The youngest of the Home Nations sides competing in the tournament, Wales faced a tough Pool Stage including holders South Africa, Samoa and Fiji, the latter being the team that kept Wales out of the quarterfinals in 2007. However, Wales came back from losing by a point to South Africa in a game that they should’ve won to qualify in style, putting 66 past Fiji with no reply. This Wales team, written off by many before the tournament as a team lacking in experience, instead showed great maturity and took the game to all comers. They should be in the final.
Best moment: aside from the 66-0 thumping of Fiji and the almost-win in their opening match against South Africa, the quarterfinal against Ireland, in which Shane Williams scored in the first two minutes and Wales subsequently defended for the rest of the half, was a tour de force. The young team, under the excellent captaincy of (22-year-old) Sam Warburton, did not lose their heads when Ireland appeared to mount a comeback late in the day, and saw out the game 22-10.
Worst moment: aside from the 9-8 result, which saw France’s one point lead turned into victory by unfortunate kicking misses from the Wales replacement kickers, the worst moment for Wales was undoubtedly Warburton’s red card in the first half of the semi-final. Regardless of whether or not the tackle was legitimate or deserved a yellow or red, the moment that referee Alain Rolland decided that Warburton had to go was devastating for the team, who never recovered. An almost spear tackle that will live on in the memory as the moment that a referee knocked Wales out of a final that seemed destined to be theirs.
Highest points scorer: full-back Rhys Priestland, described by some as one of the finds of the tournament, who scored 29 out of Wales’ 210 total points.
Best player: up until the red card, undoubtedly Sam Warburton. Honourable mentions should go to the evergreen Shane Williams, Mike Phillips, and the young tyro George North, who at only 19 and already with 14 caps under his belt surely has a very promising future.
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Wales v France, 5 am, 15th October
Present: flying solo on this one.
Pre-match expectations: the only team to play really well last weekend from the Northern Hemisphere (and maybe in all the quarter finals) was Wales. They are young, fast, physical and really good, as a team and also to watch. The French, on the other hand, are insouciant, flippant, cheese-eating bath-dodgers. They do not play great rugby and they have, as reports would suggest, ditched their embattled coach, Marc Lievremont. Wales should find this straightforward.
Prediction: Wales to win this by more than two tries.
Game: France have lost twice in this tournament, should have been knocked out by Tonga (blame Canada), and played good enough rugby last weekend to beat England. This should really be a no-brainer for Wales. Having said that, I’m pulling up short of supporting them entirely.
Half-time status: wow. What the hell? Wales started brightly, but then had influential flanker and captain Sam Warburton sent off after 17 minutes. Thereupon the only Welsh kicker left on the pitch, the once-much-better James Hook, lost his nerve and slowly allowed France back onto the scoreboard. The half-time score was 6-3 France but it could have been worse for Wales.
Full-time status: agony for Wales. After falling to 9-3 behind, they pulled a try out of nowhere through Mike Phillips, which should have been easily converted by Stephen Jones, brought on to replace Hook after the latter’s miserable evening. However, Jones couldn’t convert, and Halfpenny’s halfway line kick missed by inches. France, on the other hand, were poor. 9 points after playing for 60 odd minutes with an extra man? That is not tournament winning form. Final score: France through to the final with a 9-8 win.
Man of the match: I’d say Mike Phillips, who has come a long way since being arrested on a night out in Cardiff a few months ago.
Food: nothing.
Conversation keywords: no conversation…
Comments: I slept through some key moments in that game. I will be supporting whichever other team gets to the final.
Pre-match expectations: the only team to play really well last weekend from the Northern Hemisphere (and maybe in all the quarter finals) was Wales. They are young, fast, physical and really good, as a team and also to watch. The French, on the other hand, are insouciant, flippant, cheese-eating bath-dodgers. They do not play great rugby and they have, as reports would suggest, ditched their embattled coach, Marc Lievremont. Wales should find this straightforward.
Prediction: Wales to win this by more than two tries.
Game: France have lost twice in this tournament, should have been knocked out by Tonga (blame Canada), and played good enough rugby last weekend to beat England. This should really be a no-brainer for Wales. Having said that, I’m pulling up short of supporting them entirely.
Half-time status: wow. What the hell? Wales started brightly, but then had influential flanker and captain Sam Warburton sent off after 17 minutes. Thereupon the only Welsh kicker left on the pitch, the once-much-better James Hook, lost his nerve and slowly allowed France back onto the scoreboard. The half-time score was 6-3 France but it could have been worse for Wales.
Full-time status: agony for Wales. After falling to 9-3 behind, they pulled a try out of nowhere through Mike Phillips, which should have been easily converted by Stephen Jones, brought on to replace Hook after the latter’s miserable evening. However, Jones couldn’t convert, and Halfpenny’s halfway line kick missed by inches. France, on the other hand, were poor. 9 points after playing for 60 odd minutes with an extra man? That is not tournament winning form. Final score: France through to the final with a 9-8 win.
Man of the match: I’d say Mike Phillips, who has come a long way since being arrested on a night out in Cardiff a few months ago.
