THE Rugby World Cup is one of the three or four biggest sporting events in the world. As a vehicle for promoting the game it is essential but by itself, it is not enough. I would suggest that every four years there could be a European Cup, or an Antipodean one so up and coming countries should be tested by playing against Tier 1 nations.
One of the big problems is the nature of the Six Nations. Tradition is important, so it should be safeguarded but this does not mean that it cannot be included in qualification.
Where possible, Tier 2 nations teams could be properly integrated into r...