Stick with 20 teams but bring in Trophy

IT'S very rare, in fact unique, for me to disagree with anything Gus Pichot says or propounds rugby wise but I must admit I'm struggling a bit with his continued support for a 24-team World Cup. And that is as a wholehearted and long-time supporter of T2 rugby nations and everything they are trying to achieve.

- BRENDAN GALLAGHER

Gus, alas, lost out to establishment figure Bill Beaumont in the political infighting when the chairmanship was last voted on, although we live in hope he will stand again next time round. While acknowledging the role of the old superpower nations, he invariably champions the middling and smaller nations and I can see why he wants an extended World Cup but I am not convinced it's the way forward, at least not in the short and medium term.

Rugby is not football or indeed the only other truly world sport, basketball where, on any given day, there are probably 60 top national teams who can beat each other in a competitive game. This week Latvia beat the USA in a FIBA World Championship pool game and reigning champions Spain were eliminated after defeats against Latvia and Canada. Who would have thought?

In rugby though the reality is there remains a considerable gap, as we are likely to see over the coming weeks and I don't see how increasing the number of minnows to the tournament helps anybody.

I am assuming the format would be four groups of six followed by three knockout rounds for the group winners and runners up in which case it also runs the danger of extending an already overlong tournament.