Food: nothing.
Conversation keywords: no conversation…
Comments: I slept through some key moments in that game. I will be supporting whichever other team gets to the final.
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
So, farewell: Argentina
Like South Africa, the feats of 2007 were always going to be difficult to repeat for the Pumas, and sometimes one felt the burden of expectation weighing heavily on Argentina, especially from a distance. The ESPN coverage of “our boys” was merciless, and the Pumas had injury problems to deal with before the tournament even started – the absence of Juan Martín Hernández keenly felt throughout. Having said that, Argentina nicked a win against Scotland, almost convincingly beat England and scored a try against New Zealand, despite picking up key injuries in almost every match. They head home, defeated but with a lot of pride.
Best moment: the mazy run by Lucas González Amorocino to seal Argentina’s glorious 73rd minute try against Scotland which pretty much sent the Scots home, in a fantastic match that bubbled and bristled. The look of sheer despair on Dan Parks’ face as he realized that his last minute penalty hadn’t gone over summed up what had been achieved on that rainy night. Argentina’s 13-12 win was a joy to behold.
Worst moment: slumping to defeat against both England and New Zealand, the former probably more painful than the latter. England’s cruel snatching of the game from Argentine hearts was a bitter blow, and holding on to that win would have probably seen Argentina avoid the All Blacks and face France instead. However, the final 13-9 result flattered England and left the Pumas scrabbling for second place.
Highest points scorer: Felipe Contepomi, who kicked 26 of Argentina’s 100 points and played like a leader despite sustaining serious rib damage in the England game.
Best player: difficult. Contepomi for his leadership, Mario Ledesma for his commitment, González Amorocino for his cameo as a find for the future.
Best moment: the mazy run by Lucas González Amorocino to seal Argentina’s glorious 73rd minute try against Scotland which pretty much sent the Scots home, in a fantastic match that bubbled and bristled. The look of sheer despair on Dan Parks’ face as he realized that his last minute penalty hadn’t gone over summed up what had been achieved on that rainy night. Argentina’s 13-12 win was a joy to behold.
Worst moment: slumping to defeat against both England and New Zealand, the former probably more painful than the latter. England’s cruel snatching of the game from Argentine hearts was a bitter blow, and holding on to that win would have probably seen Argentina avoid the All Blacks and face France instead. However, the final 13-9 result flattered England and left the Pumas scrabbling for second place.
Highest points scorer: Felipe Contepomi, who kicked 26 of Argentina’s 100 points and played like a leader despite sustaining serious rib damage in the England game.
Best player: difficult. Contepomi for his leadership, Mario Ledesma for his commitment, González Amorocino for his cameo as a find for the future.
Argentina v New Zealand, 4:30 am, 9th October
Present: John, Gabriel, Chance for some of it, Elisa for the second half, Kai, myself.
Pre-match expectations: Oh Tonga. If only you’d beaten Canada. And if only France had shown the form they showed yesterday to beat New Zealand. Or some sort of permutation. Either way, Argentina could have done a lot better than playing against New Zealand. Maybe if they’d beaten England, things would have been different, for everybody. Oh well. They’re going to get thumped.
Predictions: Pumas victorious against the odds. Yeah, right.
Game: national anthems pumped up to full and big Argentine men weeping while singing it. We’re all in the zone.
Half-time status: actually, that wasn’t too bad. For about four minutes, Argentina was even in the lead, following that surprise try from Cabello. However, the NZ kicker Piri Weepu is looking the business tonight, striking with a conviction and accuracy that is keeping the Pumas at bay. Who needs Dan Carter. New Zealand go in 12-7 ahead.
Full-time status: oh dear. There ends another dream. Just when it looked like Argentina were creeping back into the game, an unfortunate sin bin for Vergallo close to the 60 minute mark sent the Kiwis storming ahead. Two tries later, they were out of sight. New Zealand win 33-10.
Man of the match: the steady and clinical Piri Weepu, who accurately kicked 8 out of 9.
Food: Heineken and Imperial, and some very spicy Pringles that briefly put the Argentine out of action.
Conversation keywords: are we winning? Again from the Argentine, who had a loose grasp of rugby/was watching his first game.
Comments: this weekend of totally ruinous sleeping patterns is over. Semi-sanity beckons.
Pre-match expectations: Oh Tonga. If only you’d beaten Canada. And if only France had shown the form they showed yesterday to beat New Zealand. Or some sort of permutation. Either way, Argentina could have done a lot better than playing against New Zealand. Maybe if they’d beaten England, things would have been different, for everybody. Oh well. They’re going to get thumped.
Predictions: Pumas victorious against the odds. Yeah, right.
Game: national anthems pumped up to full and big Argentine men weeping while singing it. We’re all in the zone.
Half-time status: actually, that wasn’t too bad. For about four minutes, Argentina was even in the lead, following that surprise try from Cabello. However, the NZ kicker Piri Weepu is looking the business tonight, striking with a conviction and accuracy that is keeping the Pumas at bay. Who needs Dan Carter. New Zealand go in 12-7 ahead.
