Brazil’s men won the World Volleyball Championships for the third time in a row last weekend as they beat Cuba in straight sets 25-22, 25-14, 25-22 in the final in Rome. The surprisingly one-sided victory for the favourites continued their near-monopoly on trophies in international competition over the last eight years. Brazil have won 15 out of the last 17 major international tournaments, missing out only on the Olympic Games and World League in 2008 since landing the World Championships in 2002. Only Italy before them in the 1990s have won three world championships in a row.