2027 Rugby World Cup: The Format That Changes Everything

[@rugbybuzz]

*Forgot to mention - Also the Top 4 third place teams advance to make up the Round of 16* Who's your favourite and also dark horse for the RWC 2027? Yes it seems like a way off but it's fun to predict anyway!

[@Alias-gy3tz]

South Africa of course! Dark horse is Australia, ONLY because they are playing at home.... expect a lot of cheating, as was done in 2011.

[@rugbybuzz]

@@Alias-gy3tz Australia??? Hmmm they do have some beasts and a few years to bed in new players!

[@raymondhorn8041]

Springboks by 10

[@TheSharkBok]

2023 WC only "ran out of steam" cause you were supporting NH teams 😅

[@abongilenonkelela7726]

So true

[@bigscaryman7421]

I think it was the draw, No one was excited for the semis because we all expected a blowout, England managed to do better than expected but all in all I think the lack of hype around the semis and the early red card caused a lot of people to not have as much interest in the last two rounds.

[@NoName-hg6cc]

​@@bigscaryman7421 I liked it and I'm from the North

[@geoffhogan4831]

Um. Keep SA as an underdog. It's the way we like it....

[@natedogg8775]

Keep acting like the underdogs. No one believes you…

[@Bambi157]

​@@natedogg8775how many world cups does your country have?

[@natedogg8775]

@@Bambi157 3 why?

[@davesmith826]

@@natedogg8775 Still salty about 2023? Bless.

[@natedogg8775]

@@davesmith826 lol why would you think it’s salty I’m just saying you can’t play the underdog everyone knows how good the Springboks are! Relax that fragile ego bud 😘

[@thomasVA9707]

2023 was the most intense world cup ever with the most closely matched top teams than ever before

[@rugbybuzz]

I want to relive it!!

[@thembelanihdlamini5395]

The world cup lost steam in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in South Africa, it only started when we were playing against France.

[@rugbybuzz]

Very true! I was talking about the global "buzz" about the game...but you're right...and when it mattered SA just didn't let up! 💪

[@thegreytone]

​@@rugbybuzz if you come to South Africa, you'll understand mate why we stay in the fight. It's unfortunate that our crime has a role in the boys' grit but out here you gotta survive and in moments like Rugby World Cups, that instinct just sets in. But we have to lose test matches against top sides especially Ireland France New Zealand and Australia, it'll make us underdogs and no buzz around us which is how we and the boys love it, yes it blemishes our record but it works.

[@MrGTFOplz]

"Lost steam towards the end". Mate did you even watch the games? They were some of the best test matches we've ever seen.

[@rugbybuzz]

I mean the general “buzz” around the World Cup…of course the games were epic

[@espressoaddict69]

Only thing that lost steam was the progress of the " favorites" 😂

[@MrGTFOplz]

@@rugbybuzz probably because you were supporting a team that got knocked out 🤣

[@victordastile5204]

​​@@rugbybuzzWhat did you expect? Of course it would lose the buzz when the home team gets eliminated😂😂😂

[@kelbatt7729]

the final was not a great test match- too much interference by officials.

[@mauroger86]

Nah mate, the RWC 2023 was awesome, it lost no steam, your team just did not win, which is a completely different thing.

[@enriquenelson7184]

I mean if New Zealand win, Jesus you would need to go back to 2003 since another team won. You might as well start calling it the South Africa-New Zealand Cup instead.

[@rugbybuzz]

🤣

[@NoName-hg6cc]

In 1937 SA toured NZ and called rugby world championship. They weren't wrong

[@gofaone]

I will come here in 2027 after south africa wins it😂😂❤

[@natedogg8775]

Wow SA fans aren’t very humble like they used to be 😂😂

[@gofaone]

@@natedogg8775 it's very hard to be humble when the Webb Ellis cup is in cape Town as we speak 😅😅

[@rugbybuzz]

😂

[@espressoaddict69]

😂😂😂😂

[@espressoaddict69]

​@@gofaone😂

[@dragouws]

NZ do well at home or in their backyard SA, on the other hand, is the only team to have won the WC in Africa and Asia.

[@jonathandavis8599]

and Europe

[@andrieslouw3811]

See the springboks have never won it in Autralasia - come on doc rassie we need this one.

