Eddie Jones believes the debate over Rugby World Cup seedings misses the reality of how volatile the international game has become.
Speaking alongside former Wallabies boss Ewen McKenzie on the Rugby Unity podcast, Jones unpacked the criticism surrounding the 2027 World Cup draw and why some heavyweights may collide earlier than fans expect.
McKenzie noted that regardless of how the draw is structured, major nations will inevitably meet sooner than ideal.
“In the quarter-finals, there are potentially huge games everywhere you look,” he said. “Everyone focuses on New Zealand against South Africa, but Argentina versus Ireland could easily be another. You’re essentially clearing the decks early.
“There are so many strong sides now that it’s almost impossible to predict semi-finalists two years out. Someone is always going to feel hard done by — that’s just the nature of the tournament. Unless you hand-pick the whole thing purely on rankings, you’ll always have problems, and even then you couldn’t avoid them.”
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McKenzie added that rankings shift too often to produce a perfect draw when made years in advance:
“We’ll still be having the same conversation in two years’ time because the rankings will move again. There’s no easy route to the semis.”
‘An old-fashioned view’
Jones agreed, arguing that complaints about “tough quarter-finals” no longer reflect the modern landscape.
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“Go back 15 or 20 years and quarter-finals were more predictable,” he said. “That isn’t the case anymore. The depth of international rugby has grown massively — and that’s exactly what the sport needs.
“These should be tough matches. That’s the whole point of a World Cup. It might not be ideal for a team like Ireland, who I imagine are the loudest in this conversation, but strong match-ups make a strong tournament.”
Why seedings won’t fix it
Some supporters have suggested rugby adopt a tennis-style seeding system to prevent major clashes too early.
Jones, however, says that idea simply doesn’t translate to the sport.
World Rugby currently uses a banding system — four bands of six teams — based on rankings at the time of the draw. Jones believes seedings would add more problems, not fewer.
“The rankings move too quickly to rely on seedings,” he said. “We play another round of games next weekend and they’ll shift again. It’s not like tennis, where rankings build over a long period and players stay inside the top 20 even when injured.
“In rugby, momentum swings fast. Using strict seedings would give an illusion of balance, but it wouldn’t reflect the sport accurately.
“I don’t think that kind of system can work in rugby. The bandings aren’t perfect, but they’re the most practical option we’ve got.”
