Rugby World Cup 2015

Not good - didn't look dangerous enough to warrant anything.

 

Some excellent performances this week. Georgia didn't get enough credit for disrupting the AB's. At this moment in time they would overturn Italy with comfort I expect. They are in rugby limbo. The 6N authorities have penned their TV deal which makes it extraordinarily hard for any change within the structure.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/georgia-rugby-team/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503009&objectid=11523324

They have a real love of the game and it will soon be the number one sport there. The numbers of junior players increases year on year and in more towns and villages while the national team have a training facility that outdoes nearly all of the current 6N teams. Their backline is starting to develop particularly in the u20's. If administrators have a real love of growing the sport instead of plodding on with the Lions, the same old Summer and Autumn schedules then the least that could be done is to have a playoff between the bottom placed team in the 6N and the winner of the ENC. It would ensure a team like Italy would not just collapse in their last 6N game knowing they have little to play for.

As for Samoa. Japan showed England what decent handling skills, a little bit of intelligence and patience can bring. But the Samoan players showed an appalling lack of discipline once again. It cost them dear against SA and yesterday. It's a real shame because individually they are talented and they should be looking to make the quarterfinals at every WC. Unfortunately the carry on between the union and the players over poor pay and conditions may have had some residual effect on their performances to date. And in the long run it also has a negative consequence on trying to attract players of Samoan heritage who either were born in NZ or schooled there to the national side. Not so for Fiji who have been impressive despite not winning a game. They gifted England a couple of tries more than held their own and far better than the Red Rose against the Wallabies and gave Wales a scare. It's a pity they ended up in a pool with three other teams also in the top ten of the IRB rankings. And also a shame when you see players like Naholo and Kuidrani in the AB's and green and gold.

Other positives include Canada who with a bit more patience and nowse should have run France very close. It's a real fillip given their recent poor form and several players have stood out and may fingers crossed get contracts in Europe as the situation in Canadian domestic rugby is far from ideal and is not developing players with a natural game intelligence. Someone like Ciaran Hearn has been outstanding alongside DTH and given they were missing Hassler and Ardron for most of the game their effort was outstanding. The USA on the other hand should be doing better with the squad they have. Mike Tolkin needs to leave and a European coach of decent pedigree capable of administrative changes as well with the forthcoming professional league appointed.

As for England. Given that we have the largest number of players, clubs and money it doesn't reflect well that we are out in the pool stages of our own tournament. I am also concerned it may have an effect on the IRB revenues that then get put into other nations but I hope being real rugby fans that spectators turn up to watch the remaining matches and enjoy a great sport. Farrell senior may have been instrumental in getting Burgess into the side. I'm not criticizing Burgess as he did his role but I think omitting players like Burrell, not using Ford as the main man and ignoring players like Henry Slade is hardly the way to win rugby. Players who can see space, draw their man and offload. The situation is reminiscent to me of the current French team. All brawn but little brain in the backline who will come up short sooner rather than later but who have the fortune to have a decent enough backrow.

The scrum is far more technical now with the current rule changes and once upon a time the Wallaby scrum was a laughing stock. Mario Ledesma the great former Puma hooker has sorted it out and they destroyed the English scrum yesterday. Without the ball derived from the play of the forwards the backs can do bugger all. I hope Ledesma returns to Argentina and passes his knowledge on to the young Pumitas. And as for the breakdown ? No contest. You watch the SH teams Australia, NZ, Argentina and South Africa (as against Scotland) and they are all extremely competitive at the breakdown in securing turnovers and their handling play is on a different level. I'd go as far to say I watched Canada, certainly Japan, Fiji display better handling skills than England. It'd a pretty damning indictment. If it isn't an all Rugby Championship semifinals I will be surprised. At the moment only Ireland could possibly change that.

A touching moment here from Manu Samoa to the unfortunately terminally ill rugby legend Joost van der Westerhuizen:

[video=youtube;kj9AsZtchGc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj9AsZtchGc[/video]​

 

Is it really ? At World Cups we generally all know the real contenders are. Argentina, Brazil, Germany and Spain. France are there and thereabouts but Italy and Holland are floundering. By the way Hogg's dive yesterday was appalling. Nigel Owens rebuke to him saying he could do that in two weeks time at the same ground (St.James Park) was excellent.

 

http://www.skysports.com/rugby-unio...iani-not-one-aussie-would-get-in-england-team

Just seen the above..

What an idiot - talk about helping motivating the opposition!

To think these players have all the media training in the world yet still manage to come up with arrogant comments like that..

 

He isn't known as being very bright. So it's hardly a surprise he comes out with such nonsense. Perhaps one reason he is not in the actual 31 man squad. The players in the squad would probably like to kick him. Hard. So don't tar them with the same brush. Players like Pocock, Folau and Giteau would get into a world XV.

 

Fair point - probably would have not said that if he had been in the squad.

