Spain’s attempt to have their disqualification for violating player eligibility regulations overturned was unsuccessful, hence they will not be participating in the 2023 World Cup.

Spain was penalized points for fielding Gavin van den Berg in two qualification matches between 2021 and 2022, according to a statement released by World Rugby on Monday.

The Spaniards believed they had qualified for the tournament and would compete in Pool B together with Scotland, South Africa, Ireland, and an undetermined Asia/Pacific qualifier.

However, Spain’s withdrawal from the World Cup was confirmed by World Rugby in April as a result of a protest by Romania about the eligibility of Spanish player Gavin Van den Berg.

Spain has assessed a £25,000 fine and lost five points for each of the two qualifying contests Van den Berg participated in by the world governing body of the sport.

Van den Berg, a South African prop who played against the Netherlands in December of last year and the same opponents again in February of the following year, had not completed the required residency time.

It was discovered that a duplicate of his passport had been altered to make it appear as though he had spent more time during his residency period in Spain than in South Africa.

The South African-born prop didn’t fulfil the criteria of three years of continuous residency since he visited his homeland for a longer period of time than permitted by Regulation 8 during the break between domestic seasons.

Additionally, it was determined that “it would not be in the interests of justice to consider any new information,” in part due to the allegations made against the player and others regarding the alteration of a photocopy of a national identification document that was the subject of ongoing investigations.

Spain dropped from first place in the qualifying table, which is derived from the total results of the Rugby Europe Championship over two seasons, to fourth place as a result of those infractions, which cost them 10 points.

Spain’s appeal aimed to provide additional evidence that had not been considered at the original hearing, according to a statement issued on behalf of the independent appeal committee. However, the reason why the evidence was not available at the time was not sufficiently stated.

Van den Berg is still being looked at by Spain’s national sports disciplinary body and “may be subject to criminal punishment,” according to World Rugby’s written decision.

Romania would now qualify for Europe 2 in place of Spain and would be placed in Pool B. Additionally, Portugal would take the position of Romania in the Final Qualifying Tournament, which will be held in November 2022.

As of right now, Romania will join South Africa, Ireland, and Scotland in Pool B for the 2023 World Cup. Portugal will have one more chance to qualify for the tournament in the repackage phase later this year after coming close to beating Italy at the weekend but ultimately falling short 38-31.

The Byron Castillo case still makes Colombia and Chile excited about being able to reach Qatar in 2022. The recent ruling in the Spain case at the Rugby World Cup could be key to setting a precedent.

The controversy continues in a large part of South America due to the Byron Castillo case, who is accused of being ineligible to play for the Ecuadorian national team for supposedly having been born in Colombia. This makes both the “coffee” and Chilean teams excited about the possible disqualification of Ecuador, which would give them a chance to go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. A similar recent case could set a precedent that would also benefit them.

In Ecuador, they are confident that there will be no disqualification due to the Byron Castillo case, of whom there have already been some accusations in the past due to his alleged Colombian nationality. So far, there has been no formal presentation by any selected before Conmebol, FIFA, or the TAS. In this case, Colombia and Chile is the last light of hope to be in the next World Cup, despite not having achieved enough points throughout the Qualifiers.

However, a recent ruling in another sport could benefit them as a possible precedent and could hurt Ecuador. This Thursday the disqualification of the Spanish team from the next Rugby World Cup, which will be played in France in 2023, was known. This is due to the fact that the Spaniards incurred an improper line-up during two qualifying matches for the World Cup and World Rugby, the highest body of that sport, decided to penalize them.

The disqualification of Spain from the Rugby World Cup

Spain has been disqualified from the Rugby World Cup for the second consecutive time. For the appointment in Japan 2019, there was also an improper alignment, but of two players of French origin, Bellie and Fuster. On this occasion, for the European qualifiers to France 2023, the Spaniards used South African prop, Gavin Van der Berg, for two games against the Netherlands but made an improper line-up after a forged passport was found.

The Spanish Federation consulted World Rugby about the possibility of fielding Van der Berg, who did not have a passport but did have some uncertified photocopies as part of the documentation. The Federation approved these tests so that the player can play in the Alcobendas Rugby team. However, on social networks, some publications raised controversy by which it was verified that the player was in South Africa in the same period in which the documentation ensured that he was in Spain. As a result of this, the federations of Romania and Portugal denounced Spain for the improper alignment of the player.