[@ChrisPerkins-i7h]

We need pool of death's The 2023 world cup was the best ever so many upsets Then a close 1 point semi and final 2027 is the worst ever pool what rugby needs is 4 pool of death's Pool 1 South Africa nz Ireland in same pool France England Scotland in pool 2 Argentina Australia Wales in pool 3 Samoa Fiji Italy in pool 4 12 teams 8 make it into playoffs If you loose 1 game you must win the next one. This puts huge pressure on every match If every team wins 1 and looses 1 game which is exactly what I want It all comes down to the highest points difference Basically all 12 teams will be playing for their life all 80 minute's in game 1 and game 2

[@DavidSmith-yi8ou]

Who won the 2015 world cup and where was it played?

[@DavidSmith-yi8ou]

SA is poor in Australia and NZ.

[@paolozmm]

as an irish man i can say that Ireland probably wont make it to a semi unless a draw is somewhat favourable. Ireland have exceptional players and capabilities, a really well oiled rugby union and clubs. But, our mindset is not where it needs to be to win against nations that possess such intense rugby culture and history. Countries that win it do so with a 'win at all costs' mentality. With South Africa, they tap into the dna of the hardship of their country and this is something that is very hard to do if your players and population have no recent history of this type of existence. Then you have NZ where Rugby is on par with the oxygen they breathe. These are things you cannot replicate and i''m not sure if there are other substitutes for these types of drivers to succeed.

[@gerhard_99jansevanrensburg74]

Do the springboks dominate again ?Yes

[@SAPPERBRAVO]

Ireland ever being touted as "favourite" alongside France to win tbe RWC is a joke.They've won fok all, and really silly stateme to make since the Bokke won it previously. The 2 best teams in the WORLD played in the finals. Regardless, you may as well change the title of this video to CHASING THE SUN PART 3. 🏆🏆🏆🏆+🏆 🇿🇦

[@rugbybuzz]

Ooh that is actually a great title! haha But from content I watched around the time, Ireland, NZ, France and SA all were in the running...Poor Ireland out in the quarters again...👀 Savage draw though!

[@uganrajoo8379]

Bro is forgetting just how many South Africans now live in AUS. SA games are going to feel like home games for the Boks.

[@rugbybuzz]

Haha! NZ fans will surely will be there in the thousands...So you're going for SA for the win I take it? Can Ireland get out of the quarters? 👀 Will England get a lucky draw again?

[@Will.Flavell]

There’s millions of All Blacks fans in Australia plus All Blacks always play good in Australia they got a great record there 🇳🇿

[@Kpmg12]

Especially lost steam cuz the favourites lost in the QFs lol, why would a R16 fix that? The 2023 RWC was amazing filled with big drama especially that the 2 favourites got knocked out… making the prediction so much harder

[@brucethomson3512]

😆🤣😆 U thought France were gonna win the RWC .....how funny

[@espressoaddict69]

Jeez , that's what makes a world cup unique , unpredictable, if the favourites keep winning it will get boring and run out of steam

[@randomlyfactual1943]

Dude stop. We won by one point. On any other day, we could have and probably would have lost. Yes, we had great preparation psychologically, we employed great tactics, we played out of our skins...and we did get lucky. The gap between the top nations is smaller than ever. Don't be like the NH pundits. Stay humble.

[@lloydndlovu9502]

​@randomlyfactual1943 you not from SA wena😂😂keep qwt

[@randomlyfactual1943]

@@lloydndlovu9502 I am. And I remember all three those matches well. I didn't cheer at the final whistle - I just put my head back and breathed because my beloved Boks gave my almost three heart attacks in a row. I am incredibly proud of what our team achieved and how many men had put their hands up when the chips where down; Pieter Steph, Ox, Handré, Bongi, Chessie, Eben, Siya, Kwagga to name just a few. I hated seeing the big talk from the Northern Hemisphere sides before, awarding themselves the World Cup. There was no humility. But right now, I see the same from our fans as well and I don't like it either.