Full-time status: oh dear. There ends another dream. Just when it looked like Argentina were creeping back into the game, an unfortunate sin bin for Vergallo close to the 60 minute mark sent the Kiwis storming ahead. Two tries later, they were out of sight. New Zealand win 33-10.
Man of the match: the steady and clinical Piri Weepu, who accurately kicked 8 out of 9.
Food: Heineken and Imperial, and some very spicy Pringles that briefly put the Argentine out of action.
Conversation keywords: are we winning? Again from the Argentine, who had a loose grasp of rugby/was watching his first game.
Comments: this weekend of totally ruinous sleeping patterns is over. Semi-sanity beckons.
So, farewell: South Africa
The reigning champions came into the tournament following a dismal Tri-Nations campaign that saw them finish bottom, and many had already written off the slightly imbalanced side: too many old boys left over from the 2007 campaign (including a captain in Juan Smit who wasn’t quite fit enough and had to come in off the bench on the second half in most games) and a bunch of relatively untested new boys. However, the Springboks played admirably: brutal, bruising, unforgiving rugby at times, but admirable none the less. Realistically, the team was never going to make the final, but getting knocked out by Australia can’t have been what they had in mind. Peter de Villiers, the controversial coach who quit after the game following four years in charge, described the dressing room atmosphere after the Australia defeat as “three notches lower than a funeral.”
Best moment: the best game of the first weekend, a rip-roarer against Wales that saw the South Africans score a try to pull ahead, only to be extremely lucky following two mis-kicks by James Hook in the last ten minutes to maintain their lead. The game finished 17-16 South Africa.
Worst moment: inability to grind out the game having taken hold of it in the match against Australia, which saw the Boks ahead at 9-8 at one point only to eventually lose 11-9.
Highest points scorer: their kicker Morné Steyn, who kicked 65 of the Springboks 175 total points.
Best player: Heinrich Brüssow, who battled through every game and kept South Africa in the tournament until the battle of the flankers between himself and David Pocock in the Australia game, which sadly saw him taken off after 20 minutes.
Best moment: the best game of the first weekend, a rip-roarer against Wales that saw the South Africans score a try to pull ahead, only to be extremely lucky following two mis-kicks by James Hook in the last ten minutes to maintain their lead. The game finished 17-16 South Africa.
Worst moment: inability to grind out the game having taken hold of it in the match against Australia, which saw the Boks ahead at 9-8 at one point only to eventually lose 11-9.
Highest points scorer: their kicker Morné Steyn, who kicked 65 of the Springboks 175 total points.
Best player: Heinrich Brüssow, who battled through every game and kept South Africa in the tournament until the battle of the flankers between himself and David Pocock in the Australia game, which sadly saw him taken off after 20 minutes.
South Africa v Australia, 2 am, 9th October
Present: myself for the duration; Chance for the first half, Elisa and Kai for the second.
Pre-match expectations: after the deflation of the day before and the limping home of England and Ireland, today’s matches offer excitement and unpredictability. Or at least the first one does. The misfiring Wallabies take on the Springboks, defending World Cup holders who came third in the Tri-Nations. It’ll be close.
Predictions: I can see South Africa winning this, but not by much. They have looked better and less error prone in the tournament so far.
Game: I really don’t like either sides and I couldn’t care less who gets knocked out/goes through. But at least I’m awake (just) and maintaining my commitment to knockout rugby. Great.
Half-time score: this game is brutal and physical. The Australians look rubbish, that wonderboy Qade Cooper letting them down a lot in the backs. However, the defence is strong and South Africa aren’t much better in terms of mistakes made. The half-time score, which I almost slept through, was 8-3 Australia.
Full-time score: this game got a lot better and South Africa looked like they should have won it, were it not for smart play by Australian flanker David Pocock. South Africa, the defending champions, are out. 11-9 to Australia.
Man of the match: that man Pocock.
Food: none, I think.
Conversation keywords: will anyone be bothered to turn up for the Argentina v New Zealand game? Isn’t the Australia kit disgusting?
Comments: I could probably have done with sleeping through this game.
Pre-match expectations: after the deflation of the day before and the limping home of England and Ireland, today’s matches offer excitement and unpredictability. Or at least the first one does. The misfiring Wallabies take on the Springboks, defending World Cup holders who came third in the Tri-Nations. It’ll be close.
Predictions: I can see South Africa winning this, but not by much. They have looked better and less error prone in the tournament so far.
Game: I really don’t like either sides and I couldn’t care less who gets knocked out/goes through. But at least I’m awake (just) and maintaining my commitment to knockout rugby. Great.
Half-time score: this game is brutal and physical. The Australians look rubbish, that wonderboy Qade Cooper letting them down a lot in the backs. However, the defence is strong and South Africa aren’t much better in terms of mistakes made. The half-time score, which I almost slept through, was 8-3 Australia.
Full-time score: this game got a lot better and South Africa looked like they should have won it, were it not for smart play by Australian flanker David Pocock. South Africa, the defending champions, are out. 11-9 to Australia.