 

The ARU have a pretty high budget. Although most of the time aside from the Reds and Waratahs their franchises in Super Rugby lose money and they have to pay high salaries to retain their internationals (from moving to leagues in Japan or the Top 14). The Lions tours do benefit them greatly and something they are reliant on.

Nonetheless they can still lure League players with high salaries but their problem is while TV audiences for internationals are high there is less following for the franchises and club rugby is basically a few people here and there outside of the heartlands like Randwick. And their facilities are top notch as is the selection process. Very tough club rugby weeds out the weak and technically incapable pretty quickly. They are then refined through Super Rugby whose benefits can be seen in the play of the Pumas (although Hourcade when he was in charge of the Pampas XV played open attacking rugby).

They (the ARU) do face a crossroads in trying to broaden the player base from the middle class and they also now have the challenge of the A-League as well. But as I said the sifting process, the coaching is such and attitude to the game that despite having far less club players than here they still produce consistently good teams.

 

I actually thought we looked fairly dangerous in the first game against Italy in Brazil and against Uruguay was undone by some poor defending and a World class player.

In some ways 2010 was worse..

As for cricket - apart from one Twenty20 title have we ever done anything of note in the short formats of the game since 1992?

Rugby wise we haven't won the 5/6 nations since 2003 (I think) or certainly not a Grand Slam.

Think Wales will lose to the Aussies.

Ireland v France is they key game this weekend - loser has to face the Kiwis - but then the French do give NZ a good game in the World Cup!

 

You won the 6 Nations in 2011 but yea, it wasn't a grand slam

 

and look how the World Cup in that year went!

 

Can we please get away with this sloppy tabloid connotation that somehow all rugby union players are posh. Just ask players from teams down in the West Country or clubs like Orrell and Roundhay Park.

 

It is safe to say at least at this World Cup teams from the SH have embarrassed those from the old unions in key areas. The breakdown, the offload and the ability to see space.

Many of the old unions are still heavily reliant on the use of beef over brains with the constant punch through massive centres but then unable to make use of the space afforded when defenders get dragged in.

Scotland have been poor and very fortunate. They were outclassed by SA unable to cope with their physicality, rather fortunate the US did not put more points on the board in the first half, lucky that Japan faded after an hour after such a short turnaround and Samoa yesterday but once again for ill discipline a gift of a try they were clearly the better team with ball in hand.

Wales a team that used to represent real flair still do in fits and starts but not being able to score against a thirteen man team (never mind the heroics) is extremely poor. Ireland have been rather shabby, the less said about England the better (although at long last Henry Slade has been picked a long overdue callup) and France could be imposters as far removed as their former glories as possible in terms of flair rugby.

As I said if it is not an all Rugby Championship semifinals I will be amazed. Time after time NZ, Australia and Argentina have shown how to attack the breakdown, defend, offload and be clinical in scoring tries. SA are still what they are a pretty physical bunch but with players who can do the basics well.

The big disappointment is Japan missing out on a well deserved quarterfinals place. Nonetheless there has been plenty to admire, the atmosphere at the various stadiums, the camraderie between fans and most of all the great improvement in the so called tier two teams. Give it another two decades of generational development and the usual line up of quarter finalists will be a historical artefact. We are prisoners of time but those rugby historians of a century hence will probably mark this tournament as a pivotal point in the development of the world game.

Which is flourishing and growing rapidly. Partly abetted by the inclusion of sevens in the Olympics but also by the funding put in place by the IRB to build infrastructure for these teams such as tournaments, refereeing and coaching clinics, indeed sending qualified coaches to train others and a host of other initiatives.

That said not is all well. There is plenty that still needs to be done. No resting on laurels that is for sure. The issue of head injuries, the unfairness of the Test schedule for the second tier, the voting and revenue allocation systems at the IRB all need looking at and reform.

Players from Uruguay who are mostly amateur represent that last link to the old game but it's good to see the elements of respect for the referee, sportsmanship still upheld. They may have lost all four games but they have improved as well. Their performances inspiring more youngsters back home to take up the game and what price those memories from the special welcoming committees around the country for all twenty teams to taking on the country that created the game. One cannot place any amount of money on those sort of experiences.

[video=youtube;Ek-j6aZG2SI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek-j6aZG2SI[/video]​

 

Wales undone by one wheel of the scrum and also some poor discipline. France not surprisingly smashed to pieces by NZ. Some of their defence was laughable such as the second Savea try going high on a player who has enormous upper body strength instead of going low as the Georgians did to great effect.

Ireland will be hampered by the loss of O'Connell, O'Mahony and O'Brien particularly in the key breakdown contest. Sexton is also out but their replacements like Ian Madigan are no step down so Argentina who will be missing key centre Marcelo Bosch through suspension will have far from a cakewalk.

Nonetheless I expect the Pumas to win this one given their dominant scrum and attacking threat and Australia likewise to overturn Scotland with relative ease.