Nothing ever stands still in international sport. In just over 13 weeks the next Six Nations championship will be kicking off and the global rugby circus is already moving on. The 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia might seem a far distant prospect in every sense but it will come charging over the hill quicker than expected.
So even as Paris's hoteliers and bar owners count their profits, now is the time for thinking and planning ahead. And, as ever, wondering how the World Cup experience might be improved in future, rather than simply cutting and pasting from previous brochures.
To some extent this is already happening. Rugby Australia is well aware it has been handed a juicy opportunity and is desperate to cash in on its golden ticket, which also features a British & Irish Lions tour in 2025 and a women's World Cup in 2029. We already know the tournament will involve 24 teams instead of 20 and be based on a city "hub" model to reduce some of the logistical difficulties which arose in France.
It should be quite a show and there is, of course, a precedent. The 2003 tournament was well run and featured plenty of dramatic rugby. This time around, with the pool draw also to be conducted closer to the event, the portents are also pretty decent, assuming the Wallabies manage to unearth a competitive team between now and then.
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