Why is the Rugby World Cup so long?
The 8th September 2023 marked the start of the 10th Rugby World Cup, and 200 years since the games’ inception. The hosts, France kicked things off with an impressive 27-13 victory over the All-Blacks, setting the stage for an exciting tournament.
One month in, and we have only just finished the ‘Pool stage.’ Almost three weeks of rugby remain, which begs the question – why is this taking so long?
The ongoing Men’s Cricket World Cup will run for 45 days, the 2023 Women’s World Cup was completed in 28 days and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics ran for just 16 days. From beginning to end, the 2023 Rugby World Cup will last a staggering 50 days.
A tournament of firsts
The structure of the 2023 Rugby World Cup is a first for the sport. It was announced in 2021 that there will be “increased rest periods for all teams” for the 2023 tournament. This was to capitalise on the “hugely encouraging” player welfare results after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
As a result of this change, no team “will have a rest period of less than five days.” Teams will also have their squads increased from 31 to 33. These changes mean that that the 2023 World Cup will be a week longer than its 2019 predecessor.
Welfare over profit
When compared to its more popular brother: football, rugby has always struggled to market itself effectively. To a prospective rugby fan, a bloated 50-day tournament with only 20 teams is a big time-investment, especially when compared to a slick 32 team FIFA World Cup which finishes in nearly half the time.
Rugby instead prioritises the welfare of its players. Where FIFA looks to increase the demands put on footballers every season, World Rugby and other governing bodies have put their players first.
The introduction of G-force technology
As announced by the Guardian this week, Rugby Union is to adopt “game changing” technology “which measures the G-force of every head impact in real time.” This will be used to then “immediately alert an independent doctor” whenever a player has a big collision in a tackle or ruck.
This technology will be implemented into the women’s game from the 14th October, and the men’s from 1st January.
It is difficult to imagine a similar change being brought in for the FIFA World Cup, where immediacy and availability takes priority over safety. The 2023 Rugby World Cup may not be the slickest sporting tournament, but its commitment to players’ well-being must be heralded.