Man of the match: that man Pocock.
Food: none, I think.
Conversation keywords: will anyone be bothered to turn up for the Argentina v New Zealand game? Isn’t the Australia kit disgusting?
Comments: I could probably have done with sleeping through this game.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
So, farewell: England
World champions in 2003, unlikely finalists in 2007, the 6 Nations 2011 winners looked set for great things this tournament. The combination of young stars like Chris Ashton, Ben Foden and Ben Youngs with hardened vets like Jonny Wilkinson, Lewis Moody and the evergreen Simon Shaw seemed to balance wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, England never really got going, and although the intensity of criticism for the team that won by playing ugly rugby was not surprising, the scrutiny of their off-field activities bordered on the petty and spiteful. Nobody likes England and they don’t care, so long as they’re winning. This morning against France, England failed to turn on the style and were left to look a lot like a pub team by a more experienced and versatile opponent. England did not deserve to go further, which doesn’t make their loss easier to take.
Best moment: aside from the thrashings of Georgia and Romania, the games against Argentina and Scotland were classic, vintage England: let the other team tire themselves out while in the lead and spring the trap in the last ten minutes. Of the two, the 16-12 victory against Scotland probably pips the 13-9 win against Argentina for sheer entertainment value.
Worst moment: undoubtedly this morning’s match against France, a 19-12 shuffle out of the World Cup and back home to Blighty with tails well and truly between legs. The silver lining is that there is a core of a really good side here and there is plenty of potential for the future.
Highest points scorer: the excellent Chris Ashton, when not making lewd comments to hotel workers, scored 30 of England’s 144 points and when England left the tournament he was joint top try scorer with 6, tied with France’s Vincent Clerc.
Best player: hard to pick, but probably Toby Flood, who was sharper than Jonny Wilkinson and knew how to get the best out of the backs. Without Flood, England might have lost to Scotland, at the very least.
Best moment: aside from the thrashings of Georgia and Romania, the games against Argentina and Scotland were classic, vintage England: let the other team tire themselves out while in the lead and spring the trap in the last ten minutes. Of the two, the 16-12 victory against Scotland probably pips the 13-9 win against Argentina for sheer entertainment value.
Worst moment: undoubtedly this morning’s match against France, a 19-12 shuffle out of the World Cup and back home to Blighty with tails well and truly between legs. The silver lining is that there is a core of a really good side here and there is plenty of potential for the future.
Highest points scorer: the excellent Chris Ashton, when not making lewd comments to hotel workers, scored 30 of England’s 144 points and when England left the tournament he was joint top try scorer with 6, tied with France’s Vincent Clerc.
Best player: hard to pick, but probably Toby Flood, who was sharper than Jonny Wilkinson and knew how to get the best out of the backs. Without Flood, England might have lost to Scotland, at the very least.
England v France, 4:30 am, 8th October
Present: Ben, Richard, Elisa, Kai and me.
Pre-match expectations: having had our appettites well and truly whetted by the exceptional Wales v Ireland, we expected much of the same. Brutal rugby, fast running, England playing to the potential that we know they possess against the French basket cases. Unfortunately, so much depended on what the French brought to the table, because they could be amazing or pony.
Predictions: England to sneak it against the team we always knock out in the World Cup.
Game: pints in hand, volume cranked fairly high, patriotism at full blast. Come on England.
Half-time status: this is terrible. England started brightly but have since been torn apart by a French side that want it more. England’s mistakes, like their passing, have been woeful. Toby Flood sums it up best when passed the ball and failing on a drop goal, turning to his teammates and shrugging his shoulders as if to say “why the hell did you pass me the ball?” No invention at all, one soft try and one good one sees France ahead 16-0 at the break.
Full-time status: England played much better in the second half but were still let down by basic errors. If the French had been more clinical and less profligate with their kicks then the scoreline could have been far worse. England did not play like world beaters and as such were beaten by a much better team. A disappointing but entirely deserved result. France win 19-12.
Man of the match: the French captain, Thierry Dusatoir, who literally seemed to be involved in every French move, omni-present, singlehandedly trampling on England’s dreams and wiping them off his boot.
‘Food’: several litres of Heineken.
Conversation keywords: England are so rubbish they look like a pub team. Variations on a theme.
Comments: the awkward joyful hugging after Foden’s try was so British.
Pre-match expectations: having had our appettites well and truly whetted by the exceptional Wales v Ireland, we expected much of the same. Brutal rugby, fast running, England playing to the potential that we know they possess against the French basket cases. Unfortunately, so much depended on what the French brought to the table, because they could be amazing or pony.
Predictions: England to sneak it against the team we always knock out in the World Cup.
Game: pints in hand, volume cranked fairly high, patriotism at full blast. Come on England.
Half-time status: this is terrible. England started brightly but have since been torn apart by a French side that want it more. England’s mistakes, like their passing, have been woeful. Toby Flood sums it up best when passed the ball and failing on a drop goal, turning to his teammates and shrugging his shoulders as if to say “why the hell did you pass me the ball?” No invention at all, one soft try and one good one sees France ahead 16-0 at the break.
