Warren Gatland is thrilled by the potential shift in power at the World Cup, as all four pool winners could come from the northern hemisphere for the first time in its history.
Writing for The Telegraph in the UK, Kiwi coach Gatland – whose Wales team will top Pool C if they beat Georgia on Saturday – highlights England and France’s pool wins and the upcoming Ireland versus Scotland clash as notable achievements.
Wales earlier smashed a ragged Australia and became the first team through to the quarter-finals at this year’s tournament, and left the Wallabies facing a pool-stage exit for the first time.
Gatland believes that while it’s too early to declare a significant change in the world rugby hierarchy, recent comments from southern hemisphere coaches like Rassie Erasmus and Ian Foster suggest that they are taking note of the northern hemisphere’s progress.
He credits the northern nations’ improvement to better conditioning, skill development, and the strength of the club game in Europe, with high-level competitions week in and week out have contributed to their success.
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Gatland also emphasises the importance of managing player resources to avoid injuries in the knockout stages, acknowledging that northern hemisphere teams may not have the same depth as the likes of the Springboks.
“Four northern hemisphere winners of the pools would represent a remarkable achievement given that traditionally the southern hemisphere sides have dominated previous World Cups,” he writes.
“Only the England side of 2003 interrupted their stranglehold on the Webb Ellis trophy since 1987.
“At the 2015 World Cup, all four semi-finalists were from the southern hemisphere – New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and Argentina – despite it being held in England.
“Eight years on and there is a possibility that all four could come from the northern hemisphere. What an achievement that would be.”
Photo: Olivier Chassignole/AFP