After two of the top candidates to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy in a few weeks, the possibility to have no Tri-Nations teams in the semis seems more realistic.
Well maybe not so much as there is no way South Africa will lose to Fiji. But regardless of the matter, this does bring up another topic that could be of vital importance to the league and the future of the sport as well.
As things are breaking down, Argentina could be the champ based on their form. They were one of the the four most solid sides in the tournament and they will face one of the biggest obstacles on the way to unchartered waters for this country’s rugby program.
A win against Scotland at Saint Denis on Sunday would make them the first non Six-Nations or Tri-Nations side to make it this far in an Rugby World Cup.
From top to bottom, they have been solid and they are a team in every sense of the word. From captain Agustín Pichot, to the solid play of their vaunted forwards, they are now a force to be reckoned with despite David Campese’s remarks a few days ago considering them ‘minnows’. The same exact minnows that are rank just two spots (at number four) below the Wallabies.
Well thank goodness for minnows, because have been the ones that added the spice to a tournament that lacked it in the 2003 edition. Just ask France, England, South Africa, Ireland, and Wales. Ask France and Ireland who were beaten by that same Argentine side, leaving the boys from the Emerald Isle out of the knockout stages, if those Kitties still "purr".