rugby world ranking, it would seem a semi-final could be a...
Video: Rugby World Cup 2019 – POOL A
The 1014 take a look at Pool A for the 2019 RWC.
Or, as it is now known in The Shed, #RWC2019PartyPool.
Can the hosts upset one of the traditional big boys?
Can Jamie Joseph and Tony Brown repeat the magic...
How to win a Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is less than two years away and the November Internationals are almost upon us.
As such, the questions that all rugby fans should be asking is; how do you win a World Cup? What lessons can...
Where should RWC23 be held?
In a little over two months, on November 17th, World Rugby will decide who hosts the 2023 RWC.
Here at The 1014 we have been asking the question about who should host it. We have asked people to take their...
Women’s World Cup Review
The Women's World Cup in Ireland has been a huge success.
Record numbers of people watched matches, engaged in social media and some of the largest crowds for the game turned out.
New Zealand's Black Ferns came out on top in...
RWC 2019 – Pool of death and THE PARTY POOL!
The pools have been decided for RWC 2019. Alas, the English find themselves in the pool of death once more. But the great news is, there is a sneaky little pool that will be making a lot of noise.
BREAKING:...
2019 RWC: Our old adversaries and South Africa
The draw in Kyoto yesterday for the 2019 RWC sees the All Blacks in line to face their old adversaries and South Africa.
For the sixth time in nine World Cups we will be facing the Italians in pool play....
