Thanks for all the feedback on the blogs, much appreciated. I know I said nothing till Wednesday, but I have made a couple of decisions, and wanted to put them here so you would see what would happen as the blog grows. I also wanted to throw in a couple of titbits for you.
1. On match days in the World Cup, there will be a blog entry per match. The comments that kept occurring were, fantastic though the blog is (!) the postings were too long to follow easily, so a posting per game might be better. I'll be giving that a go as of Wednesday morning with Samoa vs Namibia
2. Also suggested was rating the players in each game. While I may not do this for every game, I will do so for what I consider to be big games.
3. Polls. The first one was popular, since then, they've been about as popular as diarrhoea. I'll persevere, but please take the time to click an option and vote. I'm genuinely interested in what people think, honestly.
4. I'll be in New Zealand from 30th September and this may take on a slightly more travel log type appearance on occasions. I'll keep it predominately rugby though, as it would be difficult to do it any other way I think.
5. Any questions, suggestions for articles, comments, criticisms, gifts, etc (one of those is a joke obviously..... you can keep your criticism) can be attached here as a comment, tweeted to @theeggchaser or sent via e-mail to marktheeggchaser@gmail.com
And Finally...
Courtney Lawes of England cited for allegedly kneeing Mario Ledesma the Argentinian hooker. Ledesma barely reaches Lawes' knees on tiptoes, but that's not the point. Any citing commissioner who sees intent in Lawes actions, which seemed accidental to me, yet fails to see intent in Quade Cooper's knee to the face of Richie McCaw should go to Specsavers (other opticians are available).
(EDIT: So the RWC Citing Committee actually did find intent in Lawes's knee. I challenge anyone to say that was worse than Cooper's knee on McCaw. Let's look on the positive side, he'll be fresh for Scotland!)
Namibia, fresh from a savaging by monster Fijian winger Vereniki Goneva, and the first side to play their second game, will be pleased to know that up next is Alesana Tuilagi. 111kg and 6 feet 4 of power. I think that's the stuff of nightmares....
Scotland, Tonga and France all make 11 changes for their second games on Wednesday in the case of the first two and Sunday for les Francais. Squad rotation reaches the Rugby World Cup.....
Bye for now, I really will be back early Wednesday with a report of Manu Samoa vs Namibia... early night tonight!!
Monday, 12 September 2011
Saturday, 10 September 2011
RWC Day 3: Boks Nick Dragons In Thriller; Aussies Prevail; Clever US Take Pride In Defeat
Day 3. A later alarm call, thank God! Still, I wanted to watch all 3 games, so I dragged the body from its Chenin Blanc induced slumber. I was looking forward to the three games as they all held a little intrigue. South Africa v Wales is arguably the game of the first weekend. Ireland taking on former coach Eddie O'Sullivan's USA was interesting for that reason alone, and Australia's fans had been the most vociferous after England's struggles of yesterday, so watching their bow against Italy held its own appeal to me.
That was first up, so coffee cup in hand, I turned on the TV apprehensively to see who I would be listening to droning on today. I'm still struggling to understand what ITV do when selecting commentators. Do they do screen tests? They can't do given what's gone before. Gomarsall is bearable, Hastings better but nothing special and the less said about Phil Vickery the better. My final comment for today is this. This is the pinnacle of the Rugby World. It has the best players in the world, being officiated by the best referees in the world (and Jonathan Kaplan). Surely ITV can do better than the current inanity in the Comm Box.
Today, as there are just the three games to analyse, I will give my brief thought on each team seen so far, and throw in a team of the weekend for you as well. I'm nothing if I'm not thorough! Needless to say, the English will be conspicuous by their absence in that team.
Australia vs Italy
The Wallabies had picked an almost full strength side for the Italians, with O'Connor still out of favour, no doubt wanting to emphasise the fantastic way in which they finished the Tri Nations. Resplendent in their canary yellow, they gave their all in the National Anthem, but came off a distant second to Fratelli D'Italia - but then, who wouldn't? I've felt the hairs stand on end during National Anthems three times: God Save The Queen before the 2007 Final, Land of my Fathers under the Cardiff roof before the opening game in 1999 and Rome this year before Italy vs France. It's no coincidence to me that Italy usually start at a cracking pace....
The early Australian ball was wasted by poor passes from Quade Cooper, who missed with a first penalty attempt and who struggled to settle with ball in hand, though he reacted and covered superbly to touch down an Italian kick through in the nick of time and this appeared to settle him. Italy gained momentum with a couple of penalties, but great defensive work under his posts from David Pocock snuffed out the danger as Italy started to slightly take the upper hand, though really the rhythm of the game was fractious, too many penalties from both sides not allowing any phases to be built. On 15, Italy turned over ball on half way, took contact and Australia conceded a penalty, compounded by backchat to referee Rolland which took the Italians within Bergamasco's range. Well it should have been, but the achilles heel of Italy in recent years, the goalkicker, came back to bite as, not only was the kick short, but Ghiraldini clobbered Cooper as he cleared resulting in a kickable penalty to the Aussies. Cooper made no mistake this time, and the first 3 points went to the Aussies after 19 minutes.
Australia's influential middle 5 (Elsom, Pocock, Samo, Genia, Cooper) were starting to take the upper hand as you would expect. Repeated close work eventually saw the ball thrown wide, where Beale's kick for Ashley-Cooper was well defended by Bergamasco. As the half went on, the Australians started to really take control. Italy could have given away 3 penalties under their post for fringing round the edges of the ruck, and Cooper made them pay with a second successful kick (seemingly unaffected by the whistles and boos from the crowd). Pocock in particular was showing how on form he is the best number 7 in the world, and if Australia could sort out the breakdown, where Italy had some success in spoiling the quality of Australian ball, this would have been more of a one-sided contest. Castrogiavanni and Lo Cicero were also getting a nudge on in the scrum. In the loose though it was a different story, and once Pocock won more ball from the Italians, Cooper showed his quality, before being pinged after obstruction. With the exception of Pocock though, the Australians were sloppy at the breakdown, and a penalty on the 10 metre line saw Bergamasco make no mistake and pull the Italians back to a 6-3 deficit, and as the half came to a close, with the Australians seemingly pressing to extend that lead, another lost ball followed by more indiscipline at the breakdown after a kick through by Semenzato, saw Bergamasco equalise on the stroke of half-time from under the posts. Half Time: Australia 6 Italy 6
Italy's lack of a world class fly half was hurting them really. All the good work done up front is wasted by poor-decision making, and unfortunately this had hurt Italy in the first half. If that was the Azzurri issue, the Australians were suffering slightly further out, were in attack, their centres continued to struggle at the start of the second half. So much so that James O'Connor was called into action after a mere 6 minutes of the second half, which had still been enough time for Faingaa to make two more errors. The introduction of O'Connor (coincidentally?) coincided with the waking of the Australians, and their best passage of play following a steal by Vickerman, saw Cooper, Beale and Samo heavily involved before Ben Alexander went over from short range. O'Connor took over the kicking duties, but failed to convert leaving the score at 11-6. Brave though Italy had been thus far, I sensed a slight drop of heads when the try was scored. Despite the probing of Semenzato's box kicks, they couldn't regain a footing, and the Wallabies seemingly crossed the gain line at will, and when Cooper fed Ashley-Cooper, who went over untouched, it appeared the floodgates could open. O'Connor couldn't miss the extras from beneath the sticks, and 18-6 meant game over. The question that remained now was 'How many?'
Indeed a basic error from Masi led to some Aussie showboating, but when Cooper passed inside to O'Connor, the third try of the second half came. All since the entry of the pacy and incisive O'Connor. 25-6 in the blink of an eye. Italy were still bossing the scrum though, as Australia showed their perennial weakness still existed (no Andre Watson to save them any more....). When they got the ball away quickly though, as with Samo's one handed flick, it was a different matter, and another inside ball from Cooper, this time to Ioane at pace, saw the 4th try, converted again, and the bonus point. The Aussies looked dangerous every time they got the ball now, but Cooper pushed one pass too many, and Parisse intercepted, before Bergamasco didn't release in the tackle when the Aussie line beckoned. A deserved try went begging and Australia, through Cooper, cleared to midfield.
Italy once more came close to scoring their deserved try as Parisse went for the pushover, only to lose control at the last minute. Higginbotham appeared not to be bound to the scrum, and I thought Parisse's complaints were justified, but Rolland waved them away, and the Wallabies cleared.
Full Time Australia 32 Italy 6
Italy battled well, but after a relatively uninspired first half, the introduction of O'Connor seemed to stir life into Australia (a little like the arrival of Youngs did with england the day before). A front row weakness is there though, and their scrum will come under serious pressure against better sides, but a more than acceptable entry into the competition from the Australians.
