The greatest day in World Cup history?
England beat Australia, France beat New Zealand - does it get any better? Our antipodean friends are on their way home contemplating another 4 year wait for glory, whilst Northern Hemisphere rugby has bounced back after an inauspicious start to the tournament.
England’s revival of the forward-based power game has left us wondering whether the World Champions might be able to retain the title? A similar performance against France next week could see them in the final, and as yesterday showed, anything can happen in the World Cup.
The best thing about England’s result yesterday is watching the Australians sit down at the table to eat their hats and gorge on humble pie. After all their ’sledging’ during the build up, saying goodbye to John Connelly’s band of losers is all the sweeter. For the next four years, we will be able to tap an Aussie on the shoulder and say, “Yes Skippy, Andrew Sheridan killed you.”
And seeing New Zealand join them on the trip back down under just adds to the heady mix of euphoria this weekend. England and France are today united in celebration, despite the fact that next weekend they will revert to rugged adversaries to compete for a place in the final.
Murrayfield mismatch lets down the World Cup
The Scots conceded the game to New Zealand yesterday before it had even begun. Frank Hadden selected a weakened team to face the tournament favourites, hoping to save his best players for the match with Italy next weekend.
To be fair, the second string played reasonably well, although they couldn’t muster a point against the All Blacks who scored 40.
In my opinion, they would have been better served taking them on with all guns blazing. The Scots have a good lineout, with Alistair Hogg and Jason White providing additional options to the second rows, and they should have targeted this New Zealand weakness. As it happened, the All Blacks played pretty badly, and so with home advantage you never know, they could have caused a big upset.
The pack would have been battle-hardened from the confrontation, and with a good performance, confidence would have been boosted.
At the very least, they would have avoided irritating the crowd - this fixture was the main attraction at Murrayfield, and those that bought tickets were let down. Hadden’s tactics violated the spirit of the World Cup and of the sport itself by saying, we don’t think we’re going to win, therefore we’re not going to try.
What are your thoughts?
Rugby World Cup weekend preview
There have been many complaints about the IRB’s scheduling of matches - it’s bad for the smaller nations, some people cry. Well not for me, I like it - 6 matches, the big guns are coming out to play again and it’s the weekend!
France versus Ireland is the main talking point - could the hosts (second favourites at one stage) be sent all the way home before the knockout stages? Read Justin’s preview here, and have a look at some amusing posts on the Irish rugby blog.
Saturday will see England’s chariot (minus the wheels which came off against South Africa) wobble down to Nantes to take on Samoa. Although they could still go through if they lose and then beat Tonga, it is a must-win fixture to redeem some semblance of pride. They will welcome Jonny back with open arms and hope that he can conjure something in attack - just a penalty will be better than last week.
South Africa play Tonga and are likely to continue their stroll through Pool A opposition, whilst Argentina ought to be too strong for Namibia, who were destroyed by France last week.
Australia then play Fiji on Sunday in what should be a relatively straightforward win for the Wallabies after they overcame Wales last week. They won’t take the Fijians too lightly, but win that game and they’ll win the group and avoid the Springboks in the quarter-finals.
The Scots will be hoping that home advantage counts for a lot as they take on the fearsome All Blacks at Murrayfield, and will be encouraged by their midweek performance against Romania. Unfortunately, although it would probably be the biggest upset in World Cup history, I just can’t see it happening.
What do you think? Could there be a big surprise this weekend?
Here’s to you, Jason Robinson
In amongst the bleak cloud that surrounded England’s rugby team on Friday night, there was just one ray of light. Jason Robinson’s heroics at full-back under relentless pressure reminded us of his ability and his character.
Time and again, the ball was hoisted into the Paris sky, England’s supporters held their breath and the smallest man on the field would leap bravely to claim the ball, and his commitment in such adversity prevented England from yielding twice as many points.
Robinson’s lightning-fast feet and ability to always beat at least one man meant that he was a vital part of England’s World Cup-winning side in 2003. His dramatic run against Wales in the quarter-final turned the match, and everyone knows the contribution he made as England’s only tryscorer in the final.
He looked out of place in the drab side that graced the pitch on Friday, and the crowd felt sorry for him for lacking the support that his defiant performance warranted.
Unfortunately, it is symbolic of the world champions’ laughable campaign that their best player is now injured, is set to retire after the World Cup and may not play for his country again.
So here’s to you, Jason Robinson, England loves you more than you will know.
