Options were put forward. My suggestion was to run a separate World Cup for the tier two nations alongside the tier one tournament and at the same venues. The final of the tier two competition would be played the night before the tier one final. The winner would gain automatic entry into the tier one competition in four years time.
More frequent games between tier one and tier two nations would more greatly aid development although the already congested calendar does not allow for many fixtures. Last Saturday’s (July 20) fixtures further demonstrated the problem with tier one nations fielding second or weakened teams but still winning by huge margins, such as New Zealand defeating Fiji 47-5, Australia beating Georgia 40-29, South Africa dismissing Portugal with ease 64-21, Argentina demolishing Uruguay 79-5 and Scotland dismantling Chile 52-11.
Internal development is crucial if a nation is to produce its own players through a carefully designed pathway program and it pays to always remember that every international player was a 12-year-old boy or girl once.
Closer to home, Phuket’s own rugby club the Phuket Vagabonds continue to develop the game locally. Tomorrow (July 27) they entertain Krabi Rugby Club at the Alan Cooke memorial ground in Thalang with a 4:30pm kick-off. Refreshments are available before and after the games. If you are a fan of 15s rugby, come along and support a club with a player base consisting of Thai and expatriate players. All ages and all skill levels are welcome at training sessions, which begin again on Aug 17th.
The Vagabonds is a non-profit club, and earlier this year became a member of the Phuket Sports Association.
If you are interested in wanting to help or know more about Vagabonds rugby, contact rugby@phuketvagabonds.com or www.phuketvagabonds.com
Furthermore, some significant dates for your rugby calendar: Aug 11 sees the start of the Chiang Mai 11s league; Aug 31 is when the Da Nang 11s tournament takes place in Vietnam; Oct 26-27 is the Colombo 11s tournament in Sri Lanka; and Nov 23-24 sees the Chiang Mai 11s tournament take place.
These tournaments are great fun and produce some fantastic climaxes. Plus, we are seeing a huge growth in the number of girls teams entering, which is greatly encouraging for the future of the game.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.