[@jamesm9995]

France were the better team

[@theriddler5601]

It will quite easily be a World Cup of a large number of contenders. As a South African it should be known that it would be unaffordable to go easy on Japan both because of what has happened in the past and because Eddie Jones is someone who likes to plan 4 years of focus on one specific match. Considering how he wants Japan to be in the top 4 and the fastest team in the world it would look as if he is wanting a more consistent team but I wouldn’t assume anything of non threatening intention. I believe Australia will be a massive contender taking in the fact that 4 years can turn a terribly performing team into a top contender also considering how they obviously will have a very talented coach in Joe Schmidt and are the hosts. Wales are more mysterious but I believe the light is at the end of the tunnel for them with a newer player base on the horizon. France and Ireland will obviously be up there and Italy with Gonzalo Quesada will be a formidable force of nature. The All Blacks are going to perform as they always do. All and all, this will be an expansion of the greatest feats of 2023 and it’s for all the better!

[@Nonamegeniusx]

Cool vid! 🎉 Can’t wait for the next World Cup!!!

[@rugbybuzz]

Cheers!!! Glad you liked it!

[@Verita1975]

All I know is Rugby is similar to Soccer in many ways. 1. World Rugby has a “favoured nation” - New Zealand , FIFA has a favoured nation Brazil 2. Laws are changed which intrinsically change the nature of the game to help the favoured nation ( and still the favoured nation does not win) 3. For almost every World Cup, the favoured nation is ranked to win it from the start 4. There both Rugby and Soccer have a national that World Rugby / FIFA does not want to win ( South Africa and Italy/Germany respectively) … 5. No matter how hard they try the nations they don’t want to win .. end up winning … it’s just the way it is. Sad thing about both sports it’s that the obsession with tinkering with the rules does not attract more people to the sport .. but actually in the long run loses those who care about the sport the most. I have seen 0-0 draws in soccer which are way more enthralling than a 7-5 goals fest. Why because a well structured defense, with brilliant defenders is a beautifully thing to behold. I’ve seen low scoring rugby matches where the game is on a knife’s edge. Take the last World Cup Final .. amazing game because the All Blacks were able to have such a good defence that SA was not able to break it down in the second half. Here is a rule fit both soccer and rugby .. the team that will win the World Cup will be the team with the best Defense! Brazil when it wins worlds cups … isn’t the free flowing samba style .. it’s the tough defense that wins them a World Cup

[@pietkroon6548]

bull when last have italy win a WC final...

[@Verita1975]

@@pietkroon6548 2006! In Soccer terms that’s “yesterday”. In Rugby we have only had World Cups since 1987 .. in Soccer they have had since 1930! In Soccer a game between Italy and Brazil is known as a a “ Classico Munidial/Mondiale” or a World Derby. In the entire history of soccer there have only even been 16 games ( that’s it ) between Brazil and Italy. There have been over 100 tests between the Springboks and All Blacks. Most people will never ever in their life have the chance to watch Italy and Brazil play a match .. let alone in a World Cup .. I’m South African-Italian so I support both the Boks and gli Azzuri (Italy). I was lucky enough to watch Italy play Brazil in 2009 ( Italy lost but that’s just my luck😜). Italy plays a very particular type of soccer strategy which traditionally is the antithesis of the Brazil style. So when the two play each other especially in a competitive game it’s on another level. You have to understand the probability of seeing your team win a World Cup in soccer in your lifetime is extremely rare …I was lucky enough to see Italy win in 2006 .. I don’t expect to see them to win again while I’m alive it’s normal . The last time a Brazilian saw his team win a World Cup was in 2002. There is almost one alive who saw Uruguay win their last one ( in 1950)

[@SherryTakhalo505]

It’s a long way to the next WC, let’s see how the coaches build there teams. Anything can happen

[@SherryTakhalo505]

Their** sorry

[@cbjen7744]

In terms of the expansion, it would be a huge failure all of the teams added lost everything. Rugby must invest in these new country's if they want to avoid looking silly and making the pool stages less competitive.

[@madrikz.fj.679]

most promising teams getting added would be the likes of usa and spain

[@mitchellmyerson4304]

8:57 I predict New Zealand vs. South Africa Final, will NZ finally become champions after Final loses, or will South Africa get 3-peat?

[@joshhudson7413]

I don't think any team will win 3 world cups in a row. There will be some factor that will stop SA from doing it again, whether it's aging players, or 1 team spending years preparing for that one game, like England did against the all blacks. France and Ireland will be major contenders, but I think the All Blacks will go into it as favourites with what razor and his coaching team are setting up.