Ireland vs USA
To New Plymouth, where Ireland took on the USA on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. After an impeccable minute's silence Sexton had a chance to set Ireland on the right track with an early penalty, but the conditions proved to be too much. Ireland's forward togetherness, in early scrums and mauls, sent the USA backwards at ridiculous speed and when the option was taken to kick to the corner rather than for posts, dominant though the forwards were, the USA defended well out wide to snuff out the early danger. The rain wasn't making things easy, for handling or underfoot, and Sexton pushed a second kick, from the 10 metre line admittedly but in front of the posts, and the USA survived. Bowe knocked on 3 times in 2 seconds (no exaggeration I promise) and the game was in danger of becoming messy, but Sexton finally succeeded with his third penalty, the easiest thus far, and Ireland's nerves were calmed.
South Africa vs Wales
Ireland vs USA
To New Plymouth, where Ireland took on the USA on the 10th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks. After an impeccable minute's silence Sexton had a chance to set Ireland on the right track with an early penalty, but the conditions proved to be too much. Ireland's forward togetherness, in early scrums and mauls, sent the USA backwards at ridiculous speed and when the option was taken to kick to the corner rather than for posts, dominant though the forwards were, the USA defended well out wide to snuff out the early danger. The rain wasn't making things easy, for handling or underfoot, and Sexton pushed a second kick, from the 10 metre line admittedly but in front of the posts, and the USA survived. Bowe knocked on 3 times in 2 seconds (no exaggeration I promise) and the game was in danger of becoming messy, but Sexton finally succeeded with his third penalty, the easiest thus far, and Ireland's nerves were calmed.
The US in turn missed a kick at goal, but a scrappy game saw both sides struggle to gain any semblance of foothold on a very slippery surface. Ireland's pack clearly had the beating of their opposite numbers, but as soon as the ball reached the hands of Murray at 9, there was no pace on the ball as a safety first modus operandi needed to be adopted (Latin at 0728am - blimey). Murray, it must be said, was trying a little TOO hard for my liking. His kicks seemed designed to land on a sixpence, but it wasn't a day for that. He should have been boxkicking with snow on the ball, making reception as difficult as possible. The over-confidence that must come with such a quick promotion through the ranks maybe? Reddan or Boss would have been a much more appropriate choice I feel.
O'Driscoll's dancing feet created space, but an attempted switch between D'Arcy and Bowe, slightly too intricate for the conditions, saw the chance go begging as Bowe knocked on for the 4th time. The weather truly spoiled the game as a spectacle in the first half, but the US adapted better if anything, realising that the wet was their friend, and defending like dervishes. On the point of half time though, Bowe finally held on to the ball, and slipped through the gap as easily as the ball had been slipping through his hand till then, and went in next to the posts. Sexton converted, and that was that. Half Time: Ireland 10 USA 0
The USA just couldn't deal with the Irish scrum, and a 42nd minute penalty, in an eminently kickable position, saw Sexton waste yet another opportunity. Some great kickers have struggled in this World Cup and Sexton proved his radar really was off when he hooked another kick wide on 44. Murray continued to have a torrid time at scrum half. Much of Ireland's play, it must be said, was as aimless as Sexton's kicking, and the arrival of Reddan and O'Gara on 50 minutes was probably ten minutes overdue. A sustained period of USA possession, much of it in the Ireland 22, saw them at last get on the board with a Patterson penalty. There was immediate hesitancy from the restart though, and Ireland earned a line out 10 yards out. Indeed, from the line-out, the Irish played to their strengths, and to the only likely strengths on a day such as this, keeping it tight for Best to break on the narrow side and over for the try in the corner. O'Gara continued the wayward kicking though, and Ireland led 15-3.
Ireland had found impetus, and Ferris who had been the best Irish player, cleaned up before O'Driscoll found a trademark raking touch deep in the US half. When the US messed up the line-out, the ball was shipped wide to O'Driscoll, who seemed to have woken up with the arrival of O'Gara, and Bowe slid in for his second and Ireland's third, try. For once, the conversion followed, and the feeling was that the tiring Americans, who had fought incredibly, may suffer in the last 20, especially with replacements of the quality of Flannery and Leamy sauntering on. How wrong feelings have proved to be thise weekend though.
O'Gara prodded with his boot, turning the US defence time and again, and Ireland looked a different team, but ultimately still remained toothless. With 8 minutes remaining, they opted for a kick to touch in search of the 4th try. A rolling maul led to some professional spoiling tactics from the US, and tensions spilled over to a little bit of handbags. Ireland scrummaged in search of a pushover. The US collapsed the first and were penalised. It started to become a question of would the Irish push the US over or would Mr Joubert take matters into his own hands, but 'clever' work from the US captain (can you guess his name?) saw them spoil and clear. As the Irish searched for the try, O'Driscoll threw a poor pass and Emerick intercepted and went under the posts to bring an air of deserved respectability to the score.
Full Time: Ireland 22 USA 10
A patchy performance from a disjointed Ireland. Yes the conditions didn't help. Yes, the USA executed a pretty shrewd gameplan. But there were too many errors and too many stars were completely anonymous. I frequently had to check whether O'Driscoll and Heaslip were actually on the pitch. The half backs selected were both poor, and there are probably more questions than answers for Declan Kidney after this game. Ferris was undoubtedly the best Irishman on the pitch. Still, as any Englishman, Frenchman or Scotsman will tell you after yesterday, a win is a win. Ireland move on, uncertainly, and the USA will look to a quick recovery and their 'Cup Final' against the fresh Russians on Thursday.
The most experienced World Cup side ever, the reigning champions South Africa with 815 caps between them, took the field for Game 8 of the World Cup against Wales in New Zealand's capital. Wales much younger and quicker, South Africa the bruisers of World Rugby. In an enterprising start, both centres barreled across the gain line, Smit and Roussouw did similar, and when the ball went wide, Francois Steyn powered over the diminutive Shane Williams. Not the start Wales wanted, and the Springboks were off and running. Morne Steyn showed those who had struggled how to kick from the 'wrong' touchline and a 7 point start for the Boks, catastrophe for the Welsh.
Wales didn't panic though, and with ball in hand looked solid if somewhat less dangerous than their opponents. A heavy tackle on Williams, who accentuated it by jumping into it, was followed by Spies diving in at the breakdown, and Hook split the posts with the penalty to make it 7-3 in an enterprising and promising start to the game. Wales would have been forgiven for being shell-shocked but far from it, they remained assured and a high tackle in the Springbok 22 let Hook make it 7-6. It appeared to me that he had, but the flags stayed down and it stayed 7-3. Hook clearly taking lessons from Messrs Wilkinson, Contepomi, Rodriguez and Sexton.
Francois Steyn boomed a free kick from within his 22 to the other end of the field, but Wales still stayed calm allowing Phillips to clear, not to touch though, and from the run back, Lydiate conceded a penalty for offside, and Morne Steyn made it 10-3. 20 minutes gone at this point, and Francois Steyn hadn't tried a drop goal from his own 22 yet; restraint indeed. Wales had much more of the ball and territory in the opening quarter, but rarely looked like breaking through. De Villiers was an early casualty for the Boks, replaced by the wonderfully christened Butch James. Wales continued to hold the ball well, and construct phases, but it was a rather 'nice' performance. By that I mean there was little menace in their breaks. A second Hook penalty, this time undoubtedly through the middle of the uprights, brought Wales to within 4 points. At this stage possibly a fair reflection of what had gone before.
Schalk Burger, wearing 7 as only South African blindside flankers do, was getting through a lot of work, but since their early try, their attack had been equally as insipid as the Welsh, with defences well and truly on top. Steyn and Priestland exchanged bad drop goal misses and the half was reached with no addition to the score. A bit of a 'watched pot' of a first half, in that it simmered throughout, but never quite reached boiling point. Wales needed to find some offensive steel if they were going to turn it round. Half Time: South Africa 10 Wales 6
You would think Messrs Gatland and De Villiers would have preached the need for more intensity in the second half, but the Springboks early possessions were as anodine as their post second minute efforts in the first half. Warburton snaffling an early turnover, which saw them show true menace until Faletau knocked on in the South African 22. Waburton has had a massive influence in a Wales jersey in a relatively short time. I'm tempted to suggest that for Welsh rugby, he's the best thing since sliced bread, but that would be too corny ever for me....
Worryingly for the Boks, Matfield limped off in those early moments, adding to the serious injury to Bakkies Botha, a dangerous gap looks to be appearing in the middle of the scrum and line-out. Both sides wated promising positions early in the second half with brainless penalties for diving over the top. The Dragons were certainly more fiery though and from a 5 metre line-out, they recycled time and again and sucked the South Africans backs offside in an unmissable position under the sticks. Hook could have made it 10-9 in his sleep and duly did. South Africa looked disinterested at this point, and had Lydiate not knocked on, they would have been under enormous pressure in their 22 yet again.
Warburton was leading by example, outmuscling Broussow at the breakdown on almost every occasion and Wales finally showed their teeth as Faletau dived over through an absent South African defence to give them a deserved lead, which was stretched by 2 point when Hook converted. 16-10 Wales after 55 minutes, and South Africa in trouble. Turnovers were killing the World Champions, and all were coming from the outstanding Warburton. A rampant Wales nearly put another nail in the coffin, but a Roberts knock-on spoiled the next ferocious attack inspired by Faletau.