Finally, World Rugby was issued this Thursday agreeing with the Romanian and Portuguese complaints, for which it punished Spain with 25 thousand pounds as a fine and five points less for each of the two games played by Van der Berg . Thus, the Spaniards were once again left without the Rugby World Cup, a tournament they have not played since 1999. Meanwhile, Romania, which had previously qualified for the World Cup playoffs, will occupy the position that Spain had, while Portugal will be the team that the latter in the playoff

The case of Spain and its disqualification from the Rugby World Cup could be a precedent that both Colombia and Chile could use to denounce Ecuador, as long as they manage to prove that Byron Castillo was actually born in Colombian territory.

After the game against Georgia, the qualifying group stage for the next Rugby World Cup ended with an undoubted success for Spain. After twenty-four years, our country has qualified and will play the World Cup held in France in 2023.

Despite the time remaining for the championship to start, online sports betting houses already allow bids on it. But what chance does Spain have of playing a good role? 

The favorites to win the World Cup

Unfortunately, Spain has no chance of winning the World Cup. We have a good team, which has played a magnificent role in the qualifying phase. But our rugby is still very far from the one practiced by the big six in Europe. Among them may be the winner of the tournament.

Specifically France, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England. But undoubtedly, the legendary New Zealand All Blacks are also favorites, who will once again delight us with their impressive haka. Not surprisingly, the team has won the world title the most times: three have lifted the Webb Ellis Cup.

However, we cannot forget about other selections always among the favorites. This is the case of the South African springboks, who, not in vain, are the reigning champions. And also from the Australian team. The famous Wallabies have two World Cup titles and are always candidates.

However, we must make a special mention of the host team. France is the winner of the 2022 Six Nations Tournament. It also won the Grand Slam, the Garibaldi Trophy (award for the winner between France and Italy), and the Auld Alliance (prize for the winner between Scotland and France). If we add that they will play at home, supported by their fans, we must consider the Gauls among the main favorites. 

What chance does Spain have?

Although they cannot win the World Cup, the Spanish team can do a good job. The classification to participate in this final phase is already a success. They have only achieved it once, 24 years ago, as it was in the championship held in Wales in 1999.

On the other hand, we already know the teams that will face our representatives. It will be Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and the winner of the tie between the Pacific and Asia, which will possibly be Tonga.

Because of the potential of these rivals, all the experts consider that it would be a success to get a victory. Winning a match could not be done in our previous participation in Wales, and doing so would mean an advance in consideration of Spanish rugby.

In conclusion, we will have to wait a year to find out the 2023 Rugby World Cup winner. The sports press and bookmakers will thoroughly report on the tournament until then. For example, the Betfair blog will show the main news about it.

World Rugby would be considering modifying the red card rule, with a view to the World Cup in France in 2023. The entity that regulates rugby worldwide could make a change in it, which would be that the ejected player should leave the field of play and, after 20 minutes, could be replaced by another player.

As reported by The Telegraph, World Rugby would consider introducing the 20-minute red card. The law, which is already in force in Super Rugby and was implemented in the 2021 Rugby Championship, means that the sent-off player can be tactically replaced by a teammate after 20 minutes.

World Rugby chief executive Alan Gilpin assured the British outlet that this is already under discussion: “That has been discussed before and will be discussed again. It would be great if more competitions, even in a closed test, used it because That would give us an overview of the effect it would have on the game.”

At the same time, the manager added: “We need to see more data to see if that strikes a better balance between safety and spectacle. There is more work to be done to analyze that and the concern is if a team goes back to 15 players, It’s enough of a deterrent to driving that behavior change. We’d like to see it tested more widely before jumping to conclusions.

A healthy habit! The Argentines unstitched it abroad

Like every weekend, the presence of Argentines in the different leagues around the world does not go unnoticed and this time was no exception.

For the Super Rugby Pacific, in the match against the Blues, which resulted in a historic 27-23 victory for the visitors, Pablo Matera honored his eighth-rank nature and held the ball despite the tackle received, thus assisting Sevu Reece.

In the activity corresponding to the Champions Cup, Agustín Creevy and Juan Martín González had a sensational performance in the 64-27 win against Castres. On the hooker’s side, Creevy contributed a double: similar plays, the forward used his power to advance in the maul and slide into the French goal without major inconvenience.

