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Why Ireland has two unofficial world titles and South Africa has none
By Ben Smith
The Nations Championship set to begin in 2026 will bring an annual world title up for grabs between the Six Nations nations, the SANZAAR nations and two further invitational teams.
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This move will bolster the in-between years of a Rugby World Cup, but there has been an irregular, unofficial world title match since the formation of the modern professional calendar in 1996.
The Six Nations champion and Rugby Championship (formerly Tri-Nations) champions have met in the November window 11 times in 21 opportunities for a would-be title match between the two hemispheres.
In the absence of a full-scale Nations Championship, formalising this one-off game would have been an ideal solution that crowns an annual champion in a supplemental way to the Rugby World Cup.
A Champions’ champion match in a sanctioned ‘final’ would have been the most-watched game of rugby every year and add meaning to the calendar.
Despite end-of-year tours in November commencing regularly from 1997, it took until the year 2000 to finally get a match between the Six Nations winner, England, and the Tri-Nations winner, Australia. England won this Test match 22-19 at Twickenham.
The two sides would met again as hemisphere champions in 2001, with England claiming another 21-15 victory to win back-to-back over the Wallabies.
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In 2002, Grand Slam champions France met Tri-Nations winners New Zealand in the November window and the two sides shared a 20-all draw.
Due to the irregular scheduling of internationals in the November window, there are many times where the two tournament winners didn’t met.
In 1998 and 2004, the Springboks did not get to play France, who were respective winners in both of those years.
More recently, the great England teams of 2016 and 2017 did not face off against the All Blacks.
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When the two sides met in 2018, England were no longer Europe’s top side. The All Blacks did face off against the Grand Slam champions that year, Ireland, and Jacob Stockdale’s famous try claimed an 18-9 win.
Four-time Rugby World Cup winners South Africa would have zero titles from the in-between years. From their three Tri-Nations wins, 1998, 2004 and 2009, they would have played in just one final.
The vaunted 2009 Springboks side who put together a 2-1 Lions series win and 3-0 sweep over the All Blacks, ending up losing at Croke Park to Ireland 15-10.
With the clock in the red and South Africa attacking in Ireland’s 22, a clutch Brian O’Driscoll tackle and counter-ruck forced a game-winning steal. O’Driscoll lay on the turf as players erupted around him. Had that been a world title match this moment would go down as iconic.
New Zealand would have six hemisphere crowns, with one shared. Their last being 2021 when they played Wales with a 54-16 win with Beauden Barrett scoring two intercept tries in his 100th match.
France would have claimed the latest title in 2022 with their 40-26 win over the All Blacks in Paris.
Overall, their would be just four nations who have won; New Zealand six times (2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2021), England (2000, 2001), Ireland (2009, 2018), France (2002, 2022) all twice.
In the modern age, there is no reason why international rugby can’t have an annual champion. The world demands as such. Back in the amateur era, long years stretched between contests.
In the 1950s and 1960s there were often four-to-five year gaps between All Blacks-Springboks Tests. We now have them every year and it’s what fans expect. A four-year of five-year absence again would be unthinkable.
The Nations Championship is the next logical step to find an annual world champion. And once it’s here you won’t be able to look back. The current system will seem archaic by comparison.
Let’s start with two world title matches in 2024 and 2025 between the two hemisphere champions as a precursor to the Nations Championship.
Every rugby fan on the planet will watch and many more casuals.
What a shit idea. No point in a Nations Championship. Contrived nonsensical money spinner. Detracts from a RWC. Bring back tours with 3 x Test series and midweek games. It’s what makes rugby union unique and special. Fans see their local heroes play national teams. Touring fans boost tourism and crowd atmosphere.
Ben Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
It’s quite clearly the opposite. Look at the reaction from SA fans every time he posts an article. Including yours. Ireland as a team and Ben Smith as a journo are the ones living rent free.
I had a mate at school like Ben. You always knew which girl he liked because he was always nasty to her. He was also emotional immature and a bit of a D1ck.
I was going to write something about Ben again but I have to say well done to all the comments here. You have covered Ben with aplomb and I salute you for not using any swear words in describing his Moroness. How come he is still allowed to write about any sport? BTW - the November Tests have mostly, more so in the past, come at the end of a long SH season, whereas, in the past, the NH were just starting and were fresh. Just saying…
Yay! Click bait... the seething hate for the Springboks sells
This is a sitting duck in the “guess the author by the headline” competition
🤣🤣🤣
It’s also the perfect clickbait. RugbyPass get their ad money, I get a good laugh, and Troubled Ben gets the therapeutical value on top of the pocket change out of writing his repetitive inanities.
Everybody’s happy.
Apart from South African’s who are without a title!
One of the best pieces of satire I have read in the last decade. Bravo Ben, your talent knows no bounds
Haha, not rising to it loser.
and yet, you did.