De Villiers reacted by removing the ineffective Smit. 1 World Cup too far for the 2007 Champion captain, but du Plessis had an enormous task to turn round the fortunes in 22 minutes. The midfield trio of Priestland, Davies and Roberts continued to cut through the defence almost at will, and with a little more composure they could have killed off the game on a couple of different occasions in the 3rd quarter of the game.
Du Plessis did more in his first 5 minutes than Smit had done in 55. Forwards regained their intensity and the Boks looked ready to strike back. Lydiate came in at the side to give away a dangerous penalty and Morne Steyn put the ball in the corner. The crowd held its breath. The rolling maul broke up, Hougaard almost went clear, but Spies and Du Plessis to the fore recycled, and Hougaard was fed by Du Preez and went over Ashton-like under the sticks. Steyn made it 17-16. Game well and truly on.
Storm ridden? It should have been, but there was an air of complacency about much that the South Africans did, and a scrambled clearance led to more pressure down the right. Priestland was in the perfect place to retake the lead for the Welsh, but a drop goal from between the sticks, and inside the 22 at that, went horribly wide. Wales still pressed, and helped by the Springboks (errant kicking, poor chasing, missed tackles, awful decision-making) they got a chance with a penalty just outside the 22 and wide on the right. Hook pushed it badly tough, and the lead remained at 1 point. Wales probed through Phillips and Warburton again, but as they looked to be pushing towards drop goal range once more, a lapse in concentration led to a turnover and South Africa sighed with relief.
Into the last 5 and still anyone's game. Alberts and Du Plessis had transformed the pack, and disciplined ball retention from the greens saw them take 3 minutes off the clock with ease. They picked and went from the base time after time, ekeing out the seconds until a 79th minute knock-on in the Welsh 22 gave them one last chance. By the time the scrum was set there were a little more than 20 seconds to go. Priestland darted, as did Phillips. Du Plessis (yes he again) snaffled it, and Du Preez cleared. South Africa held on to win a great game.
Full Time: South Africa 17 Wales 16
For England vs Argentina read South Africa vs Wales. A brave performance ending in an undeserved defeat. 2 tries to one for the South Africans though at the end of the day, and when the chips were down, they had the men to do get the job done. If Du Plessis doesn't usurp Smit now, then De Villiers is clearly madder than we even thought. Alberts had a huge impact, and Hougaard provided the pace and intelligent angle to win the game with the 2nd try.
For Wales, plenty of positives. Priestland (awful missed drop aside) performed well at 10, and Roberts and Davies were far and above their opposite numbers in the centre. The outstanding man though, both of the game and the first 8 matches, was Warburton. He turned ball over time and again, led from the front and took Wales to the brink of a famous victory.
Hard on Wales, but they will enter the remaining tricky pool games with confidence.
And Finally...
As promised, here's my considered view of the first 8 games. I had a New Zealand vs Australia Final before the tournament, and I see absolutely no reason to change that view after what we saw this weekend. Both sides had good run outs and proved they are capable of taking a game away from a side, and not the weakest sides by any means) with 20 minutes of rugby. My two losing semi finalists, England and South Africa, both showed why they cannot beat Australia or New Zealand at the moment. Both short of a little inspiration, both on and off the pitch. France, ireland and Scotland I had in the Quarter Finals, and again, I'm not changing that opinion.
Argentina will feel they can beat the Scots, and Italy may feel they can beat Ireland, but France are cast-iron certainties to finish second in their group, and I don't see them having the nous to knock out England. If Scotland do get to the Quarters, I obviously don't see them troubling New Zealand, and Ireland will have to improve enormously if they are to beat South Africa. Wales glorious defeat by a point earlier today could well have cost them more than a game and a morale boost. It could have cost them a semi final spot. Winning the pool, and avoiding the Australians, could well have gone from their grasp today, and as such they will need to beat the Tri Nations champs in the quarters to proceed. Again, I can't see that, no matter how well they played today.
Basically then, you will see no change whatsoever in any of my pre-tournament predictions.
No complete thrashings is encouraging for the future of the Rugby World Cup. There have been some embarrassments in the past, and there is still time for that to be the case in 2011, but the All Blacks 31 point win over Tonga is the biggest margin so far. Early tournament nerves for the big boys? Slightly weaker teams fielded against the minnows? Genuine progress by the smaller teams? Combination of all 3? Can only be a good thing though....
Stats: Early statistical leaders are Vereniki Goneva (FIJ) - 4 tries and James Arlidge (JAP) - 21 points
Ref-watch: Excellent discipline saw just the one yellow card issued (Dan Coles of England). Referees were fussy about offside, tacklers rolling away and releasing the ball on the ground. Something needs doing about these last two though, as it is a difficult one to call, and there is still a lot of kidology going on on the floor.
Off-beat moments: A streaker during the England vs Argentina game, Chris Paterson's conversion attempt which never got more than a foot off the ground. England.
Things you never thought you'd see: Jonny Wilkinson kick success rate 37.5%
Potentially controversial moment: James Hook's penalty which went over the post and wasn't given in a game decided by a single point.
Minnows of the round: Spoilt for choice! Japan gave France a game, Namibia showed well against Fiji, the USA battled doggedly against Ireland, but Romania take the award for being 5 minutes from the most unlikely draw (OK they have only ever been 2) in World Cup history.
Team of the Tournament (so far):
Pointless exercise maybe, but here goes. No reasons given, if you want to know why, write and ask me!
1. Rodrigo Roncero (ARG) - 2. Marius Tincu (ROM) - 3. Owen Franks (NZL)
4. Leona Nakarawa (FIJ) - 5. Hayden Smith (USA)
6. Rocky Elsom (AUS) - 8. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe (ARG) - 7. Sam Warburton (WAL)
9. Ben Youngs (ENG) - 10. James Arlidge (JAP)
12. Sonny Bill Williams (NZL) - 13. James O'Connor (AUS)
11. Richard Kahui (NZL) - 15. Israel Dagg (NZL) - 14. Vereniki Goneva (FIJ)
4 New Zealanders, 2 Australians, 2 Fijians, 2 Argentinians, 1 each from Wales, USA, England, Japan and Romania. A fair mix.
I'll probably be back on Wednesday now, to give you brief thoughts on Scotland vs Georgia, Samoa vs Namibia and Tonga vs Canada
Catch me on Facebook (The Egg Chaser), Twitter @theeggchaser in the meantime. Keep in touch and share the links around.
Friday, 9 September 2011
RWC Day 2: England, France and Scotland Use Get Out Of Jail Free Cards; Fiji At A Canter
Day 2 of the World Cup and the first real session. Would that this were a Northern hemisphere World Cup, as either I would be attending a game, or the 4 games would be watched in a big group in a friendly bar, with several pints of some form. Alas, a 2am start when you've a trip into town to collect New Zealand Dollars the next morning isn't the most convivial, though those dollars will serve a purpose come the end of the month obviously.
I was going to say as the day dawned, but that's not really the case when it's 0145, so I'll start again. As the alarm clock woke me from my reverie (for info, I was stood at 12 outside Jonny Wilkinson in 2003; he saw his drop would be blocked, shipped it to me and I slotted a glorious drop goal through the middle of the posts) I had a fleeting thought of why are you doing this? But no, I thought. Once every 4 years, downstairs you go. Armed with sleeping bag, extra cushions, teapot and empty biscuit barrel (oops) I propped myself up in front of the widescreen and settled in for the marathon.
I'm writing this before the Scotland game kicks off, and the eyes are struggling to open. A double ristretto from the Nespresso machine (slugged back while I waited for the kettle to boil) will no doubt kick in soon. My plan is to do a brief report on each game as it finishes and before the next one; to publish it to give you the benefit of my wit and wisdom and then to add to it as the day goes on. I'll be on Twitter too throughout the games, so follow me @theeggchaser for live (barely) thoughts.
Scotland vs Romania
Scotland won the battle of the anthems but Romania's kit evened things off with its retina-burning brightness. Scotland ran the ball from their 22 from the kick-off, earned 3 penalties, took the 3rd one from under the posts and had 3 on the board before Romania had touched the ball again. Ominous.
I always think a true rout follows the course of a point per minute. 8 points after 8 minutes and I feared the worst (Note candidate for worst kick at goal of RWC11 by Patterson - max of 1 foot of ground). Scottish discipline was awful though and Romania proved dogged up front to get on the board with 3. Danielli missed an 'open goal' on 18 when it looked easier to score than miss. Ansbro didn't though and wriggled over; Patterson adjusted sights. Indiscipline again though, another Romanian penalty 15-6 after 22. Romania proved anything but minnows in this first half, particularly in scrum, ruck and maul, and aided by a very high Scottish penalty count they stayed close, and with a better kicker than Dumbrava, would have been closer. As it was, 2 penalties were wasted and Patterson found the target once more. The Romanians though closed the half with a rolling maul try (again unconverted). Scotland were being out-muscled and were lucky to be ahead. HT Scotland 18 Romania 11
I mentioned earlier this week that Scotland were the last to arrive in New Zealand. At times in that first half, they looked like they were still on the plane. Notorious "hairdryer" Andy Robinson no doubt calmly rallied the troops at the half. If he did, it didn't show and someone from Planet Zog would have thought the yellows were the bigger Nation. The biggest compliment to Romania was Scotland still attempting penalties into the second half. Scotland camped on the line but wastefully coughed up possession. Catalogue of errors just about describes it. Patterson finally stretched the lead to 10 again as youth gave way to experience (Gray and Jackson off, Hines and Parks on). Immediate ill-discipline cost them again though as the wonderfully named Tiberius Ionut Dimofte kicked a penalty from under the posts. 21-14.