In the case of the third line, González was very active when assisting Curtis Rona and then had the opportunity to dispatch with a try, when he found himself as a free receiver on the touchline.

Pablo Dimcheff made a name for himself in the French Pro D2 with Stade Montois’ 34-13 victory over Beziers. The Argentine took advantage of his closeness to the goal and used the pick & go resource to add five points to his team’s scoreboard.

While his future is uncertain, Pablo Matera continues to demonstrate a high level in Super Rugby Pacific in the Crusaders jersey. In his team’s 27-24 loss to the Blues, the third row set up for Sevu Reece. In addition, he had a fan of luxury, his son saw him from the stands.

Champions Cup: with a superlative Lowe, Leinster advanced to the round

The second leg corresponding to the Champions Cup round of 16 matches began on Friday. In the only game of the day, Leinster beat Connacht 26-21. The action will continue on Saturday and Sunday with the following duels: Bordeaux-La Rochelle, Sale Sharks-Bristol Bears, Toulouse-Ulster, Stade Francais-Racing 92, Exeter Chiefs-Munster; Montpellier-Harlequins and Clermont-Leicester Tigers.

Connacht excited the first 10 minutes with a penalty from Jack Carty, but everything fell apart with Leinster’s first advance. With James Lowe in love with the goal, author of four tries, the local managed the match. With conquests by Jameson Gibson Park, Robbie Henshaw, Tadhg Furlong and James Lowe, he settled the game in the first half and added Jonathan Sexton’s 4 conversions. The complement was a monologue of the blues with the conquest of Robbie Henshaw and James Lowe’s one-man three times. Connacht tried but reached the goal when everything was already defined with Tiernan O’Halloran, Sammy Arnold and Abraham Papali’i.

And Read More About: Watch Rugby World Cup Live Stream 2023 France Online

On Wednesday, Greenpeace France published an open letter to the director of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which will take place in France, asking him to exclude TotalEnergies as a competition sponsor.

As the host city for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Marseille has been selected to be one of nine host cities for the competition. This great sporting event brings together the enthusiasm of the entire planet every four years. It is, therefore, a new satisfaction for the city of Marseille, which has so many times been able to demonstrate its ability to host major international competitions that arouse widespread enthusiasm.

With the qualifications from Georgia and Spain, we now know the identities of 16 of the 20 countries qualified for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. For a few days, some countries have made official the cities where they will have their headquarters for the planetary meeting. This Thursday, March 24, 2022, the city of Nice has been chosen by Scotland.

Greenpeace France went directly to Claude Atcher, managing director of the 2023 Men’s Rugby World Cup, to demand the breaking of the association with TotalEnergies Greenpeace explained that he was in contact at the end of last year with the organization, which wanted to make an event that respects the environment and is committed to the climate.

England at Le Touquet, Wales at Versailles
Wales, coming off a dismal 5th place in the Tournament and 6 Nations and a surprise defeat at home to Italy (21-22), opted for Versailles.

Where England preferred the setting of Le Touquet, this is excellent news for Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, a sporting paradise and the most British of French resorts. » rejoiced the mayor of Le Touquet, Daniel Fasquelle. For England, it is a strategic place: in addition to the close presence of its fans, the XV de la Rose will play two group matches in the North.

The XV of France in Ruel-Malmaison?

For its part, the XV of France would have decided not to take advantage of the ultra-advantageous facilities of the Marcoussis CNR to maintain specific equity with the rest of the teams. If nothing is official yet, Rueil-Malmaison (92), with its Renaissance Paris Hippodrome hotel in Saint-Cloud, which hosted the Blues just before the match against England, would hold the rope. The discussions are on the right track, and this seems to be confirmed,” Rueil-Malmaison city council told our colleagues at Actu Hauts-de-Seine.

One of the perennial favorites of this considerable competition in New Zealand. Land of rugby, and winners of the Rugby Championship, the Blacks team will be eager to perform as usual to become the only rugby team to have won the most World Cups. Therefore, Sam Whitelock’s men will land in France with a more than committed squad. The French XV will have to be wary of them for the first time in the opening match on September 8 at the Stade de France before perhaps meeting them for the second time in the competition’s final on this very turf.