Rugby has become the single sport where significance on the title of world champions seems to increase year by year. This is almost to the point where any other level of championship, either international or domestic, seems to pale into significance.

In football or cricket, they stage World Cups, but the entire four years in between does not live and die for these tournaments. In football the level of involvement at domestic or continental level is of major significance, with European championships and the winning of league titles on a par with a world title. 

In cricket, the World Cup is played over the one-day international format so the world champion cricket team is not necessarily the best team. Most cricketing purists will put a Test series like the prestigious Ashes as more important than a Cup.

'The magnificent All Blacks are judged by many to be inferior to their two rivals over whom they are dominant in every way'


Rugby is afforded no such luxury. New Zealand, the premier rugby-playing nation of the world, is exactly that if the concept of World Cups is removed.  They have a winning percentage over history far beyond any other team in the world. The major competitions between New Zealand’s two great rivals, South Africa and Australia,  is measured with the Super 14 and the Tri-Nations. 

The All Blacks have won eight Tri Nations championships compared to a double to the Wallabies and Springboks. New Zealand have won nine Super rugby titles.  Australia have won two and South Africa one.

But this truly magnificent rugby team are judged by many to be inferior to their two rivals, over whom they are dominant in every way.  But of course, the All Blacks have one World Cup, while Australia and South Africa have two. 

There were a number of occasions where I had conversations with England fans regarding their poor form between 2003 and 2007. “Oh”, they said, “at least we’re world champions”. This is why it is imperative that rugby is added back to the Olympics to allow another elite competition for global supremacy.

The code has been in the Olympics before, starting in the 1900 Games. Three national Olympic committees entered in that championship - France, Germany and Britain.

France won the inaugural rugby gold medal.  The code was not present in the 1904 Games in St Louis, nor in the 1906 Games in Athens.  In the London Games they were included due to the heritage of rugby, and again three teams competed.

This was again France, Australasia (called the Wallabies!) and a British team, represented by Cornwall – chosen because they were county champions.  Australasia smashed the Cornwall team to claim the gold.

The last appearances of rugby were in 1920 in Antwerp and again in Paris at the 1924 Games.  Antwerp saw only two teams enter, America and France.  The bulk of the American team was from Stanford University and won the Gold Medal with only one game played to decide the winner.  In Paris, the Americans again won, with only Romania and France competing against them.

Numerous attempts have been made to re-introduce the sport to the IOC and the Games.  The success of Sevens at the Commonwealth Games was a strong indication of their inclusion, but after a vote was held for new sports to be included in the 2012 games, rugby sevens lost out to squash and karate.

But rugby must re-enter the Games.  It is the ultimate art of war in regards to a team sport, and, hopefully, it can detract from the near all-consuming focus of the Webb Ellis Trophy.