Romania continued to pressure though, as Hines' introduction clearly didn't give the Scots more beans. Another under the sticks penalty allowed them to close to 4. They couldn't... could they? Dan Parks slotted his second restart straight into touch - inexcusable. I would have been castigated as a 16 year old fly half at school for that. Romania used the wind magnificently and played the game in Scotland's 22. From a 5 metre scrum, Number 8 Carpo burrowed over to give the Romanians a remarkable lead, extended by the capable Dimofte. remarkably, Romania led 24-21. This seemed to stir the Scots into action though, an alarm call from their jet-lagged, almost comatose state. 10 minutes left, 3 points in it.
The Scots had to take 3 to get back on level terms, which Patterson duly did. A break from Max Evans, a rampage from Richie Vernon and a try that even Danielli couldn't miss. Romanian dreams shattered with 5 minutes to go, though a missed conversion meant it was only a 5 point game. Straight from the kick-off, some inspiration at last, and Danielli completed one of the least deserved International doubles I can remember, following more great hands from Vernon. The Scots in the crowd breathed a huge sigh of relief. 34-24 to Scotland and the Romanians had come up about 5 minutes short.
Full Time Scotland 34 Romania 24
Scotland used their get out of jail free card early on then, with a real scrap against the Romanians. The table will tell the tale that the Scots got a bonus point win, while the Romanians got nothing. It goes to show there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Hard to find any positives in that performance though for coach Robinson, who will have to merely take solace from the fact that, with 10 minutes left and behind, they rallied to take the points.
Friends and family had suggested I must be mad to get up to watch a one-sided encounter like this. Little did they know what Game 2 had in store.
Intermission Notes
A quick trawl of last night's results saw that Harlequins continued to make hay while the bigger clubs had players at the World Cup. A comfortable win against Northampton seeing them top the English table, while Sale pipped London Irish by a point in the other game.
In France, my adopted side Clermont took the lead at the Top with a bonus point win over Bordeaux Begles
Fiji vs Namibia
The Fijian stars had predicted a first RWC semi final, to better last time's Quarter Final appearance. Namibia would just be hoping to glean as many points as possible from their 4 games in the toughest of the pools.
An early monster of a penalty from Kotze, nearer his own ten metre line than the halfway line, was instantly followed by a try from a monster of a winger, Goneva, and converted by Bai. Bye-bye Namibia? No. In his second Test, Kotze added 2 quick drop goals to his penalty as an open game ebbed and flowed. Just 4 more to wipe out an Englishman's nightmare memory of Janie de Beer from the drop goal record books.... Ridiculously, after 14 minutes, he dropped a third, and Namibia's gameplan appeared to be take whatever points were on offer in the Fijian 22.
At the other end, an injudicious high shot gave Bai the chance to make it 12-10, which he duly took, and from the kick-off, a 2nd try as, from their own 22, in true 7s style, they went the length of the pitch. 29 points in the first 19 minutes; you couldn't make it up. Again from the kick-off, a 3rd try as, from their own 22, in true 7s style, they went the length of the pitch. 34 points in the first 21 minutes; you couldn't make it up. Starting to sound like a parrot there? I had to resort to cut and paste as the game was going so quickly. It was like 15-man 7s rugby, and Fiji now led 22-12. Bai then slotted a penalty before Kotze finally missed. At this point, if the scoring rate had continued, the game would have ended up 80-40 to Fiji.....
Both sides were keen to play open rugby and secured quick ball meaning an enjoyable game to watch. Namibia had most possession and territory, as they were the keener of the sides to play 'phase' rugby, while Fiji seemed to score whenever they got the ball. The pace quietened in the latter stages of the first half, as it had to, but Kotze kicked another penalty to keep Namibia in touch at 25-15. Fiji rounded the half off though with a hat-trick try for Goneva (and a bonus point try at that) to make it 32-15. A demonstration of incisive attacking from Fiji, with occasional flashes of promise from a game Namibian side. Half Time Fiji 32 Namibia 15
Namibia were done surely, but no. Van Wyk, Marais and Kotze were all involved and Heinz (can I use another Heinz pun so soon after the Hines beans one? O do have 57 varieties....) Koll bullocked over for the best try of the tournament so far. Kotze missed the extras, but Namibia had closed the gap to 12. You just had the feeling though, that hard though Namibia tried, there was a gulf in class, and when Fiji could be bothered, they would score again. The ubiquitous Goneva (not his first name, but given some of the names on show it wouldn't have surprised me if it was) picked up a loose ball in the Namibian 22 and strolled over for his 4th to kill off any African hope.
Namibia had a likeable naivety about them though, and it must be said that they do the basics very well at times. A good line-out, slick hands, great hands from Kotze on the run-around (still a schoolboy look to their backs moves) and the pass saw full Back Botha in in the corner to make it 39-25 after 56 minutes.
The great thing about games like these is the chance to see unsung players perform fantastically. This morning we had Goneva, Bai, Nakarawa, Kotze, Van Wyk, Van Zyl, Burger all showing their ability. The game became ever more open, but scrappiness crept in as the efforts of all started to tell. There was still the odd spark though, and Botha made a Fiji-esque break from his 22, which ended in Kotze knocking on in the Fiji 22. The game continued to ebb and flow, with Namibia offering slightly more, but Fiji took some of the sting out of the game, when Bai slotted a 74th minute penalty to make it 42-25. This heralded the death knoll for the Namibians, who all of a sudden looked dead on their feet and powerless in the impact zone. After kicking a penalty into the corner, Fiji re-grouped and former Clermont winger (Aller ASM) Nalaga finally got a touch on the left wing and battered his way over, a try confirmed by the TMO. Bai expertly converted to make it 49-25. With that the scoring ended, and both sides left to a standing ovation after a great game played in fantastic spirit.
Full Time Fiji 49 Namibia 25
8 tries, and some great rugby. Very different from the first offering of the day, but the game of the tournament so far for me. Can Fiji break into the last 4? It would surprise me if they did, but on that showing, and with a little tweaking, the Welsh and South Africans could certainly end up with a bit of a headache.
France vs Japan
Je m'excuse pour la manque d'accents. Mon clavier anglais ne les a pas. Si cela vous gene, merci d'apprendre l'Anglais.
France contre Japon, en bilingue, mes excuses aux Japonais, mon niveau n'etant pas assez fort pour le faire en trilingue. Une minute de jeu de pied, avant que la France perce et Estebanez, avec un surnombre d'au moins 7, fait un en avant faible qui laisse passer la premiere occasion. La melee sous pression, Yachvili donne a Dusautoir, mais celui-ci etant hors-jeu, une penalite japonaise suivait. La France etait chaude, et Pierre etait au bout d'une troisieme attaque rapide pour marquer les premiers points. Yachvili transforme, et ca promettait cote bleu (enfin cote blanc). Apres une penalite tres mal frappe cote japonais, Trinh-Duc s'echappe apres une interception et marque le deuxieme essai francais. Trop facile. Echange de penalites et apres 20 minutes, 17-3 pour la France, qui voulait visiblement laisser une impression pour les All Blacks. Yachvili prenait encore trois points, avant que Alridge marque un essai Japonais chanceux. Clerc repondait pour les tricolores apres du bon travail de Servat, Yachvili et Rougerie, avant que Alridge, lui encore, transforme une deuxieme penalite. La bonne volonte cote francais coutait presque cher dans les arrets-jeu de la premiere mi-temps, quand une passe osee de Rougerie a failli etre intercepte, mais M. Walsh arrete l'action et envoyait les equipes aux vestiaires avec le score 25-11 pour la France.
France vs Japan, my first bilingual match report. After a minute's kick tennis, Estebanez broke and should have done better with the 19 (approximately) man overlap he had. The resulting scrum was dominated by France and Yachvili fed Dusautoir who went over only to be called back. A temporary stay of execution for Japan though, as France broke for the third time and Pierre finished the move off. After a horrible snap-hook penalty attempt from the 'Japanese' Trinh-Duc intercepted and galloped 60 metres to score. Yachvili converted both for a 14-0 lead, before the sides exchanged penalties. Yachvili slotted another before Arlidge benefitted from outrageous fortune to score an unconverted, but very popular, try. 20-8 with 32 gone before Rougerie sent Clerc free to score in the corner (Are you watching Danielli? THAT is how you finish an overlap). Arlidge knocked over another penalty after the French backs encroached, and France, seemingly intent on showing their flair, escaped in stoppage time when a risky pass from Rougerie and some intricate attempts to break free could have ended with a knock-on or interception. Referee Walsh blew as the ball got stuck though, and sent the sides for their half-time cup of tea/coffee/sake or whatever the modern day professional sups (isotonic something or other). Half time France 25 Japan 11
England vs Argentina
A great atmosphere under the roof in Dunedin, where the Pumas took on the new All Blacks.... A stand-off at the first scrum. A great touch find from Contepomi, pressure from the Pumas, a very long advantage played by Mr Lawrence, and 3-0 Argentina. England started by giving penalties away like they were Christmas cards, but a second penalty was and the score stayed at 3. 2 dangerous Puma tackles resulted in a Wilkinson penalty chance... need I say any more? 3-3.
