Keep the World Cup at 20 Teams

The IRB are wanting to avoid mismatches like the All Blacks vs Portugal Game by limiting the number of teams in the World Cup to 16. This was done in the first three World Cups, then a five pools of four (with a repecharge system for the second placed teams to go into the quarterfinals), and finally the four pools of five.

While the All Blacks pool is the most mismatched, with no team likely to get within forty points of NZ, I'm sure that Portugal and Romania are delighted to be drawn into it. For them, the honour is in playing the legendary team of Rugby - similar to the hype of the All Whites playing a friendly against Brazil before last years Soccer World Cup.

While I'm sure that Christian Ronaldo or the Portugese Soccer League dominated the sports sections in Lisbon over the weekend, there would have been a write-up about the brave, amatuer Portugese taking on the All Blacks.

Also, the 'minnows' have surprised. Fiji made the quarterfinals (and should have beaten France to make the semifinals) in 1987 at the expense of Argentina. Similarly, Canada and Samoa making the quarterfinals of the 1991 World Cup has elevated those teams to creditbility and they regularly play tier one teams throughout the world.

So keep the tournament at 20 teams - it will eventually pay off, and then the tournament may have to be 24 teams!