[@Alias-gy3tz]

You mean you "hope" SA won't make it 3 in a row... 😂

[@JackN13_]

Lol you lot never learn

[@rugbybuzz]

All Blacks have my vote!!! And I'm and English Supporter 🤣

[@rugbybuzz]

@@JackN13_ I'm not betting against SA - EVER!

[@SherryTakhalo505]

If it’s not SA, hopefully All blacks 🙌

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

2023 Ireland and France patting themselves on the back for winning before it started. It was always going to be SA and NZ in the final.

[@aj4-star560]

The last, and only, time a NH team won a WC was when it was held in Aus (2003). History to repeat itself?

[@brucefale6132]

No

[@Alias-gy3tz]

@DoctorPooh-fw1hu 🤣🤣🤣 Big dreamers never sleep. First win a few tests before opening your big, arrogant trap.

[@GiuseppeGaribaldi46664]

I'm afraid that was a once-off, although Boks did win 2 worlds cups in France, NZ 2 at home and Aus 2 in the UK

[@Alias-gy3tz]

@@GiuseppeGaribaldi46664 The Boks also won a world cup in Japan and one in SA... their 5th will be in Australia ;)

[@citizen4570]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@davidmendoza1371]

South Africa for 3 in a row in 2027..... Rassie is the GOAT...

[@Reg2B]

Sure with blind referees and good lobbying as its used to be…. The WRC 23 champions is not a famous one! Their game is boaring and not fair. But, I ´ll congratulate SA players in the future if they diserve really the trophy because I’ m not a basic fan! 😘

[@joseparedes5703]

Not fair to who Mampara you should stick to watching Bowls that game seems to be fair 😂😂😂😂

[@davesmith826]

@@Reg2B Let me guess, you're (A) French and (B) still crying into your ratatouille over the 'robbery' that deprived you of your 'birthright'?

[@randomlyfactual1943]

​@@Reg2Blol. "Lobbying" South Africa is the poorest of all the top rugby playing nations. We don't have the money to pay bribes.

[@raymondhorn8041]

​@@Reg2Bsour grapes.. you have all the advantages and still lose to a little country in africa... then you say that we are the ones that had the advantage 😂😂😂😂

[@cheri_17]

It will be absolutely insane if SA win again im south african so praying for that we hate losing

[@MoonHoax-md6mp]

The RWC 2027 format will witness more one sided games than ever before.

[@wouterroos2359]

This format will be great for Ireland. Perhaps they could get their first ever play off win before blowing out in the quarter finals again.

[@rugbybuzz]

@@wouterroos2359 😂 Let’s wait and see! 2023 RWC draw really wasn’t kind to them 👀 That half of the draw entirely was a joke! England had it so easy 😂

[@brucethomson3512]

Italy 😆🤣😆 Ur so funny. Ur wife's Italian...... sorry to hear.....tell her no one's perfect 😊

[@rugbybuzz]

🤣I'm probably a 60% Italian Fan 40% English fan...Muuuuuuuch prefer to watch Italy play than England 🤷

[@davesmith826]

Italy played outstanding rugby against the French in the recent 6N and were denied a clear victory by some farcical refereeing. The Scots were also on fire and also denied their spoils courtesy of some disastrous officiating. We need strong second and low-first tier teams in rugby to broaden the reach and appeal of the game and to make it more competitive.

[@JimFletcher-h5c]

Spain are a decent team. Qualified for both 2019 and 2023

[@Mr-Litch]

Ran out of steam ?🎵it's in yr heeeaad in yr heahead.. only for the losers who had to go home sooner than expected aka ireland 😂😂😂

[@rugbybuzz]

🤣

[@TheContrarianMind]

The South African team deserve better than you. Around the world, Ireland and France made the world cup interesting which brought in more viewers. For the first time there was hope a team other than NZ or SA could win. Ireland brought a lot to the tournament with fans, songs, music, skill, hype, fun and narrative, the world cup was better for it. Even neutral fans felt a loss when Ireland and France went out, as it just reverted to the "rugby championship" played yearly anyway or would you like everyone to just pull out of the competition? whether you like it or not, rugby need new winners to grow. South Africa have beat Ireland just one time in eight years. we just spanked you at home too. so show some respect.