PHEW!
And finally...
No and finally today, I'm blogged out and I'm off to get those NZDs and then for a siesta.
More tomorrow with Australia v Italy, Ireland v USA and South Africa v Wales
I was going to say as the day dawned, but that's not really the case when it's 0145, so I'll start again. As the alarm clock woke me from my reverie (for info, I was stood at 12 outside Jonny Wilkinson in 2003; he saw his drop would be blocked, shipped it to me and I slotted a glorious drop goal through the middle of the posts) I had a fleeting thought of why are you doing this? But no, I thought. Once every 4 years, downstairs you go. Armed with sleeping bag, extra cushions, teapot and empty biscuit barrel (oops) I propped myself up in front of the widescreen and settled in for the marathon.
I'm writing this before the Scotland game kicks off, and the eyes are struggling to open. A double ristretto from the Nespresso machine (slugged back while I waited for the kettle to boil) will no doubt kick in soon. My plan is to do a brief report on each game as it finishes and before the next one; to publish it to give you the benefit of my wit and wisdom and then to add to it as the day goes on. I'll be on Twitter too throughout the games, so follow me @theeggchaser for live (barely) thoughts.
Scotland vs Romania
Scotland won the battle of the anthems but Romania's kit evened things off with its retina-burning brightness. Scotland ran the ball from their 22 from the kick-off, earned 3 penalties, took the 3rd one from under the posts and had 3 on the board before Romania had touched the ball again. Ominous.
I always think a true rout follows the course of a point per minute. 8 points after 8 minutes and I feared the worst (Note candidate for worst kick at goal of RWC11 by Patterson - max of 1 foot of ground). Scottish discipline was awful though and Romania proved dogged up front to get on the board with 3. Danielli missed an 'open goal' on 18 when it looked easier to score than miss. Ansbro didn't though and wriggled over; Patterson adjusted sights. Indiscipline again though, another Romanian penalty 15-6 after 22. Romania proved anything but minnows in this first half, particularly in scrum, ruck and maul, and aided by a very high Scottish penalty count they stayed close, and with a better kicker than Dumbrava, would have been closer. As it was, 2 penalties were wasted and Patterson found the target once more. The Romanians though closed the half with a rolling maul try (again unconverted). Scotland were being out-muscled and were lucky to be ahead. HT Scotland 18 Romania 11
I mentioned earlier this week that Scotland were the last to arrive in New Zealand. At times in that first half, they looked like they were still on the plane. Notorious "hairdryer" Andy Robinson no doubt calmly rallied the troops at the half. If he did, it didn't show and someone from Planet Zog would have thought the yellows were the bigger Nation. The biggest compliment to Romania was Scotland still attempting penalties into the second half. Scotland camped on the line but wastefully coughed up possession. Catalogue of errors just about describes it. Patterson finally stretched the lead to 10 again as youth gave way to experience (Gray and Jackson off, Hines and Parks on). Immediate ill-discipline cost them again though as the wonderfully named Tiberius Ionut Dimofte kicked a penalty from under the posts. 21-14.
Romania continued to pressure though, as Hines' introduction clearly didn't give the Scots more beans. Another under the sticks penalty allowed them to close to 4. They couldn't... could they? Dan Parks slotted his second restart straight into touch - inexcusable. I would have been castigated as a 16 year old fly half at school for that. Romania used the wind magnificently and played the game in Scotland's 22. From a 5 metre scrum, Number 8 Carpo burrowed over to give the Romanians a remarkable lead, extended by the capable Dimofte. remarkably, Romania led 24-21. This seemed to stir the Scots into action though, an alarm call from their jet-lagged, almost comatose state. 10 minutes left, 3 points in it.
The Scots had to take 3 to get back on level terms, which Patterson duly did. A break from Max Evans, a rampage from Richie Vernon and a try that even Danielli couldn't miss. Romanian dreams shattered with 5 minutes to go, though a missed conversion meant it was only a 5 point game. Straight from the kick-off, some inspiration at last, and Danielli completed one of the least deserved International doubles I can remember, following more great hands from Vernon. The Scots in the crowd breathed a huge sigh of relief. 34-24 to Scotland and the Romanians had come up about 5 minutes short.
Full Time Scotland 34 Romania 24
Scotland used their get out of jail free card early on then, with a real scrap against the Romanians. The table will tell the tale that the Scots got a bonus point win, while the Romanians got nothing. It goes to show there are lies, damn lies and statistics. Hard to find any positives in that performance though for coach Robinson, who will have to merely take solace from the fact that, with 10 minutes left and behind, they rallied to take the points.
Friends and family had suggested I must be mad to get up to watch a one-sided encounter like this. Little did they know what Game 2 had in store.
Intermission Notes
A quick trawl of last night's results saw that Harlequins continued to make hay while the bigger clubs had players at the World Cup. A comfortable win against Northampton seeing them top the English table, while Sale pipped London Irish by a point in the other game.
In France, my adopted side Clermont took the lead at the Top with a bonus point win over Bordeaux Begles
Fiji vs Namibia
The Fijian stars had predicted a first RWC semi final, to better last time's Quarter Final appearance. Namibia would just be hoping to glean as many points as possible from their 4 games in the toughest of the pools.
An early monster of a penalty from Kotze, nearer his own ten metre line than the halfway line, was instantly followed by a try from a monster of a winger, Goneva, and converted by Bai. Bye-bye Namibia? No. In his second Test, Kotze added 2 quick drop goals to his penalty as an open game ebbed and flowed. Just 4 more to wipe out an Englishman's nightmare memory of Janie de Beer from the drop goal record books.... Ridiculously, after 14 minutes, he dropped a third, and Namibia's gameplan appeared to be take whatever points were on offer in the Fijian 22.
At the other end, an injudicious high shot gave Bai the chance to make it 12-10, which he duly took, and from the kick-off, a 2nd try as, from their own 22, in true 7s style, they went the length of the pitch. 29 points in the first 19 minutes; you couldn't make it up. Again from the kick-off, a 3rd try as, from their own 22, in true 7s style, they went the length of the pitch. 34 points in the first 21 minutes; you couldn't make it up. Starting to sound like a parrot there? I had to resort to cut and paste as the game was going so quickly. It was like 15-man 7s rugby, and Fiji now led 22-12. Bai then slotted a penalty before Kotze finally missed. At this point, if the scoring rate had continued, the game would have ended up 80-40 to Fiji.....
Both sides were keen to play open rugby and secured quick ball meaning an enjoyable game to watch. Namibia had most possession and territory, as they were the keener of the sides to play 'phase' rugby, while Fiji seemed to score whenever they got the ball. The pace quietened in the latter stages of the first half, as it had to, but Kotze kicked another penalty to keep Namibia in touch at 25-15. Fiji rounded the half off though with a hat-trick try for Goneva (and a bonus point try at that) to make it 32-15. A demonstration of incisive attacking from Fiji, with occasional flashes of promise from a game Namibian side. Half Time Fiji 32 Namibia 15
Namibia were done surely, but no. Van Wyk, Marais and Kotze were all involved and Heinz (can I use another Heinz pun so soon after the Hines beans one? O do have 57 varieties....) Koll bullocked over for the best try of the tournament so far. Kotze missed the extras, but Namibia had closed the gap to 12. You just had the feeling though, that hard though Namibia tried, there was a gulf in class, and when Fiji could be bothered, they would score again. The ubiquitous Goneva (not his first name, but given some of the names on show it wouldn't have surprised me if it was) picked up a loose ball in the Namibian 22 and strolled over for his 4th to kill off any African hope.
Namibia had a likeable naivety about them though, and it must be said that they do the basics very well at times. A good line-out, slick hands, great hands from Kotze on the run-around (still a schoolboy look to their backs moves) and the pass saw full Back Botha in in the corner to make it 39-25 after 56 minutes.