Rugby World Cup: weekend round up
Following the World Champions’ embarrassment on Friday night at the hands of the ruthless Springboks, there were one or two surprising results over the weekend.
The Pool B fixture between Wales and Australia looked to be a forgone conclusion at half-time, until the Welsh displayed some passionate but clever rugby that saw them win the second half by 17 points to 7. However, everyone knows that winning half a game of rugby is meaningless and the Wallabies held on to win 32-20 - they will surely now top their pool, and could face Tonga in the quarter finals!
In the battle of the Pacific Islanders, the Tongans staged a shock victory over neighbours Samoa - a feat they have managed only once in the last 10 meetings. With just over 5 minutes to go, Tonga defended their slim lead despite being reduced to 13 players after Hale T Pole earned the first red card of the tournament, and Toma Toke was shown a yellow card late in the game.
With England looking so dire and unable to score, Tonga could be the surprise runners-up. They are currently second in the group with South Africa and England left to play.
Whilst New Zealand v Portugal was the expected one-sided affair (108-13), Ireland were nearly turned over by Georgia, clinging on to win 14-10. The Irish were among the favourites for the tournament at the beginning of the year, but after unconvincing displays against weak opposition so far, their chances of qualifying over France or Argentina are under serious threat.
Talking of the French, they restored the pride of a nation by destroying Namibia 87-10, who were reduced to 14 men after a dubious red card 20 minutes into the game. As if they didn’t have enough of a challenge against Sebastian Chabal and his band of vengeful Frenchmen, to have one less player was just cruel.
In the other match of the weekend, Fiji withstood a strong Canadian challenge and scored a late try to win 29-16. With minutes on the clock, Canada made hard yard after hard yard towards the line knowing a converted try would clinch the game, but the Fijians defended tirelessly, and then pounced on a mistake to send Kameli Ratuvou on a length of the field sprint to score.
This week looks set to be the most important of the World Cup so far for the Northern Hemisphere nations. France play Ireland on Friday night, which could see the hosts knocked out of the competition, whilst England play Samoa on Saturday - a defeat is certainly not out of the question, and the ramifications could be severe for all involved with English rugby.
New Zealand show their class as England falter
The All Blacks showed the world exactly why they are firm favourites to lift the Web Ellis Cup, whilst the current holders looked dire and toothless.
New Zealand destroyed Italy by 76 points to 14 in a much more impressive display than England’s 28-10 victory over the USA - a far inferior side to the Italians.
The eleven-ty Kiwis played with such power and pace that the game was effectively over within the first quarter. Italy had no response to the wave after wave of All Black runners that easily picked holes in their normally strong defence, and their speed of recycling possession made them look impossible to stop.
In grim contrast, the English stuttered to victory over a side ranked 15th in the world in a display littered with errors and provided further evidence of their lack of creativity in attack. They look to have no chance of defeating South Africa next week, and are in real danger of losing to the Samoans and returning home before October and the business end of the tournament.
New Zealand required just 64 seconds to score their first try of their campain - England needed 35 minutes. After 35 minutes, the All Blacks led by 43 points and the gulf in class is obvious.
There goes the cat among the pigeons
Argentina defeated the hosts in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup, proving that the tournament is wide open. Pool D had already been nicknamed the Pool of Death, but few had expected the French to die so early on.
The Pumas were superior in every area of the game, and now there is a very real possibility that they could reach the semi-finals. If they beat Ireland (a big if), they should win the pool, and could face Scotland or Italy. On the back of tonight’s performance, neither will be a match for Agustin Pichot’s troops.
So the first match has thrown up an upset, and the other nations will take note - nothing in this World Cup can be taken for granted.
World Cup Diary - 6th September
The teams are now installed in their respective camps, the hordes of supporters from around the world are beginning to converge on France and the organising committee will be breaking out in a cold sweat, hoping that everything goes smoothly for the big kick off tomorrow.
The stage is set for the 7-week festival of rugby that will see 20 teams competing for 1 prize in a celebration of the values that rugby stands for.
Pride, passion, teamwork and leadership will all be in evidence, and although one of the big teams will walk away with the title, the rugby minnows will also bask in the limelight in a celebration of the greatest game in the world.
Right or wrong, there will be a number of mismatches throughout the competition, and we’ll see some big scores in matches like New Zealand versus Portugal. However, after that game, no doubt the Portuguese will be grinning from ear to ear, delighted to have played the greatest rugby team in the world, and probably just a little pleased to still be alive.
