Two decades have passed since a Northern Hemisphere nation won the World Cup. The tournament of 2023 was supposed to change all that, writes Andy Capostagno.
Host nation, France, was in fine fettle, Ireland had been consistently the best team in the world for two years and both Wales and England knew how to deal with knockout rugby.
And yet, come the semi-finals, there were three Rugby Championship nations on view alongside an England team rather surprised to be there. What can we take from this?
Well, in addition to South Africa and New Zealand contesting the final, remember that you could put together a competitive team of players with roots in these nations but play for the other 18 sides.
Players like Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland) and Toby Faletau (Wales) have become so entrenched in the systems of their adopted countries that we tend to forget their roots.
Billy Vunipola played for England against South Africa in the World Cup semi-final. He did so, not because he had played Super Rugby and moved for money, but because, in 1998, his father had.
Feʻao Vunipola signed for Pontypool RFC and brought his wife and young children with him, and they started a new life.
So the mere idea that there is hatred for the doings of the southern hemisphere in the corridors of World Rugby is ridiculous.
What has happened in the 28 years since rugby union went professional is that southern hemisphere players have improved the general standard of play in the northern hemisphere.
Improved it to the extent that Ireland was able to win a test series in New Zealand for the first time last year.
England won the bronze medal this year and they lost in the final in 2019. They would not have done so without the influence of southern hemisphere players at both club and country level.
The Springboks won back-to-back World Cups with a host of players who ply their trade in France, Ireland and England. They are not interlopers, they are ambassadors or, if you like, a Trojan Horse in the belly of the beast. You can’t beat them, because they are you.