[@davesmith826]

It's too early to make predictions. Both New Zealand and Australia have changed their coaching set-ups and we'll need a couple of years to determine just how good Robertson and Schmidt will be. You also have to consider location. The comp will be held in Australia and the history of the Webb Ellis tells us that cups held in Antipodeon territory are won by Antipodeon teams. It also tells us that the only team to win a trophy away from home apart from SA (which have won three on the bounce) is New Zealand, and they required a *lot* of good fortune to get their 2011 honours. Lastly, we need to pay close attention to France, who returned to their old selves in the recent 6N, and Ireland, who have become a little too predictable for my liking. On paper, both sides have by some margin the best up and coming talent in the northern hemisphere, but whether such talent is capable of surpassing what the current 'golden generations' have achieved is anybody's guess. They and the likes of England would need something truly special to win the tournament in the south.

[@paolozmm]

So much can happen in 3 years so its too early to say ireland will roll into the next WC with a predictable game plan. If they spend the next 3 years on their mindset and drivers to win, then there's a chance of a Semi for us. But at present its very hard to better the traditional Rugby powerhouses (NZ, Safa's) as they are driven by something different and bigger.

[@davesmith826]

@@paolozmm Agreed. Mindset is key. They've matched and surpassed the SH giants in many areas of technique and tactics, but they cannot rival them for grit. Ireland today remind me of the great NZ sides of the 90s and 00s - outstanding in between world cups but serial chokers during them. The ABs had to change their mindset to win. The Irish will need to as well.

[@randomlyfactual1943]

I'm a Bok fan and a RWC in Australia has me a bit uneasy. Yes the climate is close to ours and we have a lot of fans over there, so you would expect we would do great there but... We don't. Between Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber, we've only beaten Australia at home once, in a time that we won two world cups. Added to that, in the 2003 RWC, we had probably our poorest world cup ever, by losing in the quarter finals after being squashed by both England and New Zealand. So while I'll always support and believe in my team, the closer 2027 comes the more nervous I'm going to get.

[@andrewfarquhar5290]

I would like to see a longer tournament with Super pool and development pool with Web Elis trophy and another development pool trophy and golden trophy or ladies.

[@iamnutty8471]

australia needs to get so good league players on top around 25+ who can get some big paychecks after! honestly no one gives a toss about league internationals!

[@rugbybuzz]

@@iamnutty8471 rugby in Aus is in a tricky spot…NRL contacts are so much more lucrative so I can’t blame people switching codes…I want to see Aus back being a powerhouse once again!!!

[@GiuseppeGaribaldi46664]

You haven't mentioned that the top 4 third placed teams advance too to make up the last 16

[@rugbybuzz]

Ooh I forgot that part! Thanks for reminding me!!!

[@muzarobioskop2632]

Love your honesty been feeling rather insane abt having this notion New Zealand rugby being too dangerous and always benefiting from dangerous players that always have teams losing key players bcoz of their rash players but with that said all blacks rugby is amazing 🎉

[@rugbybuzz]

I've got a world XV coming out this week...let's see how that goes down 🤣

[@muzarobioskop2632]

@@rugbybuzz lol notifications are on 😅😅

[@randomlyfactual1943]

I don't think you can say that the NH teams "lost steam". Favourites Ireland and France were knocked out by superhuman displays from the Boks and the All Blacks. On any other weekend, Ireland could have beaten NZ and France beaten SA. I don't think one Kiwi or one Bok fan would argue with that. We won, not by the skin of our teeth, but by the enamel itself! Then we get to England. They had arguably the easiest route of any team to the semis and their game against Fiji was a really close affair. They had no right to challenge South Africa the way they did. But conditions favoured them and they played arguably the best game of rugby they've played since the 1999 semi-final in really tough conditions and had the Boks beaten all ends up. Where England had literally no chance to beat South Africa BEFORE the game, South Africa had no chance to beat England IN the game. Luckily the famed bomb squad came and did their job and the pairing of Vincent Koch and Ox Nche scrummed the tired English front row out of the match. In the end, my point is this: the SH giants made the finals with some of the best rugby they have ever produced and more than a little luck.

[@mattjones3361]

2023 was a good tourney, some of the best games ever. Don't mind this format, but the tier 2&3 teams , need to close the gap fast!! As the round of 16 must have the 2 best 3rd place teams in it! Even at this stage I'm having SA as favourites, with England 2nd(u23 success).

