Can it really be called a World Cup any more than the laughable World Series in Baseball (or is it Rounders)?

There are only 5 or 6 countries who could conceivably ever win it. It is the main sport only in three major nations: New Zealand, South Africa (among the whites), and Wales.

Australian Rules is far bigger in Oz. Soccer is far far bigger in England and Scotland. It has a small following around Toulouse in France. While in Ireland it comes in behind Gaelic Football, soccer and hurling.

The rules are impossible to understand and even the players misjudge them continually. I managed to get a rugby supporting friend of mine (he's a member of Bath RFC) to admit this week that he didn't understand the rules.

It's a very strange phenomenon. Probably there will be a resurgence of crowds going to matches in England but this will soon fade away as spectators get disillusioned by the intricacy of the rules.

Still as someone said on my favourite Millwall website; "If England were the Ludo World Champions I'd be delighted but I wouldn't necessarily want to watch it"

Slainte,

Terry