The final team to make their entrance in the 2011 World Cup was Russia. At this stage for the first time, their first opponents were their traditional rival superpower in all but rugby, the land of the free and the home of the brave.
The combined population of the two countries involved meant that 455 million people were on tenterhooks at this one. How many actually knew it was happening? Therein lies the challenge of promoting rugby to the masses.
Russia, with new Northampton recruit Artemyev to the fore, started well and took the lead through a penalty from Kushnarev, Wyles equalised soon after, and as they settled, the USA scored the only try of the game from Pietri; converted by Wyles to give the USA a lead they would never relinquish. The weather, as it had done the day before with Scotland and Georgia, was affecting the game, as it was to put not too fine a point on it, awful. All I'm going to say here is that, over the 14 and a bit days that follow, it had better get better, or I for one won't be pleased.
Horizontal rain joined the fray just before half-time, making difficult conditions nigh on impossible. It was a pretty big relief when Dave Pearson finally blew his whistle and allowed the teams the sanctuary of the dressing rooms. Half Time: USA 10 Russia 3
You may expect that the USA, with their World Cup experience, would be the ones who tried to push the game and score tries, and that Russia would be the ones, in the style of the Central European colleagues Romania and Georgia, would turn the game into a battle, but you would be wrong.
The USA used forward togetherness, particularly from McDonald and his front row colleagues, and tactical nous from the ever more appropriately named Clever (pronounced Cleaver for some reason) saw them rely on the 10 man game, while Russia, with Artemyev the undoubted star and Ostroushko on the other wing also impressing at times, were the ones who tried in vain to open the game up.
Wyles extended the lead with another penalty, before Rachkov replied, but ultimately the Russians came up 7 points short despite a solid effort in their first World Cup game.
Full Time: USA 13 Russia 6
So the US of A move to a 1-1 record for the 2011 World Cup. I'm sure back home, the efforts of Clever et al will barely be getting a mention in the week that the NFL starts its regular season. The salary of 1 of the top NFL names for a season would do untold good to US Rugby. Eddie O'Sullivan has brought much needed organisation to the side, and the arrival in the major European Leagues of some of the bigger US names, and the skills they have honed and taken back to International training camps has seen good progress in the last 4 years. May it continue.
Russia have the population, athletic ability and sporting passion to make an excellent rugby nation. The arrival of Rugby 7s in the Olympics in 2016 will benefit them more than any other national squad, as the sport will be taught in schools and bigger budgets will be made available. I like making bold predictions, and I will say that Russia will be ranked above Italy come the 2019 World Cup and will reach the Quarter Finals given a reasonable Pool in either 2019 or 2023. Bookmark that folks and come back and laugh at me in my dotage. As it is, this time round, with Ireland, Italy and Australia still to play, any addition to the losing bonus point earned today would be both surprising and a massive step forward.
And Finally....
Where do I start? England I suppose. What a week for Martin Johnson. First he has to deal with ridiculous criticism from journalists who seem to be intent on derailing the wagon, about the way the players spent their day off doing extreme sports. These sports are extremely safety focused and Johnson is right to allow those who, fitness permitting, want to do this sort of thing to do it.
Barely having dealt with this attack, he is dragged into another 'scandal' as England players are seen having a drink and, worst of all, "Fun" with people in a bar which happened to have some sort of dwarf-throwing entertainment on. Simon Shaw could grab most of the non-ex-international journalists and throw them as far as a mere mortal could throw a dwarf. Johnson and he might wish they could do that the way people seem intent on finding news where it isn't. Stick to reporting on rugby guys.
The hospitals of New Zealand have been busy. This week has seen Sheridan, Flannery, Ioane and Skrela sent home injured with shoulder, calf, finger and shoulder injuries respectively. Rugby is an ever more physical game, and over the past week, 12 games have been played, meaning 528 names have been written on team sheets (admit it, you're checking with a calculator aren't you?). The amount of impact that these players undergo, injuries are to be expected, and it must be both heart-breaking and soul-destroying for players to have to head home from the high point of their careers.
Criticism aplenty also for the schedule from some quarters. Smaller Nations have a 4 day turnaround between games on one occasion this tournament, though the reigning champion Springboks, not a small nation, also have a 5 day turnaround at one point. The tournament can only have 20 teams. More is not worthwhile as cricket scores would ensue again and that is counter-productive. 5 Pools of 4 doesn't work as there is no satisfactory way of getting 5 Pools into 8 Quarter Finalists. Extending an already long tournament to 7 weeks is not an option either. Basically, it is what it is and all teams know the situation. Scotland dealt with it well by playing 2 separate teams virtually. The Samoans are the most vociferous in their displeasure... maybe they should set about channelling their displeasure into a way of beating the Welsh this weekend.
Scotland's 15-6 defeat of Georgia yesterday was the 6th game in RWC history with no tries. The highest profile of these being the 1995 and 2007 Finals and the 1991 Semi Final which Scotland lost to England. Only the 2nd Pool game to ever finish tryless: Australia 9 Western Samoa 3 in 1991 in case you were wondering....
Alesana Tuilagi scored the 2nd hat-trick of the tournament and the second hat-trick against Namibia. The South African wingers must be knocking down the coach's door to get a game next weekend....
Hookgate rumbles on. No-one seems able to decide whether it was or wasn't a penalty, despite countless re-runs on TV stations around the world. Many great kickers, myself included, have had their say on whether it was or not. Welsh people believe it was, but they would. I think it wasn't and Andrew Mehrtens agrees. If people can't make their minds up now, 5 days later, what exactly would the TMO decision have come up with? Would we still be in Wellington, players asleep on the ground in sleeping bags waiting for a now bearded TMO to make a decision? Lay off Wayne Barnes and his touch judges. They saw it wide, it was wide. End of a very long story.
Time for an early night for me. New Zealand re-enter the fray tomorrow against the Japanese. Star players falling like confetti for them too, with Carter, McCaw, Muliaina and Dagg all ruled out with various injuries. McCaw must wait for his 100th cap. Japan once conceded 145 points against New Zealand in a World Cup game, and managed to score 2 tries themselves in the process. I can't see that happening again, but I do think we will see the 50-point barrier being passed for the first time.
Bye for now, back tomorrow with the report on that NZ vs Japan game.
No comments:
Post a Comment