M

[M @boxkick9]

You don't understand his point, perhaps because you haven't read the other posts on the topic. The point is that because Samoa produces so little on-island talent and that almost all of its players come from heritage NZ players, World Rugby should not be prioritizing funding to Samoa. They're going to naturally be at a very similar level regardless of funding because they are the beneficiary of NZ's systems regardless. That money could be better spent on countries who are developing more local talent and lack funding currently, e.g. Netherlands.

[M @boxkick9]

If you wanted a pitch design that was American, you could paint the in goal like NFL/College football end zones with the name and/or logo of a team in each in goal. Beyond that, the biggest thing is just marketing the event so that Americans know that it actually exists. It's going to be a challenge to get the timing right as American football dominates the media here from late August until February. Also complicating things is that the US will also be hosting the 2031 women's FIFA WC that year, likely from June-July.

[M @boxkick9]

Adults can make choices that suit them is not really an argument unless you favor getting rid of any eligibility requirements altogether. Otherwise, they can make choices within the framework that World Rugby sets. It's on World Rugby to set the framework that suits international rugby. That is not turning it into some supercharged club rugby where international teams go shopping for players (and vice versa) who have zero previous connection to that country.

[M @boxkick9]

@gemckamey @zagrebbi Club sports, including basketball and football, aren't NCAA sanctioned.

[M @boxkick9]

I don't think you're following the argument. Taking a bunch of freak athletes at a late age in a sport that is heavily dependent on skill and decision making (which is only developed over many years from a young age) will not work. At the same time, there is an advantage for players who are big and fast who have enough skill in soccer like Haaland. In the US, someone with his athletic profile would likely have played a different sport unless his parents were former elite level soccer players.

[M @boxkick9]

@Coach_GotJuice @LudditeHacker Why hasn't who done what?

[M @boxkick9]

And the half of Israel that isn't Ashkenazi and got ethnically cleansed from the Middle East? Just reintegrate into the most antisemitic societies on earth that already ethnically cleansed them, stole their property and almost certainly would oppress them in a way that would make Israel's actions in the West Bank look like benevolence in comparison?

[M @boxkick9]

That's obviously true and also meaningless. The mean outcome is what matters, not the median. Say you trade a replacement level 4th line wing for a 2nd rounder. The median outcome for a 2nd round pick is that they don't become a full time NHLer. So the 4th line winger will outperform that pick most of the time. However, that doesn't mean the 2nd rounder is worth less than the replacement level NHLer, who is worth very little in the first place anyway. The value comes from when you find a Kucherov of Hutson in addition to the more meager returns. This is why replacement level wings don't fetch a 2nd in the trade market.

[M @boxkick9]

For sure. Reaching the tournament even getting blown out can still have positive impact for the country. Georgia 2003 is a great example. The problem is the country has to have the ability to take advantage of it. I'm not sure Hong Kong has that ability. The other thing is playing in a RWC is a great opportunity to be scouted by pro clubs for domestic players from lower ranked nations.

[M @boxkick9]

@CristianBanu3 @T2Rugby I have no issue with clubs being full of foreign players. International teams should not be club teams, though. International sport is something different.

[M @boxkick9]

That's precisely the point. There are many more examples in soccer too. I don't think rugby players who opt for T1 nations on residency are disloyal to their countries and frankly I don't blame them for wanting to play on the biggest stage. The international stage is considered by far the pinnacle of the sport in rugby in a way that it is not in soccer. You can be recognized as world class in soccer while playing for a lesser nation at international level because there is a better balance between the importance of club and international soccer. You cannot do the same in rugby. However, it's incumbent upon World Rugby to set the guidelines that are best for the sport. The current ones do not do that.

[M @boxkick9]

@FowleBall15 Easily is a relative term here. It's nearly impossible to find a Kucherov/Robertson/Pastrnak equivalent center in the spots where they were picked.

[M @boxkick9]

The overfocus on the international game in the short term leads to poor results in the international game in the long term. In other words, you have Fabian Holland moving to NZ to play for the All Blacks instead of the Netherlands. You have Anton Segner trying to do similar. If there were a better balance between club and international, as well as better regulations to prevent this, the international game would benefit. Imagine if Haaland was able to play for Germany or England in soccer rather than Norway because? People would be up in arms but it's par for the course in rugby.

[M @boxkick9]

@FowleBall15 @Royal___17 I'd think contender would be a better term for the top x number of teams in a given year (or in this case the expected top x teams for the following season), rather than the short-term results of a high variance sport.

[M @boxkick9]

@FowleBall15 @Royal___17 A lot can happen during a season that isn’t reflective of a team’s contending status, namely injuries and puck luck. Edmonton and Florida are contenders picking lower than 27 this year. Tampa as well.

[M @boxkick9]

American football is probably a forever structural limiting factor on the potential of the Eagles. It's one reason that World Rugby is wrong to focus on the US over other countries that don't have that issue. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try. More youth development and growth of the sport will never be a bad thing and of course creates future coaches, fans and admins. It just isn't the panacea that it might be in other countries. You also mentioned coaching. A decade ago I went out to help coach a local high school team and the head coach was teaching his players to tackle with the head in the gut of the ball carrier and had never heard of a non-spin pass. I hope that's no longer common (both for safety and skill reasons), but shows how far coaching in this country had to go a decade ago. I'd still imagine most coaching is not at the standard it needs to be. There are a few very good high school rugby teams in the US that are well coached, well-run and have historically produced the majority of Eagles. We need more of those but it is a difficult, mostly thankless task. Lastly, we can be smarter about targeting athletes in certain positions. Two of our elite props, who unfortunately no longer play for the Eagles, are players who would have been fullbacks in American football a generation ago but the position has basically been eliminated. They happen to be on the shorter side for props but that's not the end of the world. Similarly, at lock basketball is a crossover sport athlete we have not really targeted recently. One of our best ever locks was a college basketball player who didn't play rugby until after college. Courtney Lawes and Alistair MacFarland are recent examples in other countries of youth basketball players who did well in rugby. In the end there is no easy answer, though, and we are limited by the vacuuming effect of American football on youth rugby players.