Indeed the coaching talent currently assembled in the Romanian capital city Bucharest for this year's tournament matches the quality of the playing personnel on display.
On the Romanian side, former IRB Development Manager for Europe Robert Antonin has assembled a useful team of old hands and youthful coaching talent.
Veteran Beziers coach Olivier Saisset is helping the Romanians put their house in order, assisted by former Toulouse hooker and coach Daniel Santamans, Agen and France winger Philippe Berot and Romania's former centre George Sava.
Berot and Sava, who played against each other during the late 1980s and early 1990s, have decided to make rugby coaching their full time occupation after distinguished playing careers for their countries - Berot played for France 20 times under Jacques Fouroux, while Sava represented Romania at centre 15 times under Teodor Radulescu.
Learning curve for Namibia
Both University graduates have commenced coaching during their final playing years, Berot at Auch in 1998 and Sava at Baia Mare in 1993 and had commenced their international stint with Romania last year. As the Romanian backs sharpen their act in a game traditionally dominated by forwards, the role of the two young coaches is likely to increase.
Unlike Romania, who benefit from the services of a large coaching team, their opponents on Saturday Namibia arrived in Bucharest with only one coach, 34-year-old Dawid "Hakkies" Husselman, as their senior coach Johan Venter was suspended by the Namibia Rugby Union just before departure.
Husselman, who played scrum half for the Cats, Griquas, Pumas and the Emerging Springboks, only started coaching last year in South Africa, when the NRU asked him to join the national team coaching staff. With Venter suspended he found himself at the deep end in Bucharest and is doing, by all accounts, a very good job indeed.
He is actively supported by the senior players of the likes of Heino Senekal, captain Gideon Lensing and Herman Lindvelt as well as by manager and veteran Namibia forward Sarel Losper.
"There is a major change of emphasis, from listening to what the coach has to say, to the one who does the talking. It is a bit unreal. However, the boys are very helpful and we work very hard. There is great atmosphere in the team and we are using every minute to improve with the RWC in mind," he said.
Bridging the gap for Italy A
Italy A coach Marzio Zanato started coaching at 18, while still playing for Padua. He went on coaching in Mirano, near Venice, and after stints with the Rovigo and l'Aquila clubs he became coach of the Italian Under 21 team in 2005.
He is delighted with the level of competition offered by the IRB Nations Cup, which, as he put it, "helps his younger players improve their decision making process."
"Although the standard in the Italian League is going up all the time, there is still a gap between international and club level, and this tournament bridges it very well," Zanato added.
"We must invest into our young players and that's why the Italian team is a mixture of seasoned veterans and newcomers, who played U21 rugby a year or two before.
"We are lucky that Georges Coste, our former national coach, has returned to Italy to coordinate the work of the age group elite development, which has been visible in the way Italian age group teams performed in European and world competitions."
There is very little doubt that in addition to players' prowess, coaching expertise will play a significant role in deciding who lifts the IRB Nations Cup at the end of the Saturday when traditional Argentine expertise comes up against hard-nosed South African know-how: Pumas teammates and friends Santiago Phelan and Jose Orengo against the Emerging Springboks duo of Pieter de Villers and Jerome Paarwater.
Friends share same philosophy
Orengo, a strong, hard tackling centre and Phelan, one of the main stays of the Argentine back row, had become friends during their days with the Pumas in the late 1990s and early 21st Century when they won a combined 85 caps - Phelan 49 and Orengo 36.
They both finished their international careers after Rugby World Cup 2003 and went into coaching, Phelan at his beloved CASI club in Buenos Aires and Orengo at Rosario Athletic, his childhood club.
They succeed Patricio Noriega, who coached Argentina A to IRB Nations Cup glory last year and manages the team this year. The key to success in the words of Phelan is "empowering the players".
"We give them the tools, and it is up to them to choose what they do and how they do it. We do not believe in a straight-jacket game. We preach a free thinking game based on the players' intelligence and capacity to adapt. We tell the players to adapt to what is in front of them and aim to improve all the time," Phelan explained.
"The aim is to play well and then win. I am still happy if we did not win, but we played well, and so if Jose. We are colleagues, but more importantly we are friends and share the same playing philosophy."
On the other bench, 50-year-old Pieter de Villiers, who played his rugby for the Paarl club in Cape Town and during the days of apartheid represented Boland and Griqualand West and played in the SARU trials, is talked about as a Springbok coach of the future.
Enjoyment is key in development
He has been coaching at top level since 1996 when he became an assistant coach to Nick Mallett. For several years he coached South Africa's Under 19 and Under 21 teams, the latter to World Championship success in 2005.
A teacher by trade, he believes that his job with the Emerging Springboks involves both coaching and mentoring. Like his Pumas counterparts, he wants his players to play "the situation developing in front of them", and abhors patterns and structures.
"I don't want a game played by robots. I want creative talent at work, responding to challenges within a team framework," he added.
His partner and forward coach Jerome Paarwater, who will be 41 on Monday, is another product of Cape rugby. One of five rugby playing brothers, he started his playing career at the family club Belville, which was founded by his father Jacobus.
He played for Western Province, Boland and Piacenza in Italy, and after coaching Boland and the Italian club Viadana he returned to Cape Town to assist Gerd Smal with the Stormers. He is assisting Kobus van der Merve with the forwards of the Super 14 franchise, and, as he explains, is trying to reintroduce enjoyment back into the game.
"In the professional era coaching has been eliminating enjoyment. If players do not enjoy themselves they do not perform well. It is as simple as that. I believe in getting the structure in place and enabling the players to develop their game," he said.