The great thing about games like these is the chance to see unsung players perform fantastically. This morning we had Goneva, Bai, Nakarawa, Kotze, Van Wyk, Van Zyl, Burger all showing their ability. The game became ever more open, but scrappiness crept in as the efforts of all started to tell. There was still the odd spark though, and Botha made a Fiji-esque break from his 22, which ended in Kotze knocking on in the Fiji 22. The game continued to ebb and flow, with Namibia offering slightly more, but Fiji took some of the sting out of the game, when Bai slotted a 74th minute penalty to make it 42-25. This heralded the death knoll for the Namibians, who all of a sudden looked dead on their feet and powerless in the impact zone. After kicking a penalty into the corner, Fiji re-grouped and former Clermont winger (Aller ASM) Nalaga finally got a touch on the left wing and battered his way over, a try confirmed by the TMO. Bai expertly converted to make it 49-25. With that the scoring ended, and both sides left to a standing ovation after a great game played in fantastic spirit.
Full Time Fiji 49 Namibia 25
8 tries, and some great rugby. Very different from the first offering of the day, but the game of the tournament so far for me. Can Fiji break into the last 4? It would surprise me if they did, but on that showing, and with a little tweaking, the Welsh and South Africans could certainly end up with a bit of a headache.
France vs Japan
Je m'excuse pour la manque d'accents. Mon clavier anglais ne les a pas. Si cela vous gene, merci d'apprendre l'Anglais.
France contre Japon, en bilingue, mes excuses aux Japonais, mon niveau n'etant pas assez fort pour le faire en trilingue. Une minute de jeu de pied, avant que la France perce et Estebanez, avec un surnombre d'au moins 7, fait un en avant faible qui laisse passer la premiere occasion. La melee sous pression, Yachvili donne a Dusautoir, mais celui-ci etant hors-jeu, une penalite japonaise suivait. La France etait chaude, et Pierre etait au bout d'une troisieme attaque rapide pour marquer les premiers points. Yachvili transforme, et ca promettait cote bleu (enfin cote blanc). Apres une penalite tres mal frappe cote japonais, Trinh-Duc s'echappe apres une interception et marque le deuxieme essai francais. Trop facile. Echange de penalites et apres 20 minutes, 17-3 pour la France, qui voulait visiblement laisser une impression pour les All Blacks. Yachvili prenait encore trois points, avant que Alridge marque un essai Japonais chanceux. Clerc repondait pour les tricolores apres du bon travail de Servat, Yachvili et Rougerie, avant que Alridge, lui encore, transforme une deuxieme penalite. La bonne volonte cote francais coutait presque cher dans les arrets-jeu de la premiere mi-temps, quand une passe osee de Rougerie a failli etre intercepte, mais M. Walsh arrete l'action et envoyait les equipes aux vestiaires avec le score 25-11 pour la France.
En debut de deuxieme mi-temps, et Harinordoquy, entoure de 20% du Japon, et Nallet, qui lui avait 33% du XV Japonais autour de lui, etaient tenus dans les en-buts japonais. Pas d'essai disait le TMO deux fois, et la pression n'etait pas transforme en points. Le Japon rebondait avec un deuxieme essai de leur part. Arlidge de nouveau traversant sous les poteaux et ramenant le Japon a 25-18. Ca me faisait penser d'un samedi a Rome en mars.... L'ancien entraineur de l'Italie avait bien prepare son equipe, et Alridge ajoutait trois points a son compte personnel, ramenant le Japon a quatre petits points. La France etait vraiment sous la pression, et avec le depart de Skrela blesse, ayant remplace Trinh-Duc, Parra etait oblige de jouer a 10. Une penalite betement donne a la France donnait l'occasion a Yachvili de calmer un peu les nerfs francais. Ces trois petits points semblaient transformer le match. La France prenait confiance, et le Japon commencait a transgresser de plus en plus souvent. Apres une touche, la France allait a droite, a gauche et a droite de nouveau, trouvant Nallet tout seul a 6 metres de la ligne, et quand on connait la taille de Nallet, cela veut dire essai. Yachvili transformait, et la France menait par 14. Apres 5 minutes passe dans leurs propres 22 metres, Parra commencait une attaque, Heymans et Clerc ajoutaient du piment, et Pascal Pape marquait le troisieme essai par un deuxieme ligne francais. Yachvili reussissait avec son 7eme coup de pied, et la France menait par 21 points. Rougerie, qui avait fait la plupart de son bon travail en defence, a libere dans les arrets de jeu Parra, qui marque le 6eme essai francais, et qui donnait une facilite au score que les francais ne meritaient pas.
Finalement pas convaincant, la France a fait le necessaire et la victoire etait assuree avec le bonus.
The first meaningful action of the second half saw Harinordoquy crash over the line with 20% of Japan wrapped around him. Unsurprisingly he couldn't ground it, but from the resulting scrum, Servat and Nallet both drove, and Nallet it was who just touched the ball down for the bonus point try, or so I thought, but the TMO refused the try again and the scrum was re-set. France paid the penalty for this early profligacy as Japan survived and went down the other end, where Arlidge, the New Zealand born, Nottingham-based, Japanese fly-half (whatever) scored a second try under the posts to close the gap to 7 points. France had lost the plot, and a penalty from Arlidge, who had scored all of Japan's points, dragged Japan to within 4 points. France were now rattled, and further weakened when replacement fly half Skrela left injured to be replaced by Parra, a number 9. A stupid penalty conceded by Japan under their own posts gave Yachvili the chance to calm the French nerves, which he did. The 3 extra points seem to help France weather the storm as Japan started conceding more and more penalties. Eventually, France got their hands on the ball, shipped it first one way, then another, for Nallet to amble over. Yachvili knocked the kick over once more, making the score 35-21. After 5 minutes sequestered in their own 22, Parra attacked from deep, and with the help of Heymans, Clerc and Marty, sent Pape over for the third try by a French second row. Yachvili's 7th successful kick made it 42-21. Parra rounded his impact performance off with a well-deserved try once set free by Rougerie. A final gloss on a match that France ran out healthy, if slightly unworthily so, winners.
Full Time: France 47 Japan 21
France mirrored the All Blacks then. A great start, but stuttering performance for much of the second half. The necessary was done and the bonus point is in the bag, but improvement is needed if they are to trouble any of the big Nations.
England vs Argentina
A great atmosphere under the roof in Dunedin, where the Pumas took on the new All Blacks.... A stand-off at the first scrum. A great touch find from Contepomi, pressure from the Pumas, a very long advantage played by Mr Lawrence, and 3-0 Argentina. England started by giving penalties away like they were Christmas cards, but a second penalty was and the score stayed at 3. 2 dangerous Puma tackles resulted in a Wilkinson penalty chance... need I say any more? 3-3.
Argentina started strongly up front, as we knew they would. Their first string pack is arguably as strong as any, but they wilt with their age the telling factor, and the lack of back-up should make them pay towards the end. At least that is what I was telling myself 15 minutes in as Argentina missed a kick from halfway. England's discipline at the breakdown has hurt them under Martin Johnson, and they teetered on the edge of a yellow card for much of the first half, but survived and with profligate kicking, were only 6-3 down when Wilkinson missed a relative sitter. Half an hour had flown by, with little if any penetration from either side. England seemed to have weathered the early storm, and with the Pumas losing Contepomi, looked to have a base to build on. But the foreseen problem came to bite them, and when Cole was sinbinned, it was expected really. So much indiscipline from England, so much bad allied with little good, it was only the Argentine generosity which was keeping them in the game (12 points missed with the boot).
An arduous half came to an end at halfway, with very little in the way of running rugby, little inspiration and much perspiration from both sides. Twas ever thus with England and Argentina. It comes to something when the vast majority of in-game text/twitter/facebook comments from neutrals (ie French, Aussie and New Zealanders) is praising a one-way refereeing performance.
Half Time Argentina 6 England 3
England weren't much better at the start of the second half. A Rodriguez penalty was just desserts for the Pumas, and a Wilkinson long-range penalty attempt which went right gave England's increasingly nervous fans more to think about. Another Wilkinson miss followed, and the feeling that this wasn't England's day just increased as the minutes ticked by. Wilkinson continued to miss kicks, and by a long way. England finally added pace though when Youngs replaced the ineffective Wigglesworth. Youngs it was who did what England needed, and burst round the side of a scrum, untouched to score under the posts. Wilkinson's kick took England 1 point clear.
The Argentinian scrum now started buckling, and with Sheridan and Thompson, who both played at an almost sedentary pace, replaced by Hartley and Stevens, there was forward momentum for the first time in the game. 2 penalties at scrums ensued, and when Wilkinson finally slotted a three pointer, England led by 4. Another penalty saw England put it in the corner: run the clock down, maybe roll over for another score, but Argentina defended like terriers, and having turned over the ball, started a break which had the already frayed nerves and bitten fingernails of England fans further damaged. But an excellent cover run and kick by Foden saw play clear to the half, and after 5 or 6 phases, Argentina held the ball on the ground allowing Wilkinson to clear to touch.
Full Time Argentina 9 England 13
A collective sigh of relief from England fans everywhere, and Scots will be gulping after the performance of Argentina today. 2 games for England to work on things now before they meet the Scots in Auckland. Plenty of work needs doing, but the positives to take are the performances of the subs, Hartley, Stevens and especially Youngs, who was my Man of the Match, even if his match was only 30 minutes long.
One final word. Phil Vickery... oh dear. ITV blunder again, with a monotone delivery and nothing to say. Legend on the pitch, far from it off the pitch.
