The six teams are Italy, Japan, Samoa, Scotland, South Africa and USA.
Unlike the six in WXV1 they don’t divide neatly along geographical lines, indeed they come from five different continents, which is gratifying. So a decision had to be made about dividing them into their two pools.
It works out like this: Italy (ranked 8th), Samoa (16th) and Scotland (9th) will play against Japan (10th), South Africa (12th) and USA (7th). Inevitably there is a wider divergence in rankings than for WXV1, due to World Rugby’s wise insistence on spreading opportunities right across the globe. This is the effect of enlarging the next World Cup to sixteen teams. WR needs to allow more nations the chance to aim for the top of the pole. WXV serves that purpose.
It brings with it the pleasure of rarity value. Only Italy and Scotland will have played more than a handful of matches against each other, thanks to the Six Nations. Each of the six wants, above all, to compete more often at test level. This is their chance.
It’s next to impossible to compare the various leagues each of the six promotes at home. The results from this tournament will give the administrators a better idea of how matters stand in their own parish.
Fascinating too is the massive difference in population size. But size does not equate to popularity. So the smallest of the six, Samoa Manusina, may well boast the most passionate supporters of the game.
And they meet the biggest, the USA, in Round One.
So this group has the attraction of unpredictability. Scotland proved too strong for South Africa when they went on a rare tour there. But the Boks are advancing fast.
Samoa, like the other island groups of Oceania have suffered badly from a lack of competition. This is their big chance to start playing regular tests against worthy opposition. Like Fiji in WXV3, they should profit enormously. They have done themselves proud by holding the African champions to a 17-all draw at Hermanus near Cape Town; another warm-up match to prove WXV’s worth.
At the other end of the size scale, even the Eagles will benefit greatly from being together on tour for an extended period. This is an important opportunity to fine-tune their efforts.
The Scots are in a similar position to the Welsh, riding on a wave of confidence after lengthy periods of losses in the Six Nations. They have greater depth of talent than for a long while.
The Azzurre are yet another squad to have enjoyed far too few test matches, beyond their regular diet of 6 Nations games. Their home loss to the Sakura at the end of last month must have come as an unpleasant shock.
It would be a surprise if the results turn out neatly in accordance with current rankings. In that respect they differ excitingly from the top tier. WXV2 comes to resemble a real forcing ground of talent.
Opening Bouts:
Friday 13 October: Italy v Japan, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
Friday 13 October: Scotland v South Africa, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
Saturday 14 October: USA v Samoa, Danie Craven Stadium, Stellenbosch
