Paul Rees says the 40 group matches have highlighted the difference in the two sides of the draw

World Rugby’s plans for a 24-team tournament in 2027 and beyond have been met with another proposal. Why not slim down to 16 and run a plate competition in parallel so the likes of Romania, Namibia and Chile do not have to suffer the indignity of conceding dozens of points against championship sides without mustering even one in reply.
A quick glance at this weekend’s quarter-finals would suggest there are two tournaments running in tandem: England, Wales, Argentina and Fiji on the one side, Ire...