So in 48 matches’ time, we will know the next World Champions, and we will be able to reflect on what will undoubtedly be a momentous event. It looks like the trophy is New Zealand’s to lose, South Africa and France should be their main challengers, whilst England’s spluttering chariot does not seem to have enough momentum to carry it home.
World Cup Diary - Ashton makes us wait
Brian Ashton was widely expected to make further cuts to his 40-man training squad last week, but it looks as though he is continuing to hedge his bets.
England will face Wales at the weekend at Twickenham, and the England coach is likely to use the game to test the fitness of several players returning from injury. After the game, there may be an announcement about the next group of players to be dismissed, prior to the naming of the final 30 by August 14th.
All eyes will be on Dan Ward-Smith, the untested hope of English rugby, and whether he can recover from his knee injury in time to make an impact at the World Cup and rescue England’s dimming chances.
Clutching at straws - 5 reasons why the All Blacks won’t win the World Cup
Many pundits have talked about the 2007 Rugby World Cup as being a one horse race for 3 and a half years, such has been the dominance of the All Blacks side since the 2003 tournament.
Since Graham Henry took over the reins as coach, he has implemented a plan that has seen him regularly rotate players in his squad, develop the most powerful forward unit in the world, and turn his men into fitter, leaner and stronger men than anyone else in the game.
The upshot is that New Zealand now have two teams that can compete with any other nation. On their Grand Slam tour of Europe, Henry would make as many as 15 changes from one week to the next and they’d still win. Their first choice line-up is already head and shoulders above the rest, and they have the strength in depth required for the testing schedule of a World Cup.
Nevertheless, to lift the spirits of all the other rugby nations, here are 5 reasons why New Zealand’s 20-year wait for a another World Cup title may go on.
1. Pressure from the New Zealand public
If the All Blacks do not win in France this year, there will be uproar at home. Graham Henry will suffer the same fate as John Mitchell in 2003, and there will be sweeping changes in the team. Rugby to the New Zealand public means as much as football does to the English. When England gets knocked out of the football (soccer) World Cup, the nation is sent into depression, and there is a downturn in the economy - for New Zealand it is worse, given that England’s football team are never really expected to win anything! That pressure could play on their minds in tight games in the latter stages.
2. 20 years is a long wait
Everyone knows that despite coming close on a number of occasions, New Zealand has not won the tournament since the inaugural event in 1987. Every four years, the All Blacks start among the favourites, but disappointing defeats have left them with the unenviable title of ‘The best team in the world between World Cups’. This stigma will add to the significant pressure from supporters and may contribute to their demise.
3. Easy group
Of all the top seeds, New Zealand has the easiest group. Scotland and Italy will be battling it out for second place, but neither will offer stern opposition for the All Blacks, and they will go through to the knockout stages untested. In the quarter-finals, there is a realistic chance they will meet Argentina (the Pumas need to beat Ireland to go through as runners up to France - a feat they achieved twice this summer), and even that game should not prove too much trouble. So New Zealand may cruise through to the semis, where they could face Australia, battle-hardened after a more strenuous route and determined to cause an upset against their local rivals like they did in 2003. New Zealand will need to beware.
4. Reuben Thorne
Why has Thorne been named in the All Blacks squad over the more dynamic and versatile Troy Flavell? Is Graham Henry cracking up already? Thorne will not be selected in the first-choice team, nor will he make any impact from the substitutes bench and so his selection is mystifying. Henry will effectively have 29 players to choose from, and if the Kiwis have to rely on Thorne in a World Cup final, they could be exposed.
5. Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Pierre Spies
South Africa’s back row is on a par with - possibly even better than - New Zealand’s trio. If the Springbok loose forwards get the better of their Kiwi counterparts, they could starve the dangerous All Black backline of possession and kill their running rugby gameplan. Burger and Smith are brutally physical and will force turnover ball, while Spies has the pace and power to be a threat in attack. If the final is a contest between these two sides, the Springboks manage to keep all their players on the field and out of the sin bin, and Reuben Thorne lines up for the All Blacks, the Springboks could sneak a result and lift the trophy.
Should all these factors combine, the All Blacks’ could fail once again in their World Cup quest. However, New Zealand’s performance against Australia to secure the Bledisloe Cup and the Tri-Nations allayed fears that they were beginning to decline - they remain overwhelming favourites to lift the Web Ellis Cup, and rightly so, but let us all take solace that there may be a glimmer of hope for the other teams.
By James Hutchison
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