One Goon show we could all do without

IT IS just about possible, if you’re seriously odd, to imagine that Dan Cole might stand a chance of out-performing Simone Biles on the uneven bars. Which begs the following question: would you also be deluded enough to support a World Cup expansion to 24 teams?

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According to those on the ground in France, the answer is “yes”. World Rugby, the non-governing governing body, considers it to be a good idea – which, you may think, automatically makes it a bad one – and we can therefore expect the new format to be unveiled when Australia (remember them?) stage the global gathering in 2027.

A hardened cynic might be tempted to suspect that this “growth strategy” is all about the United States, the wealthiest nation in the Americas by an immeasurable distance but only fourth best when it comes to rugby.

The Eagles failed to find their way into the current tournament, which was a bit of a bugger for the governing classes who, with dollar signs in their eyes, had just awarded them the 2031 hosting rights. The thought of the Yanks messing up a second time may or may not have exercised a few minds in the boardroom.

Needless to say, the NGGB will flag up Portugal’s captivating victory over the Fijians as evidence of the Tier Two brigade closing in on the traditional elite. But Fiji, for all their talents, are still a Tier Two nation themselves – in commercial terms, they hover around Tier Eight – and if we look at the 40-match pool stage just ended, the dial has moved barely a millimetre in the right direction.