Full-time status: England played much better in the second half but were still let down by basic errors. If the French had been more clinical and less profligate with their kicks then the scoreline could have been far worse. England did not play like world beaters and as such were beaten by a much better team. A disappointing but entirely deserved result. France win 19-12.
Man of the match: the French captain, Thierry Dusatoir, who literally seemed to be involved in every French move, omni-present, singlehandedly trampling on England’s dreams and wiping them off his boot.
‘Food’: several litres of Heineken.
Conversation keywords: England are so rubbish they look like a pub team. Variations on a theme.
Comments: the awkward joyful hugging after Foden’s try was so British.
So, farewell: Ireland
Lumped in a group with Australia and Italy seemed to promise runners-up at best for the men in green, and that prize would lead to a quarter-final against South Africa… except it didn’t. Ireland defied criticism of their creaking and unbalanced squad to take Australia by surprise and played thrilling rugby throughout almost the entire Pool Stage, only to hit this morning’s Welsh wall - losing to the first superior team they had come up against in the tournament. In the end, however, they were just a bit too old and not quite fit enough.
Best moment: the 15-6 victory against Australia that set up the hemispheric divide for the knockout stages.
Worst moment: being shown up and lacking the stamina, strength and imagination to deal with the Welsh in this morning’s 22-10 loss.
Highest points scorer: this tournament was supposed to be about the rise of Jonathan Sexton as the Irish kicker, but it was still Ronan O´Gara who scored 44 of the team’s points.
Best player: the tyro Keith Earls, who will be a star for the future. Like a bigger stronger Rooney.
Best moment: the 15-6 victory against Australia that set up the hemispheric divide for the knockout stages.
Worst moment: being shown up and lacking the stamina, strength and imagination to deal with the Welsh in this morning’s 22-10 loss.
Highest points scorer: this tournament was supposed to be about the rise of Jonathan Sexton as the Irish kicker, but it was still Ronan O´Gara who scored 44 of the team’s points.
Best player: the tyro Keith Earls, who will be a star for the future. Like a bigger stronger Rooney.
Ireland v Wales, 2 am, 8th October
Present: Ben, Richard, myself, and a lot of Irish rugger fans.
Pre-match expectations: The winner of this will play England in the semi-finals. Taking the head-to-head records and the 2011 6 Nations into account, I’d prefer Wales. On tournament form, probably the same, although both teams look capable of beating England.
Prediction: Wales to win, but not by much.
Game: The anthems are drowned out by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘By The Way’, which is a shame because both the Irish and Welsh anthems are lovely tunes. After which, the Sugar bar staff realise that a) there’s a live game on and b) most of the people in the bar are watching it and kindly switch on the commentary.
Half-time status: wow, Wales are awesome. Quickfire try from Shane Williams followed by 35 minutes of serious defending. Fair play to Ireland for going for the try three times rather than taking the points, but unfortunately not one of them worked. Wales ahead at the break 10-3, with some semi-stunned Irish fans still explaining the rules to the Argentine girls in the bar.
Full-time status: in every position, at almost every breakdown, Wales have dominated this game. The Irish got back into it with a try from terrier Keith Earls, but Mike Phillips’ great try for Wales (dives over with both feet in the air, awesome try) and the superior fitness of the Welsh team left the Irish in the dust. Well-deserved win, looks scary for England in the semi-final: final score 22-10 Wales.
Man of the match: Mike Phillips, for being everywhere and scoring a great try.
‘Food’: Quilmes, several pints.
Conversation keywords: both teams look too good for England.
Comments: I think we were the only people in the bar supporting Wales. The Irish really didn’t mind the loss at all, apart from the guy who offered to headbutt me.
Pre-match expectations: The winner of this will play England in the semi-finals. Taking the head-to-head records and the 2011 6 Nations into account, I’d prefer Wales. On tournament form, probably the same, although both teams look capable of beating England.
Prediction: Wales to win, but not by much.
Game: The anthems are drowned out by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘By The Way’, which is a shame because both the Irish and Welsh anthems are lovely tunes. After which, the Sugar bar staff realise that a) there’s a live game on and b) most of the people in the bar are watching it and kindly switch on the commentary.
Half-time status: wow, Wales are awesome. Quickfire try from Shane Williams followed by 35 minutes of serious defending. Fair play to Ireland for going for the try three times rather than taking the points, but unfortunately not one of them worked. Wales ahead at the break 10-3, with some semi-stunned Irish fans still explaining the rules to the Argentine girls in the bar.
Full-time status: in every position, at almost every breakdown, Wales have dominated this game. The Irish got back into it with a try from terrier Keith Earls, but Mike Phillips’ great try for Wales (dives over with both feet in the air, awesome try) and the superior fitness of the Welsh team left the Irish in the dust. Well-deserved win, looks scary for England in the semi-final: final score 22-10 Wales.
Man of the match: Mike Phillips, for being everywhere and scoring a great try.
‘Food’: Quilmes, several pints.
Conversation keywords: both teams look too good for England.
