Portugal’s dramatic last-minute victory over Fiji at the Rugby World Cup was a thrilling moment for the tournament, but the economic constraints of the sport make such upsets a rarity.
While Portugal, Uruguay, and Chile delivered exciting rugby during the pool stage, eight traditional rugby powerhouses safely secured quarter-final berths. Closing the gap between these elite nations and tier two countries has been a longstanding goal for rugby, but the challenges persist.
Portugal exemplifies a tier two rugby nation, with most of its best players overseas or playing semi-professional rugby at best. They demonstrated substantial improvement with proper training and coaching, but tier two nations at the World Cup emphasize the need for regular fixtures against top-tier teams.
Portugal’s French coach, Patrice Lagisquet, highlighted the economic reality that top nations cannot afford to play developing nations regularly, hindering their progress.
Chile’s coach, Pablo Lemoine, echoed this sentiment, stressing the importance of more games to foster development. He hoped for a change because the current setup is unfavorable for players and supporters.
Pacific island teams face similar challenges, with their best players scattered across the globe for club rugby, limiting their national team’s preparation time.
Tonga’s coach, Toutai Kefu, emphasized the need for more time together, better preparation, and competitive games. He pointed out the stark difference in the number of games played between tier one and tier two teams.
Fiji, despite their loss to Portugal, demonstrated that strong performances can lead to better fixtures. Competitive matches are essential for team development, as seen with Fiji’s victory over Australia in the pool phase.
However, change is unlikely for most tier two nations unless the proposed “Nations Championship” between northern and southern hemisphere teams becomes a reality in 2026.
While World Rugby provides financial assistance to tier two nations, fixture lists are determined by the top nations outside major tournaments. For the gap to close, tier two nations require more regular fixtures against top-tier opponents.
Former Italy coach Kieran Crowley emphasized that increasing the number of games is crucial but acknowledged the challenges of doing so given the financial considerations that favor matches involving top nations.
In summary, while upsets like Portugal’s win over Fiji are celebrated, the economic realities of rugby make such occurrences infrequent. The lack of regular fixtures against elite teams remains a significant obstacle to the development of tier two nations.