[@rugbybuzz]

@@mattjones3361 agree - SA, NZ and England…depends on the draw really for knockout stages - one of the tier 1 nations might get lucky again (England in 2023). The draw is scheduled for January 2026 based on the rankings from November 2025 👍🏼

[@MovieHeretic]

Picking the ABs is what every pundit does, and then someone else wins the world cup they are trying to predict. Hard call on how the ABs will go, new coach, new cattle.

[@simon.hughes3009]

The qualifying is not based on the rankings just to let you know the based on regional tournaments

[@khankake9576]

With the two North American teams failing to qualify for the previous World Cup in France. Rugby in that part of the world has gone backwards. But with the USA hosting the 2031 tournament, hopefully, it won't have any bearing.

[@rugbybuzz]

USA hosting in 2031 is a game changer for the sport! USA has the largest market growth opportunity for Rugby 🏉 Hopefully they help transform rugby into more of an experience and spectacle...some of the coverage/pre game antics in a lot of rugby these days is so mundane/old school! The future is bright!

[@mariussmall-smith4401]

Still crying about France losing in 2023?

[@Skyblaze137]

I would be the happiest man alive if Canada makes the RWC. HAUT LES ROUGES🙌

[@rugbybuzz]

Let’s wait and see!!! IMO USA have so much potential - Canada just lacking the talent pool 🥲Would love to see them apart of it - they’re currently ranked 21st so they will be in the RWC 💪🏻

[@birdyboy9236]

How would a R16 work with 12 teams qualifying for it to then produce 6 teams for quarter finals?

[@rugbybuzz]

I've Added an asterisk to the description - the Top 4 3rd place teams also advance! Oops! I only predicted the top 2 in each pool!

[@randomlyfactual1943]

Top two teams qualify. Then 4 of 6 of the 3rd place teams would advance, based on log points.

[@CG-or1re]

i think it will be NZ under robertson of france that will get the job done. most important thing for rugby i think is for australia to improve ahead of the lions tour and hosting the world cup

[@rugbybuzz]

Agree! The Aussies need to get back to winning ways!

[@vahorgan]

I dont see SA winning this one, we kinda shit in Australia for some reason. I think NZ cant let us be one up, they got to take this one?

[@christo_kruger]

Rassie has entered the chat.

[@frik422]

Australia I think the new rules suit em the best ,they like league rugby and Aussie rules. So my prediction I Aussies.

[@patrickthomas8101]

i don't think England have shared the same group with Italy since 1995?

[@rugbybuzz]

Maybe it’s just Six Nations Fog misting my brain 😂

[@frik422]

yes it make sense that Nu Zeeland win 2027 ,why not Sir Richards of NZ, helps WR to change the scrum rules to better suit Nu Zeeland's playstyle. Thanks WR.We love to be the underdogs .Lets go then Nu Zeeland to win ,England nr 2 Ans Ireland no3.But Rassie may find a way to do it for the third time .Whatever Rassie comes up with ,WR will change that also in 2028.

[@kelbatt7729]

Gotta stop teams winning world cup finals by kicking goals. SA now won 3 finals without scoring a try. Not good for the game. Don't care what anyone says.

[@dunphymarc]

Hi at the start of the video you say it will be 6 pools instead of 5 pools. It was 4 pools before it has never been 5 pools.

[@rugbybuzz]

I meant 4 pools of 5 teams…😢 Thanks for pointing this out!!! 🎉

[@debeerpaul]

As a bok fan I must admit. The ABs will dominite this tournament.

[@rugbybuzz]

😮

[@reniervanwyk5473]

So now World Rugby adds ANOTHER Play Off round to the World Cup to try and give the NH teams a chance? Smh

[@MoonHoax-md6mp]

The Boks or AB's are already the favorites for RWC 2027. Ireland and France will choke again. The French forward pack is too slow and overweight and their backline is only dangerous on counter attack when Du Pont us in the team Ireland play robotic rugby, have a week scrum and as Leinster showed against Toulouse they struggle to score tries and do not have BMT.

[@stuarthayward4756]

The Boks have an attrocious record in Australia, so.. there's that

[@randomlyfactual1943]

Yep. Which doesn't make sense. Huge amount of SA expats there (there are actual Afrikaans churches in Perth for instance) and the climate isn't that much different than ours. But nope. In 2003 we had a dismal outing to the global showpiece, exiting at the QF stage agter huge losses to New Zealand and England. And even during these golden years we're experiencing winning two world cups, we've only beaten Australia in Australia ONCE during that time. Maybe it's something in the water, maybe we are too scared of all the snakes and spiders, or maybe the Aussie women are just too distracting, but we suffer over there.