Ben, who came second or runner up to Ireland in those champs? England or ABs. Was France also involved?
Ben is a Kiwi columnist at RugbyPass who specialises in formulating bizarre arguments in which he aims to downplay the achievements of the South African rugby team. He lives with his cat in Auckland.
I think you give him far too much credit for coming up with these things. I could imagine him ripping this verbatim to have as his twitter bio though!
SPRINGSBOKS and IRLAND have one thing in common. Neither have lost a rugby world cup final.
The fairest measurement of the top side is when all sides have time to prepare and have all players available and fresh. The annual mid year and end of year tours are wonderful, but often exclude players and also have one side either at end of tough season or still getting into things. The Irish, to their credit, have been dominant in the past 5 years in these mid year/end of year games, but they have almost all their players close by and playing similar styles. The SH sides need to ‘ fetch’ their squad from afar often, and also from different squads, so takes time to align the players. So, the WC cycle is the fairest time to measure, as all sides then are on same page.
This is like claiming that the only reason Buck Shelford lifted Bill in 87 was because the Boks didn't play.
But if that helps them sleep at night….
Buck Shelford wasnt the AB Captain for the RWC 1987, David Kirk was. Its like “claiming” youre a rugby genius whilst wearing the Emperors clothes.
So lekker for Ireland. Finally past quarterfinals, and fantastic performance with their 2 titles. Not sure who they beat in the finals, but very pleased for a great bunch of guys.
Hahaha. Brilliant 🤣
Ai doesn't wont ter be pikky abart yer Inglish, mait, butt yer kneed ter unnerstan dat itz ‘meet’ knot ‘met’ as in:
“there are many times where the two tournament winners didn’t meet.” (muy italix).
De yer gett it nah, mait??
So, apart from writing a load of crap, you also aren't much of a linguist either!
Ben showed such strong cognitive bias in this one, that I had to conclude he'd just missed that it was no longer April the 1st.
The article boils down to this:
-How often do the two top teams from each hemisphere actually play each other and of those times who won?
- It should be a yearly thing and it will be when the league thing gets going.
Some people will find this interesting, some won’t, but no one actually cares.
Just something fun to discuss.
(Though if Ben Smith gets paid bonus money for eliciting indignant South African rage, then he is currently washing his undies in champagne thanks to this piece.)
May I ask what is the point of world rankings? Instead of Ben playing pretend, pretend… surely over time world rankings provide a pretty stable view of who the best is when they are not winning world cups? Otherwise what purpose does it serve?
Over a 5 year period between 2019 and 2023 SA was no.1 for roughly 160 weeks to Irelands roughly 60 weeks. Does this not say enough?
In that period the only trophy Ireland won was 1 x 6N. Wales wins two?
When did actually winning silverware become the ugly stepchild to winning “derby games”?
Oh right, when SA won both world cups over the same period.
I did not even read this clowns post. The score is 4 World cups.
I read the title then gleaned through the long justification below it.
Oh my word, Springboks have FOUR world cups after competing in two less world cups than anyone else, further, all players are real South Africans, no imports like the rest including Ireland.
Get over it and stop whining!
*Cough. I’ll just leave this here:
Win% NZ:
2019 - 70%
2020 - 50% (RC)
2021 - 80% (RC)
2022 - 62% (RC)
2023 - 75% (RC)
Ave: 67,4%
Weeks at no1 WR Ranking: 48
* 4 RC titles.
Win% RSA:
2019 - 83% 🏆 (RC)
2020 - DNP
2021 - 61% (B&I L)
2022 - 61%
2023 - 85%🏆
Ave: 72,5%
Weeks at no1 WR Ranking: 162
* 1 RC title.
* 1 British Irish Lions Trophy.
* 2 World Cups.
Win % IRE:
2019 - 79%
2020 - 77%
2021 - 70%
2022 - 82%
2023 - 92% (6N)
Ave: 80%
Weeks at no1 WR Ranking: 67
* 1 Six Nations Title.
France Win%:
2019 - 66%
2020 - 83%
2021 - 64%
2022 - 100% (6N)
2023 - 79%
Ave: 78%
Weeks at no1 WR Ranking: 1
* 1 Six Nations Title
England Win%:
2019 - 71%
2020 - 89% (6N)
2021 - 70%
2022 - 42%
2023 - 56%
Ave: 66%
Weeks at no1 WR Ranking: 1
* 1 Six Nations Title
How long is it going to take for the Rugby community in Europe to digest that South Africa won the 2023 RWC? People, there is ONLY one Rugby World CUP and the Springboks have won it 4 Times! Just deal with it, ok? And work hard so that you have a chance to win in Australia 2027!
