The World Cup - Crouch, touch and engage

THE seventh rugby World Cup began in New Zealand this morning.

Twenty national teams began a journey that will end for two of them in Auckland’s Eden Park on Sunday, October 23, where the final will be played. The scriptwriters have designated that hosts New Zealand should be one of them but, because of the uncertainty that makes sport so beautiful, we shall see.

The sport has almost changed beyond recognition since New Zealand won the inaugural — and supposedly amateur — competition nearly three decades ago. Professionalism, and the inevitable television coverage required to sustain that professionalism, has brought rugby to a far wider audience. The World Cup has contributed to this process but annual competitions like the European Cup and the Super 14 have done at least as much to popularise the sport.