Risking injuries and bans: What is the point of World Cup warm-up games?

The top international rugby teams from around the world are currently taking part in a spate of warm-up matches ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup kicking off in France in September.

But it is becoming a horror show for many of the teams as some players are picking up major injuries while others are receiving red cards which could see them banned for the showpiece event.

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It is important for teams to play competitive rugby before the World Cup, to build momentum and get their combinations working to make sure that they don’t go into the tournament cold.

This is especially important for sides that face big opening matches, such as the Springboks and Scotland, who face each other in their opening fixture of the competition.

However, the problem is classifying these matches as ‘warm-up games’, which significantly diminishes the importance of the outings and leaves many coaches in a catch-22 position of wanting to back their star players, but also wanting to wrap them in cotton wool.

Why not let teams play full-on internationals before taking part in the World Cup?

Case in point

The Southern Hemisphere teams of the Boks, All Blacks, Australia and Argentina are a major case in point.

Although they battled out a shortened Rugby Championship competition, playing just three games instead of the usual six, the Boks have again played Argentina in a ‘warm-up’ and will also face Wales this Saturday and the All Blacks, again, in a ‘warm-up’ next Friday, which is bizarre.

Why did the teams not just compete in the usual double round of the Rugby Championship and then go straight into the World Cup?

The Northern Hemisphere sides, meanwhile, could have competed in regular internationals, either on a round robin basis or hosted tours, instead of making the current matches meaningless warm-ups.

The reality is there will always be a danger of players getting injured and banned before a World Cup.

Players such as the Boks’ Lukhanyo Am, France’s Romain Ntamack and England’s Jack van Poortvliet all look set to miss the World Cup through injuries, picked up in warm-ups. Who will be next to be ruled out?