[@KBkbkbkbxyz]

I wish they would get the rankings right.

[@rugbybuzz]

The draw is in January 2026...let's see what the rankings are then The seeding will be done based on the World rankings in November 2025...

[@Leon-ph7br]

This is a stupid format that reminds me of how World Rugby screwed up the Sevens World Cup. Lot's of nothing Rugby which basically removes the Pool tension and excitement, and reduces the round of 16 to a formality. World Rugby still have not learnt their lesson.

[@keanondomingo4950]

It only lost steam because you supported the teams that were kicked out 🤣🤣🤣

[@SAnd-pd1ou]

How's a round of 16 going to work with 12 Teams😂

[@rugbybuzz]

Top 4 3rd place teams go through to round of 16

[@espressoaddict69]

" ran out of steam " really ? was this a overall opinion? I thought it was one of the best world cups ever , depends on individual opinion not universal ( biggest chirpers were the losers ) 😂

[@rugbybuzz]

Oh it was for a keeno like me...but I know a lot of far more casual fans who got a bit bored in the last couple weeks...they were like "is it still on?" But for me it was never enough!!!!

[@AnilJodeci]

Host county must be in pool A

[@JordanKangai]

What about Zimbabwe

[@AdamM7796]

Dont like this format to be honest having 3rd placed teams qualify totally devalues the pools, if youre going to devalue the pools you might as well expand to 32 Teams and go Straight Knock out and have something on the line every game, Other option go old school champions cup, six pool Winners and 2 best placed 2nd teams for a Quarter Final. Round of 16 doesn't do it for me

[@rugbybuzz]

Let's see how it goes! 💪

[@mphomothle5430]

France dominate 😂😂😂😂 bro it’s us the springboks or New Zealand. Sit down brother 😂🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[@annettekolb3103]

AGAIN? Do I have brain damage. France got their asses handed to them in quart finals 2023 world cup by the 4 x world champions. Sorry but with Dupont they nothing. Dupont need to come down to earth 1st

[@galinor7]

You can have 200 teams in you like but there are only maybe two or three teams who could win it. If you want a none blow out silly world cup. You wouldn't have more than 12 sides. Edit we're shyt. A leat we get to beat Portugal and Namibia.

[@DENNISMARTINTOPKIN-fz6ie]

This guy love NH

[@rugbybuzz]

Well, who wouldn't love NH, right? 🤣

[@cheri_17]

y'all what happened to England after 2019 they just went down

[@yodaking8764]

6 pools 😮

[@rugbybuzz]

Yep! The new format will feature six pools of four teams, with a round of 16 added prior to the quarter-finals (Top 4 third place teams advance to make up the 16) 🎉

[@heathtotalpccozw]

France did not dominate! The Boks dominated - 4th trophy, Bok to Bok!

[@heinrichphiri]

Lol these fools never learn with the predictions

[@lloydndlovu9502]

😂😂😂😂South Africa will win it again

[@NoName-hg6cc]

I think it's a mistake to enlarge it

[@fahimratangee8158]

And France and Ireland won't make it again

[@rugbybuzz]

hahaha you really think so?

[@brucethomson3512]

@@rugbybuzz Yes, I also think so 😊

[@pamaerysovershares7373]

What do you mean “lost steam”? 😂 stop

[@robertwood6297]

Teams to watch - iTALY, SPAIN, ARGENTINA, JAPAN. Teams to win must be Boks, and France

[@joseparedes5703]

Spain ??? You must be confused maybe you referring to sevens and Italy they can't even make a showing in the 6nations and we must watch out for them in the RWC 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@alanfriend4287]

What a load

[@rugbybuzz]

Haha 😛

[@Laliology]

You don't know rugby

[@rugbybuzz]

Never claimed i did! 😂

[@austingtir]

Fiji could totally cause an upset in pool play if they develop at the current rate they are now in Super rugby (they just need to learn to win away from home and most of them will be used to playing in australia by then).

[@draaz7171]

FR

[@austingtir]

"Dominate" and getting knocked out in the first big game is not the same thing.