One commenter mentioned in passing it would also be nice (as in the Rugby 7's) to have a World Cup shield, to be part of the championship. Possibly allowing those teams that don't progress beyond the pool games to have a separate elimination quarters, semi and final for the Shield, It would increase the opportunity for teams that don't get to play as much ,as the other teams, and introduce further competition. In effect, it would include more equally balanced teams such as Portugal to play with more tier 2 teams, outside their current pool and recognise the rugby contribution they have made to the championship.
I'm being a little selfish as it means more rugby for me to watch, but based on Portugal's performance last night I'd far rather have them in the 6 nations than Italy. I feel with the right level of competition the Portuguese game will improve and be more competitive at a higher level than what we have seen of Italy's achievements since joining the 6 nations.
Last edited by JohnHarris; 09/10/23 08:45 AM.