Comments: I think we were the only people in the bar supporting Wales. The Irish really didn’t mind the loss at all, apart from the guy who offered to headbutt me.
Monday, 3 October 2011
So, farewell: Fiji & Italy
Fiji
In 2007, Fiji took the Rugby World Cup by storm by defeating Wales 38-34 and dumping the Home Nation out of the tournament, nicking their quarterfinal berth in the process. As a result, great things were expected of the Fijians this time around, and the islanders totally failed to deliver. Aside from winning one game against tournament whipping boys Namibia, Fiji was battered, beaten and bulldozed by all of their other opponents. The final result in the much-hyped “Revenge Match” for Wales saw real revenge and not much a fight.
Best moment: beating Namibia 49-25 in a match that suggested that both teams had a lot to offer in the tournament.
Worst moment: all of the other games, in which they scored a total of 10 points, in a 49-3 defeat to South Africa, a 27-7 to island rivals Samoa and a closing 66-0 pounding from Wales.
Highest points scorer: fly-half Seremaia Baikeinuku, who scored 22 of the 59 points, followed by Vereniki Goneva, who scored 20 in four tries against Namibia.
Best player: all-round legend Nicky Little, who had the good grace to apologize for his team’s performance against Samoa and admit that Fiji were pony.
Italy
The perennial 6 Nations wooden spoon contenders arrived at this tournament with the intention of making heads turn, with the aim being to knock Ireland out of their expected second place. However, Ireland’s shock win against Australia effectively saw the Azzurri competing with the Wallabies for second place, and it was pretty clear who would be the winner in that particular outcome. Yesterday’s closely fought first half and second half capitulation was a fair summary of Italy’s World Cup.
Best moment: running in nine tries against Russia in a glittering 53-17 slugfest.
Worst moment: capitulating to both Australia and Ireland in the second half of both of these games after a hard-fought first half. The Australia first half ended 6-6 and ended 32-6 to the Wallabies, while the Ireland game, probably more painful after the almost-victory for the Italians in the same fixture Six Nations earlier this year, saw the first half ending 9-6 and the final score as 36-6 to the Irish.
Highest points scorer: kicker Mirco Bergomasco, who scored 19 of Italy’s 92 points.
Best player: toss up between captain Sergio Parisse and prop Martin Castogiovanni, both born in Argentina and both first-class players and ambassadors for the game.
In 2007, Fiji took the Rugby World Cup by storm by defeating Wales 38-34 and dumping the Home Nation out of the tournament, nicking their quarterfinal berth in the process. As a result, great things were expected of the Fijians this time around, and the islanders totally failed to deliver. Aside from winning one game against tournament whipping boys Namibia, Fiji was battered, beaten and bulldozed by all of their other opponents. The final result in the much-hyped “Revenge Match” for Wales saw real revenge and not much a fight.
Best moment: beating Namibia 49-25 in a match that suggested that both teams had a lot to offer in the tournament.
Worst moment: all of the other games, in which they scored a total of 10 points, in a 49-3 defeat to South Africa, a 27-7 to island rivals Samoa and a closing 66-0 pounding from Wales.
Highest points scorer: fly-half Seremaia Baikeinuku, who scored 22 of the 59 points, followed by Vereniki Goneva, who scored 20 in four tries against Namibia.
Best player: all-round legend Nicky Little, who had the good grace to apologize for his team’s performance against Samoa and admit that Fiji were pony.
Italy
The perennial 6 Nations wooden spoon contenders arrived at this tournament with the intention of making heads turn, with the aim being to knock Ireland out of their expected second place. However, Ireland’s shock win against Australia effectively saw the Azzurri competing with the Wallabies for second place, and it was pretty clear who would be the winner in that particular outcome. Yesterday’s closely fought first half and second half capitulation was a fair summary of Italy’s World Cup.
Best moment: running in nine tries against Russia in a glittering 53-17 slugfest.
Worst moment: capitulating to both Australia and Ireland in the second half of both of these games after a hard-fought first half. The Australia first half ended 6-6 and ended 32-6 to the Wallabies, while the Ireland game, probably more painful after the almost-victory for the Italians in the same fixture Six Nations earlier this year, saw the first half ending 9-6 and the final score as 36-6 to the Irish.
Highest points scorer: kicker Mirco Bergomasco, who scored 19 of Italy’s 92 points.
Best player: toss up between captain Sergio Parisse and prop Martin Castogiovanni, both born in Argentina and both first-class players and ambassadors for the game.
Sunday, 2 October 2011
So, farewell: Georgia & Canada
Georgia
What little hype the Georgians receieved before the tournament implied that they would be minnows; big, rough, violent minnows, but minnows nonetheless. Little emphasis was placed on their resilience and general ability to grind out games. However, the World Cup showed that there are minnows (I’m looking at you, Romania, Japan and Namibia) and minnows. The Georgians were great value, giving their share of scares and keeping defeats generally down to a minimum, barring the trouncing they receievd from England and the last fifteen minutes against Argentina.