Oh, one final final word....
And finally...
No and finally today, I'm blogged out and I'm off to get those NZDs and then for a siesta.
More tomorrow with Australia v Italy, Ireland v USA and South Africa v Wales
RWC Day 1: A Haka, A Pimp Suit and Sonny Delight
So finally the day dawned, and the 24 year wait for the Rugby World Cup to return to the stadium where the first final had been played was over. The host welcoming the world with a show based on Maori culture and a rugby journey. The young boy undergoing the rugby journey poignantly sporting the colours of Canterbury as a reminder that there is 1 rugby city in New Zealand which is undergoing a far different time currently (far removed from the sporting party they were expecting, the citizens of Christchurch are re-building after the terrible earthquakes which ravaged the city). At the end of his journey, he met up with a bizarrely clad Jonah Lomu (black pinstriped suit, white tie, white shoes) who looked as if he had walked straight off the set of Starsky and Hutch having guest starred as a pimp. A haka, a stirring rendition of the rugby hymn World In Union and the de rigueur speeches from the host Prime Minister and the head of the IRB Bernard Lapasset and it was time for the fireworks to light the Auckland skyline.
Ceremonies over, the field was cleared and the teams entered the fray for the traditional anthems. Tonga then gave us their haka, which was responded to by the All Blacks in customary style; Ali Williams seemingly unable to stop his feet moving in the general direction of the Tongans. We were then left with a strange spectacle; 2 sides, whipped into the frenzy of battle by their tribal war cries, forced to wait for fully 2 minutes while the host broadcaster went to an ad break. The fervour which had built in the crowd diminished as referee calmly held up proceedings (the notoriously ad-hungry ITV in the UK, who had given us 7 ad breaks in the hour leading up didn't even bother going to the break) and it was a relatively benign beginning which followed given everything that had gone before.
New Zealand started, I thought, nervously, with Carter's boot not operating to its full efficiency. That said, it was a short-lived edginess, and when they exploded into life (to continue the firework analogy) they certainly burned the fingers of the Tongans. After an early Carter penalty, the All Blacks started throwing the ball around with gay abandon. It was almost too carefree at times, and the back line frequently resembled a disorganised mess, but with Sonny Bill Williams at his majestic offloading best, showing the sleight of hand of David Copperfield, with Kahui and Dagg looking extremely sharp at the back, and with Carter playing flat and looking to pass, the tries started coming. There were 4 in the first half (2 each for Dagg and Kahui) and three of these were converted by Carter, Tonga closed the half with a penalty of their own, and a score of 29-3 was illuminated around Eden Park as the sides wandered into the dressing rooms for half time.
As the sides re-took the field, most of the talk was about how many points it would be for the All Blacks. Tonga had shown very little, and the All Blacks cut through them at will in the latter stages of the first half. However, there was too much individuality in the early stages of the second half. Isolated players gave away penalties, the game was made too complicated, and how Toeava didn't score when sent clear was beyond me. Toeava also had a close run thing in the corner, but he should be re-christened Toeintouch, as the TMO denied a try thanks to the extra coat of whitewash that had been put on the line (or was it where Jonah had polished his shoes earlier?)
20 minutes of uninspiring rugby from both sides were finally broken when Weepu, who had replaced the largely ineffective and shaky Cowan, broke and fed Kahui, who toe-poked it through, collected and fed Kaino who went over. Carter, uncharacteristically, hit the post with an eminently gettable kick and the score was 34-3. Tonga had more than held their own in the second half though and they scored a deserved try when Taumalolo barged his way over from close to make it 34-10 and effectively give them the 2nd half lead.
Much discussion has surrounded the choice at centre for the All Blacks, and with Sonny delighting the crowds with his offloads (and the ladies with his bare torso after a jersey malfunction) and with Conrad Smith chomping at the bit having been rested/left out (delete as appropriate) Ma'a Nonu decided to muddy the waters with the final try of the game after a Colin Slade pass. I still feel Smith is one of the best in the world, and makes a great pair with Nonu. So, given Williams's game, with the exception of the offloads, was not the greatest, Henry will probably revert to type for Game 2.
Final Score New Zealand 41 Tonga 10
The All Blacks have now played 21 Pool games in Rugby World Cups, and won all 21. The only Nation never to have lost a Pool game. They still haven't let a side get within 20 points of them in a home World Cup tie. The stats are impressive, substantially more impressive than the second half performance it must be said.
It was a true 'fireworks' performance. A brief pause after the touchpaper was lit before they exploded into life with 4 quick and incisive first half tries. However, once the spectacle of those 4 tries was over, there was a definite anti-climactic end with their damp squib of a second half performance.
I also draw a parallel with the recent Tri Nations, where the first 2 games saw proper New Zealand performances, while the last 2 games saw them lose with rarely more than a whimper.
At times they looked like the probable world-beaters they will end up being, at times the pretenders to the throne will have been licking their lips while watching.
What of the coach? Graham Henry was his usual grumpy self afterwards. Understandably so given the poor end to the day. He saw the 8 minute siege laid on their line by Tonga, which included a 4 minute scrum, as dreadfully dull. I disagree. It's part of the game, and the New Zealand front row failed to deal with the pressure exerted on them by a substantial, but not necessarily technically gifted, Tongan scrum. Henry sees what he wants to in games, but he came across like a kid who had enjoyed his fun and was now taking his bat and ball home. In fact, that's unfair to the kids. He is like the competitive Dad who loves playing games while he beats his kids, but as soon as they grow old enough to gain the upper hand, cries off playing as they are just 'silly games'. Henry must be worried after performances against Australia and Tonga which, far from reassuring, have actually served to show sides where the All Blacks are beatable.
Kahui and Dagg enhanced their reputations, and there are some (Carter & McCaw) who are indelibly inked on the team sheet. Many All Blacks will be sweating after stuttering performances though.
TV Rugby
For those of you not in the UK, a brief explanation. The 6 Nations is shown on the BBC. Live club Rugby is shown on Sky. Both of these channels provide excellent (and I'm highly critical when it comes to TV sport so this is high praise indeed) coverage year after year. Every 4 years, the Rugby World Cup comes around, and ITV, for some unknown reason, throw their hat into the ring. The studio host, Steve Rider, is a consummate professional, and the experts, who would appear to be Dallaglio, Fitzpatrick, Pienaar and Lynagh, certainly know what they are talking about. The frequent adverts and the inexperienced and lightweight commentary pairing of Gillingham and Gomarsall certainly added little value to this first game. I hope this doesn't become a recurring theme of these early reports, but if it does, I can only apologise. Take solace that, from the 28th September onwards, you won't be hearing me complaining :-)
And Finally...
My opening prediction of a 70 point New Zealand win was well out on the face of it, with just 31 points being the actual winning margin. Had Toeava scored in the corner early in the second half, things could have been different, but I currently lie well adrift of the leaders in the Prediction game at www.sportguru.co.uk. It's not too late to join by the way, and you'll only be 2.5 points adrift if you do (League name The Egg Chasers password prosflea).
What does tonight hold in store? A 2am start for the Scots against Romania, Fiji vs Namibia at 0430, France vs Japan at 0700 and England vs Argentina at 0930. It would appear I will be sleeping on the sofa from 0345 to 0700 (with the TV on of course). I may try to do the whole marathon with a few hours sleep to start, we'll see.
There's so much rugby on this weekend it's untrue. Leaving aside the 7 games on at the RWC, Harlequins vs Northampton and Bath vs Saracens from England, 2 Currie Cup games on Sky, Wasps vs Leicester on ESPN on Sunday as well as Toulouse vs Racing Metro from France. I make that 13 games, plus the inevitable highlight shows....
Taniela Moa, the Tongan scrum half, is 6 feet tall and 102kg.. according to the official stats. He certainly looked even bigger than that, but his effort from start to finish was exemplary. He saw off Jimmy Cowan, who did untold damage to his future in the tournament.
Who'd be a hooker? Leaving aside the obvious downside of having 14 colossal humans surrounding you in every scrum, you have to pick yourself up and hit your moving targets in the lineout. If that's not enough, in Wellington tomorrow for Wales vs South Africa, the wind can frequently reach 37mph, which makes that target even harder to hit.
Reports of punches thrown at the Australian training session. A fully opposed session (that means with full tackling for the uninitiated) ended with a few guys getting a little hot under the collar. A 30 man squad with only 22 places in the matchday squad, I suppose it's natural to a degree.
At times during the opening game, I felt I was watching a sort of Harlem Globetrotters performance from New Zealand. Backs and forwards in each other's way, glory passes being looked for, points trying to be proved. It was most unlike the well-oiled All Blacks machine I'm used to seeing. Too many riches at their disposal? Does Henry really know his best side?
England are criticised for their occasional selection of non-English born players (Tuilagi being the latest example) but they aren't the only ones as we know. 6 of the players in the first game were Auckland born - 3 on each side. It seems to be a bizarre mix when you look at New Zealand squads. You have the Samoan and Tongan exiles who play for the All Blacks, while New Zealanders seem to head in the other direction to fill the gap created. I hereby officially give up understanding the rules as to International qualification.
