This has been the most entertaining pool stages of a Rugby World Cup ever.
The so-called minnows have not just shown up and rolled over, they've taken the fight to the top teams. Whatever happens in the knockout rounds, the tournament will be remembered for Japan's win over South Africa in their opening game.
But even though the tier 2 teams have given us
some of the best moments of this World Cup, they're still not being treated fairly.
Players for the smaller nations are still getting longer bans than their opponents. And while the unions for top nations are bagging more than £7.5m just for taking part, the likes of Japan and Samoa get a paltry £150,000.
While this class divide has been ever present in the sport, social media has finally given the players a platform to shout about it.
https://twitter.com/danleo82/status/651706179169714176
This lack of funding means that some players are having to make their own ways home once their tournament is over.
https://twitter.com/JNCudmore/status/651684255823699968
https://twitter.com/JNCudmore/status/652124087989465088
https://twitter.com/JNCudmore/status/652124978989670400
With so many players at the tournament still amateurs, it really is a shocking indictment of how little World Rugby seems to care about the teams not competing in the Six Nations or Rugby Championship.
The main reason this World Cup has been so entertaining has been the performances of the tier 2 nations. If things keep going like this, we might not see them in 2019.
https://twitter.com/danleo82/status/651882255472807936