Best moment: hard to pick – from winning against Romania in the “Eastern European Derby” that saw Georgia widen the gap between the two with a 25-9 victory, to the match against Scotland that was won by the Home Nation by 15-6. They also gave the Pumas a scare in the first half of this morning’s game, going in at half-time 7-5 ahead before eventually succumbing to a 25-7 loss.
Worst moment: playing well but losing heavily to England as the English campaign attempted to hit a new gear in the 41-10 victory.
Highest points scorer: Merab Kvirikashvili, their kicker, who scored 28 of the team’s 48 points.
Best player: Mamuka Gorgodze, affectionately known as “Gorgodzilla” by the fans at his club Montpellier, who put in two man of the match performances, against England and Romania.
Canada
The Canadians performed pretty much as expected during the tournament, getting tonked by the big teams and drawing with Japan in a repeat of the 2007 World Cup result between the two. Their crowning moment came in the shock defeat of Tonga, which almost certainly kept Tonga from qualifying at France’s expense. With their big beards and soft hands, Canada shall be missed.
Best moment: the aforementioned shock defeat of Tonga, which looked like the islanders had sewn it up but which ended 25-20 in favour of the North Americans. The last-minute 23-23 draw with Japan was also compelling viewing.
Worst moment: this morning’s 79-15 defeat at the hands of New Zealand, leaving a Canada team that was technically already out thoroughly well beaten in their final game.
Highest points scorer: Ander Monro, the fly-half who scored 22 of Canada’s 82 points, narrowly followed by James Pritchard, the full back who scored 20. Incidentally, Monro is the grandson of Lord Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm, the former President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Best player: the bearded forward Adam Kleeberger, who was instrumental in the defeat of Tonga.
What little hype the Georgians receieved before the tournament implied that they would be minnows; big, rough, violent minnows, but minnows nonetheless. Little emphasis was placed on their resilience and general ability to grind out games. However, the World Cup showed that there are minnows (I’m looking at you, Romania, Japan and Namibia) and minnows. The Georgians were great value, giving their share of scares and keeping defeats generally down to a minimum, barring the trouncing they receievd from England and the last fifteen minutes against Argentina.
Best moment: hard to pick – from winning against Romania in the “Eastern European Derby” that saw Georgia widen the gap between the two with a 25-9 victory, to the match against Scotland that was won by the Home Nation by 15-6. They also gave the Pumas a scare in the first half of this morning’s game, going in at half-time 7-5 ahead before eventually succumbing to a 25-7 loss.
Worst moment: playing well but losing heavily to England as the English campaign attempted to hit a new gear in the 41-10 victory.
Highest points scorer: Merab Kvirikashvili, their kicker, who scored 28 of the team’s 48 points.
Best player: Mamuka Gorgodze, affectionately known as “Gorgodzilla” by the fans at his club Montpellier, who put in two man of the match performances, against England and Romania.
Canada
The Canadians performed pretty much as expected during the tournament, getting tonked by the big teams and drawing with Japan in a repeat of the 2007 World Cup result between the two. Their crowning moment came in the shock defeat of Tonga, which almost certainly kept Tonga from qualifying at France’s expense. With their big beards and soft hands, Canada shall be missed.
Best moment: the aforementioned shock defeat of Tonga, which looked like the islanders had sewn it up but which ended 25-20 in favour of the North Americans. The last-minute 23-23 draw with Japan was also compelling viewing.
Worst moment: this morning’s 79-15 defeat at the hands of New Zealand, leaving a Canada team that was technically already out thoroughly well beaten in their final game.
Highest points scorer: Ander Monro, the fly-half who scored 22 of Canada’s 82 points, narrowly followed by James Pritchard, the full back who scored 20. Incidentally, Monro is the grandson of Lord Hector Monro, Baron Monro of Langholm, the former President of the Scottish Rugby Union.
Best player: the bearded forward Adam Kleeberger, who was instrumental in the defeat of Tonga.
So, farewell: Samoa & Scotland
Samoa
The islanders came into this tournament looking to go past the quarter-finals, their best record at World Cups, which was always going to be a big ask in the same group as South Africa, Wales and Fiji. Sadly, despite a convincing win against Namibia on the opening day and forcing both South Africa and Wales to pull out all the stops, the giants in blue were not quite good enough to advance.
Best moment/worst moment: two narrow losses to Wales (17-10) and South Africa (13-5) constitute both of Samoa’s best and worst moments, as they presented how close the islanders were, their position on the cusp of progressing to the next round, while ultimately revealing their shortcomings in their inability to win.
Highest points scorer: kicker Tusi Pisi, who scored 25 in total and 15 in one game (against Fiji), narrowly ahead of violent full-back Paul Williams, who scored 21 in total and 14 against Namibia, and who got a yellow card in the first game and a red in the last.
Best player: the human tank, Alesana Tuilagi, who scored a great hat-trick of tries against Namibia and was a constant menace from the backs.
Scotland
Andy Robinson’s Scots came into the tournament following great performances in the Six Nations, where the team narrowly lost to France, Ireland and England, and with a united and confident team. From the opening demi-disaster against Romania, however, Scotland looked short of confidence and unconvincing. Two legendary defeats to the other two big teams in the group saw Scotland head home yesterday morning without having got to the quarter-final stage reached in 2007.
