A period of unprecedented progress for the region has seemingly been overlooked.
Aside from already-qualified Argentina, South America has only one guaranteed spot that the likes of Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil must fight for On the surface, this resembles the process in Asia, where there is also only one guaranteed spot given Japan have already qualified.
However, this comparison only tells half the story.
Uruguay, Chile, and Brazil are ranked 17th, 22nd, and 29th respectively whereas Asia Rugby Championship holders, Hong Kong, are 23rd.
Clearly, all four teams will believe they have the quality to feature in the expanded 24-team competition but Hong Kong's path to Australia is considerably simpler. They will qualify automatically if they retain their title next year when their toughest opponent will be South Korea, currently ranked 33rd.
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