The tournament where minnows stood up and got counted

It is all over! The Rugby World Cup 2007 is over and passes onto history. Forty eight matches over forty four days and up came the one and only champion team -- South Africa. New Zealand pre tournament favorites will have to wait till 2011 and expect to annex the most coveted trophy in rugby on home soil.

While South Africa emerged winners it was England who came from the blind side to give a display that kept their pride intact. After the struggle they went through at the beginning theirs' was a performance to be remembered despite not taking the cup. For England who put behind a previous 36 points to nil defeat at the hands of South Africa they can now go about and face the next four years with pride even though they are no longer the champions.

That apart what will this world cup be remembered for? What did this world cup leave behind as a lasting impression? Something I would remember was the return of the high up and under; the Garry Owen. Also it was the excitement from the quarter final stage. Where the last minute victories kept you wondering what the result was going to be. In Sri Lanka when it was nearing 2 a.m. the last minute deciders was what made it worth keeping awake.

Of course most times this world cup gave hope to the minnows. Those who many thought should not be there. They made an impact so as confirm that they should be there .Past performance and being the "in form" team had virtually no bearing. The Kiwis went home after the quarter final.

Out of the minnows teams that stood out were Georgia, Tonga, Fiji, Namibia and Japan who had a draw against Canada. The outsiders Argentina were there to prove that they have to be seen. They cannot any longer be seen as another team but have to be considered to be among the best. . If Tonga was happy in breathing down fire on England Fiji should be much happier in that they came to the quarter Finals. The minnows of rugby proved that they were winning the hearts of the crowds.

They had a big impact on the crowds in the grandstand though not always on playing field. Portugal scored a try against the All Blacks and weren't they happy? Yet we have on hand an argument to limit the next world cup to sixteen from twenty. If that was in place then Portugal and Tonga and possibly Namibia and Romania would not have been there. Tonga who beat USA and Samoa and gave a fright to England have underscored why they should be there. Namibia and Georgia made Ireland struggle to victory.

Another lesson this world cup has left is the need to not only to look at but to look after the minnows. For Argentina, Fiji and the likes of Tonga this experience will add to the courage they already have. Similar sentiments may be expressed in the case of Japan, Namibia, Georgia and Portugal.

For these teams to progress it is not only the competition but also money that is needed. There is a disparity of funding between the tier 1 nations and the others. The draw may be in these tier one countries. India and China will have a bigger audience by sheer numbers. The game is being played there too. Till they get on board to be recognized the minnows need to be there.

Argentina showed their victory over France was not by chance. They trounced France convincingly to take the third Place or to say the bronze. Whilst they shook off Scotland in the quarter final they lost to South Africa in the Semi. A performance that was not characteristic of them compared to their previous matches. The Pumas' winning streak was halted at five matches when they lost to South Africa in the semi-final, a disappointment not playing as well as they wanted.

They left all that behind and came back to defeat France for third place. The rugby was good and the try scoring was excellent. Pumas simply opened up the game, Ran from virtually in goal to score a try. Every minute was exciting with France having to eat humble pie a second time around. . For The pumas it was rounding off the performances of a new generation of rugby players. What they need to progress and is the regular annual competition. The lack of competition and the experience that goes with it was what made them cave into South Africa in the fifth match.

By the 2011 world cup possibly you may find in place a different brand of rugby with the contenders being far and wide spread. And now as the dust settles we come into new seasons, new hopes and new rules. Where more space will be created for faster games more tries .power and space. The future is for the spectator and for entertainment. I will tell you more about the changes in the coming weeks.