Waiting patiently for Tiger to tee off at the Masters. 🐯
The debate about the GOAT starts and ends with no. Of major titles won. Nobody counts or cares about the monthly mugs in between.
I get this guy doesn't like the Springboks but to make it look like Ireland are leagues ahead of the Springboks is irrational. That Ireland have won two unofficial titles might mean that it is nothing more than a friendly match. That no one else has really even noticed these methods happening might mean that it's nothing more than a once-off win for Ireland. However, they have no RWC titles which requires a team to play 7 games week in and week out and ideally win at least 6/7. A once off game doesn't mean much. A series of seven wins to take or rather retain a RWC is a little less coincidental.
Call it what you like but I call him BS because his name is Ben Smith of course, of course.
Ireland have not much to show for all their years except some Six Nations wins and a handful of once off games. However where it matters most, they always come up short.
He’s pandering to an audience.
A more balanced view of things would be along the lines of:
Of the available trophies in world rugby, 3 teams have won everything on offer over the past 5 years.
- Ireland, the 6 Nations.
- NZ, the RC.
- SA, both world cups.
Over the last 5 years, SA and Ireland have dominated world rankings with about 220 weeks at number one between them.
This obsession with win ratios, and individual games (only worth bragging rights) between the above accolades is pointless sh:t-stirring. There have been 3 dominant teams over the past 5 years. France looked dangerous for a while. But 3 teams at the top of the pile.
Everyone else has some work to do to catch-up. Ireland has started the year well with another 6 Nations. And these 3 teams are going to be at each other this year to settle some scores.
Sit back and enjoy.
What Wee Ben Smith thinks is so childish and off the mark of serious “journalism” it’s not worth even thinking about or taking seriously.
Saw the name Ben Smith so skipped the article and went straight to comments section to say he’s a lousy human being and I genuinely couldn’t be arsed to read one word of his salty journalism
Saw the name Ben Smith so skipped the article and had a loose stool. Feeling light and ready to tackle the day!
I did not read it either. He is no journalist, please don’t give him any credit for that
AND NOW , FOR ALL THE CRYING SAFRICANS TO COMMENT .
First thing I noted…Ben Smith article!…it’s unbelievable how much negative talk he has about Springboks…I really think he should try twinge his sour grapes…for whatever reason he has.
WHY DID YOU READ IT THAN .
No logic in the journalists argument. The Springboks are tops when it comes to RWC.
Sour grapes.
Amazingly, the actual World Cup is relegated to an almost non event! Could it be that New Zealand is now not the official world champions with three wins compared to South Africa’s four?! What a load of claptrap, must have been a slow news day at Rugby Pass! Ben Smith never fails to amuse.
I’m sure Ireland are chuffed to have two unofficial world titles. The Wallabies also have an unofficial world title from 2001! Get in!
Bean-counter Ben trying to write about rugby again and failing miserably. Go back to what you are qualified to do - accounting - and leave the journalism to people who are qualified.
I just hope his work is up to date and in order. Because if he’s stealing time from the job to write this stuff…
Well he made you read it . So he is brilliant . Idiot
What a load of unmitigated garbage. The autumn tours are played at the end of the Southern hemisphere season and the southern hemisphere sides are looking forward to an end of season break. Add to that home town advantage and the stupidity of this banal analysis becomes glaringly apparent. During world cup years the number of international games played are reduced to ensure that the teams are fresh and able to compete in the competition. The bottom line is, the Northern hemisphere sides have only won one world cup and southern hemisphere sides have won the rest. South Africa has won more times than any other side and has competed in the competition fewer times than any of the six nations sides except Italy. Bitter Ben should give it a rest go and hide back in his safe space.
Guess what folks, there won't be an club world Cup in 2026 because it's only a memorandum of interest and has not been agreed on by all stakeholders.
This article of Ben Smith evades any logic and heavily favors the Northern Hemisphere in the sense that each of these North/South clashes occurred with home advantage for the Northern sides.
Kudos to New Zealand for leading the charge regardless of location, but these statistics would have probably been monopolized by Nzl, Aus & Rsa if the games were played in their own backyards, or even at neutral venues.
Yes, we all know this guy despises all things SA rugby. But at what point does trying to sound edgy or controversial become just simple clickbait. RugbyPass - do better. This person is really not helping your cause.
Yep shocking that Rugbypass would employ someone who is a troll and not a journalist. Very low standard.
Why exclude World cup years? The 6 Nations and Rugby Championship were still held on those years and New Zealand beat Ireland in last year's showdown.
Didn't read the article. Saw the headline and thought can only be ben smith. Who else.
Unofficial titles are for teams who cannot focus resources on the right priorities at the right time. Unofficially, Ireland shares the unofficial title with the expat B team in their ranks.
Officially, Ireland was the best team in the world for a few years, but has not carried the successes over to when it matters. This is reminiscent of the AB’s crew before Sir Richi earned his Sir status.