Finally a Maori elder is hoping Argentina defeat England after England "disrespected the New Zealanders by wearing 'their' black colours in their home country". Please. This is frankly ridiculous now. I give as evidence, the All Blacks away jersey for 2012:
How dare the New Zealanders disrespect 'our' white jersey?
I rest my case.
That's enough for now. Prepare to be bombarded with my thoughts tomorrow and Sunday. Pass on the link to your friends. Follow me on Twitter for comment during the games themselves @theeggchaser
Ceremonies over, the field was cleared and the teams entered the fray for the traditional anthems. Tonga then gave us their haka, which was responded to by the All Blacks in customary style; Ali Williams seemingly unable to stop his feet moving in the general direction of the Tongans. We were then left with a strange spectacle; 2 sides, whipped into the frenzy of battle by their tribal war cries, forced to wait for fully 2 minutes while the host broadcaster went to an ad break. The fervour which had built in the crowd diminished as referee calmly held up proceedings (the notoriously ad-hungry ITV in the UK, who had given us 7 ad breaks in the hour leading up didn't even bother going to the break) and it was a relatively benign beginning which followed given everything that had gone before.
New Zealand started, I thought, nervously, with Carter's boot not operating to its full efficiency. That said, it was a short-lived edginess, and when they exploded into life (to continue the firework analogy) they certainly burned the fingers of the Tongans. After an early Carter penalty, the All Blacks started throwing the ball around with gay abandon. It was almost too carefree at times, and the back line frequently resembled a disorganised mess, but with Sonny Bill Williams at his majestic offloading best, showing the sleight of hand of David Copperfield, with Kahui and Dagg looking extremely sharp at the back, and with Carter playing flat and looking to pass, the tries started coming. There were 4 in the first half (2 each for Dagg and Kahui) and three of these were converted by Carter, Tonga closed the half with a penalty of their own, and a score of 29-3 was illuminated around Eden Park as the sides wandered into the dressing rooms for half time.
As the sides re-took the field, most of the talk was about how many points it would be for the All Blacks. Tonga had shown very little, and the All Blacks cut through them at will in the latter stages of the first half. However, there was too much individuality in the early stages of the second half. Isolated players gave away penalties, the game was made too complicated, and how Toeava didn't score when sent clear was beyond me. Toeava also had a close run thing in the corner, but he should be re-christened Toeintouch, as the TMO denied a try thanks to the extra coat of whitewash that had been put on the line (or was it where Jonah had polished his shoes earlier?)
20 minutes of uninspiring rugby from both sides were finally broken when Weepu, who had replaced the largely ineffective and shaky Cowan, broke and fed Kahui, who toe-poked it through, collected and fed Kaino who went over. Carter, uncharacteristically, hit the post with an eminently gettable kick and the score was 34-3. Tonga had more than held their own in the second half though and they scored a deserved try when Taumalolo barged his way over from close to make it 34-10 and effectively give them the 2nd half lead.
Much discussion has surrounded the choice at centre for the All Blacks, and with Sonny delighting the crowds with his offloads (and the ladies with his bare torso after a jersey malfunction) and with Conrad Smith chomping at the bit having been rested/left out (delete as appropriate) Ma'a Nonu decided to muddy the waters with the final try of the game after a Colin Slade pass. I still feel Smith is one of the best in the world, and makes a great pair with Nonu. So, given Williams's game, with the exception of the offloads, was not the greatest, Henry will probably revert to type for Game 2.
Final Score New Zealand 41 Tonga 10
The All Blacks have now played 21 Pool games in Rugby World Cups, and won all 21. The only Nation never to have lost a Pool game. They still haven't let a side get within 20 points of them in a home World Cup tie. The stats are impressive, substantially more impressive than the second half performance it must be said.
It was a true 'fireworks' performance. A brief pause after the touchpaper was lit before they exploded into life with 4 quick and incisive first half tries. However, once the spectacle of those 4 tries was over, there was a definite anti-climactic end with their damp squib of a second half performance.
I also draw a parallel with the recent Tri Nations, where the first 2 games saw proper New Zealand performances, while the last 2 games saw them lose with rarely more than a whimper.
At times they looked like the probable world-beaters they will end up being, at times the pretenders to the throne will have been licking their lips while watching.
What of the coach? Graham Henry was his usual grumpy self afterwards. Understandably so given the poor end to the day. He saw the 8 minute siege laid on their line by Tonga, which included a 4 minute scrum, as dreadfully dull. I disagree. It's part of the game, and the New Zealand front row failed to deal with the pressure exerted on them by a substantial, but not necessarily technically gifted, Tongan scrum. Henry sees what he wants to in games, but he came across like a kid who had enjoyed his fun and was now taking his bat and ball home. In fact, that's unfair to the kids. He is like the competitive Dad who loves playing games while he beats his kids, but as soon as they grow old enough to gain the upper hand, cries off playing as they are just 'silly games'. Henry must be worried after performances against Australia and Tonga which, far from reassuring, have actually served to show sides where the All Blacks are beatable.
Kahui and Dagg enhanced their reputations, and there are some (Carter & McCaw) who are indelibly inked on the team sheet. Many All Blacks will be sweating after stuttering performances though.
TV Rugby
For those of you not in the UK, a brief explanation. The 6 Nations is shown on the BBC. Live club Rugby is shown on Sky. Both of these channels provide excellent (and I'm highly critical when it comes to TV sport so this is high praise indeed) coverage year after year. Every 4 years, the Rugby World Cup comes around, and ITV, for some unknown reason, throw their hat into the ring. The studio host, Steve Rider, is a consummate professional, and the experts, who would appear to be Dallaglio, Fitzpatrick, Pienaar and Lynagh, certainly know what they are talking about. The frequent adverts and the inexperienced and lightweight commentary pairing of Gillingham and Gomarsall certainly added little value to this first game. I hope this doesn't become a recurring theme of these early reports, but if it does, I can only apologise. Take solace that, from the 28th September onwards, you won't be hearing me complaining :-)
And Finally...
My opening prediction of a 70 point New Zealand win was well out on the face of it, with just 31 points being the actual winning margin. Had Toeava scored in the corner early in the second half, things could have been different, but I currently lie well adrift of the leaders in the Prediction game at www.sportguru.co.uk. It's not too late to join by the way, and you'll only be 2.5 points adrift if you do (League name The Egg Chasers password prosflea).
What does tonight hold in store? A 2am start for the Scots against Romania, Fiji vs Namibia at 0430, France vs Japan at 0700 and England vs Argentina at 0930. It would appear I will be sleeping on the sofa from 0345 to 0700 (with the TV on of course). I may try to do the whole marathon with a few hours sleep to start, we'll see.
There's so much rugby on this weekend it's untrue. Leaving aside the 7 games on at the RWC, Harlequins vs Northampton and Bath vs Saracens from England, 2 Currie Cup games on Sky, Wasps vs Leicester on ESPN on Sunday as well as Toulouse vs Racing Metro from France. I make that 13 games, plus the inevitable highlight shows....
Taniela Moa, the Tongan scrum half, is 6 feet tall and 102kg.. according to the official stats. He certainly looked even bigger than that, but his effort from start to finish was exemplary. He saw off Jimmy Cowan, who did untold damage to his future in the tournament.
Who'd be a hooker? Leaving aside the obvious downside of having 14 colossal humans surrounding you in every scrum, you have to pick yourself up and hit your moving targets in the lineout. If that's not enough, in Wellington tomorrow for Wales vs South Africa, the wind can frequently reach 37mph, which makes that target even harder to hit.
Reports of punches thrown at the Australian training session. A fully opposed session (that means with full tackling for the uninitiated) ended with a few guys getting a little hot under the collar. A 30 man squad with only 22 places in the matchday squad, I suppose it's natural to a degree.
At times during the opening game, I felt I was watching a sort of Harlem Globetrotters performance from New Zealand. Backs and forwards in each other's way, glory passes being looked for, points trying to be proved. It was most unlike the well-oiled All Blacks machine I'm used to seeing. Too many riches at their disposal? Does Henry really know his best side?
England are criticised for their occasional selection of non-English born players (Tuilagi being the latest example) but they aren't the only ones as we know. 6 of the players in the first game were Auckland born - 3 on each side. It seems to be a bizarre mix when you look at New Zealand squads. You have the Samoan and Tongan exiles who play for the All Blacks, while New Zealanders seem to head in the other direction to fill the gap created. I hereby officially give up understanding the rules as to International qualification.
Finally a Maori elder is hoping Argentina defeat England after England "disrespected the New Zealanders by wearing 'their' black colours in their home country". Please. This is frankly ridiculous now. I give as evidence, the All Blacks away jersey for 2012:
How dare the New Zealanders disrespect 'our' white jersey?
I rest my case.
That's enough for now. Prepare to be bombarded with my thoughts tomorrow and Sunday. Pass on the link to your friends. Follow me on Twitter for comment during the games themselves @theeggchaser
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