The article does sling around some facts - cherry-picking to fit the argument. If I were being paid to write, I’d apply my mind and rather ask questions which aren’t an engineering marvel suited to emotions. Say e.g., “ How can the green islander solidify the claimed “best of all time” moniker with a piece of Web Ellis’s silverware in the next WC?” You have your versions of Graham Henry’s, Richi McCaw’s & DC’s: the talent is there- the systems in place. What is missing?
When I was a small child, I used to sit on the lounge floor with toys and drift off into my own reality. Ben - you have somehow managed to retain that ability. Truly awesome.
Irish Rugby supporter here. This article shows why Rugbypass can never again be taken seriously as long as Ben Smith remains a contributor. Loved him as a player, but his legacy is tarnished by his loathsome personality.
For exactly what reason does Rugbypass seem so intent on giving this clown a platform? Is it for his inability to string a decent english sentence together; or his impossibly bad logic; or his hateful determination to sow discord within the rugby supporting community? Whatever the reason, it certainly betrays his lack of intelligence and inability to read the proverbial room.
Sadly not THE Ben Smith. This Ben Smith is not even a qualified sports writer but a troll appointed by Rugbypass to deliberately rile up SA supporters and get clicks by writing poorly constructed ‘analysis’ that’s laughably wide of the mark. I’m sure Rugbypass and Ben think it’s hilarious to get Bok supporters angry but with each hit piece the website loses credibility. Incredibly cynical approach.
I agree with you but the author isn’t the great All Black fullback Ben Smith, it’s a different Ben Smith.
South Africa celebrating day 1621 as WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!
Back in the real world, you know, the one where you can smell coffee, South Africa have FOUR World Cup titles and Ireland have ZERO.
What an embarrassment of a journalist. How silly to create your own fictional world and pass it off to the world. It’s a shame that this is what journalism has become. You should be truly ashamed
Where do you get these people to write this.
Why Germany won two unofficial World
Wars and the allies won none! I mean please raise your level of professionalism!
Meanwhile in the real world, Ireland has zero OFFICIAL world titles while SA has 3 actual titles
Pfft. Ireland don't have any world titles apart from chokers
This kind of conjecture about the past ignores the fact that many teams have different objectives on their end of year tours. What about the Six nations champs touring southern hemisphere teams in the June/July test window? what is their success rate even against the teams that dont even win the Rugby Championship and why dont you count those as “world championship matches?”. I reckon its pretty torrid given the struggles of Northern teams on their end of season tours.
as a kid, whenever I was on my own on a boring afternoon, I used to play ‘fantasy - would have - could have - league (football I’m afraid 😟) … you can’t imagine all the titles my club won ‘unofficially’ …
Didn’t know you could make a living in writing such kiddie-stuff
would have, should have, could have
totally agree. the article is about nothing, just a waste of the ink and paper…
Ben Smith is 100% correct.
But let’s allow ourselves to dream a little further.
Had we had rugby world cups going back to 1903 - by now we would have had 30 World Cup tournaments.
South Africa and New Zealand would have won 21 between them.
Australia - 6. England -3.
Ireland would have lost in 30 quarter-finals.
To be fair England may have had more had world cups gone back to 1875. But I mean, let’s not be silly. We have to draw a line somewhere.
Why not mention that these “Finals” are always played during the November series of test matches which is where South Africa traditionally test uncapped players or that it means constant home ground advantage to the Northern Hemisphere sides. Doesn't fit the narrative of Mr Smith I suppose. Excellent clickbait headline. You caught me.
Hahaha. This article is hilarious.
Someone should write an article about why Ben Smith has never had a girlfriend (or boyfriend/partner).
I’m a one-eyed ABs supporter and even *I* think he just writes this stuff to gaslight our SA mates at this point. We’re not claiming him as ours - he’s in his own special league.
Geez Ireland need some unofficial titles but lets be honest, They lost at the 1/4s every WC so I can see them losing any tournament that has finals…… At the 1/4s
See’s headline, “this has to be Ben Smith”. Clicks on the article, written by Ben Smith.
Surely there must be actual rugby on the go to report on and share some insight over?
Ben Smith, last time I checked teams rebuild between major competitions and events. From your article it would seem that Ireland does their rebuilding at the major event in the world in order to win non existent tournaments inbetween world cups? Im not sure too many would agree with your logic. Actually you might want to consider a course in logics?
It’s like bad stand-up comedy every time. I get the joke but it’s not very funny.
Couldn’t get past the first paragraph again. I hope for the sake of his clients he is a better accountant than rugby journalist.
Ben Smith: “Chasing the Sun 2 is getting all the attention. I better manufacture some outrage to try and stay relevant”
If you cant win trophies you've got to make them up 🧞♂️