Best moment: Scotland’s finest hour was probably against Romania, where the team showed mental strength and resilience to come back from a Romania lead to totally rip the Oaks apart in the last ten minutes. The game finished 34-24 and suggested that Scotland still had some work to do.
Worst moment: take your pick. Scotland faced two crunch games, first against Argentine last weekend and then England on Saturday, and almost won both – only to be robbed by lapses in concentration in defence in the last ten minutes. The inability to score tries and put games to bed cost the Scots their quarter-final place, although it is hard to tell result would be more punishing for the Home Nation: 13-12 to Argentina, or 16-12 to England.
Highest points scorer: faintly surprisingly, replacement kicker Dan Park scored more than kicking legend Chris Paterson (24 to 23).
Best player: Chris Paterson kicked the most important of Scotland’s points and put them in the positions that the team had to be in to win, only to watch them fail to.
The islanders came into this tournament looking to go past the quarter-finals, their best record at World Cups, which was always going to be a big ask in the same group as South Africa, Wales and Fiji. Sadly, despite a convincing win against Namibia on the opening day and forcing both South Africa and Wales to pull out all the stops, the giants in blue were not quite good enough to advance.
Best moment/worst moment: two narrow losses to Wales (17-10) and South Africa (13-5) constitute both of Samoa’s best and worst moments, as they presented how close the islanders were, their position on the cusp of progressing to the next round, while ultimately revealing their shortcomings in their inability to win.
Highest points scorer: kicker Tusi Pisi, who scored 25 in total and 15 in one game (against Fiji), narrowly ahead of violent full-back Paul Williams, who scored 21 in total and 14 against Namibia, and who got a yellow card in the first game and a red in the last.
Best player: the human tank, Alesana Tuilagi, who scored a great hat-trick of tries against Namibia and was a constant menace from the backs.
Scotland
Andy Robinson’s Scots came into the tournament following great performances in the Six Nations, where the team narrowly lost to France, Ireland and England, and with a united and confident team. From the opening demi-disaster against Romania, however, Scotland looked short of confidence and unconvincing. Two legendary defeats to the other two big teams in the group saw Scotland head home yesterday morning without having got to the quarter-final stage reached in 2007.
Best moment: Scotland’s finest hour was probably against Romania, where the team showed mental strength and resilience to come back from a Romania lead to totally rip the Oaks apart in the last ten minutes. The game finished 34-24 and suggested that Scotland still had some work to do.
Worst moment: take your pick. Scotland faced two crunch games, first against Argentine last weekend and then England on Saturday, and almost won both – only to be robbed by lapses in concentration in defence in the last ten minutes. The inability to score tries and put games to bed cost the Scots their quarter-final place, although it is hard to tell result would be more punishing for the Home Nation: 13-12 to Argentina, or 16-12 to England.
Highest points scorer: faintly surprisingly, replacement kicker Dan Park scored more than kicking legend Chris Paterson (24 to 23).
Best player: Chris Paterson kicked the most important of Scotland’s points and put them in the positions that the team had to be in to win, only to watch them fail to.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
England vs Scotland, 4:30 am, 1st October
Present: Cameron, Richard, Wez, Elisa, Kai and me.
Pre-match expectations: the build-up for this game consisted of watching the second half of Tonga’s enthusiastic and rousing (though ultimately unimportant) defeat of France in Sugar, accompanied by several ‘Jaëger Bombs’ and some Stella. Having been rudely turfed out before the match had ended, a litre of Stella was transferred home in a Coke bottle and everyone was in the mood for a slugfest.
Predictions: going on what the papers and everyone has been saying, I can’t see past a victory to England by 6-10 points.
Game: the conditions look terrible but both sides are noticeably fired-up and keen to set about the action, as are we: pints in hand and patriotic fervour at boiling-point. Chance ventures out in his boxers but swiftly returns to the safety of his room.
Half-time status: a torrid, messy, scrappy, generally rubbish game. I can’t tell whether Scotland are playing well or England are just crap. I think both teams are playing pretty badly actually. Dan Parks is a terrible kicker. So is Jonny Wilkinson (the sacrilege!). We could be up by three at this point, but thanks to Messers Cole and Wilkinson, the score reads 9-3 Scotland. We´ve also lost Kai, Elisa and Wez to the land of nod. If England have another half like that, we’re out.
Full-time status: glorious, wonderful, incredible rugby, the gift that keeps on giving. Scotland have stuffed it again, they really are becoming first-class chokers. After being ahead by six points for a long stretch of the second half, Jonny finally finds his feet and kicks us within distance, then gets replaced by Flood who loops a wonder pass to Ashton, who puts his head down and charges. The sound of Ashton breaking through the flimsiest of Scottish defences is the sound of Scottish hearts breaking in the New Zealand night. Meanwhile, our exultations in the sitting room wake up Elisa and Kai but fail to rouse Wez. The match finishes 16-12.
Man of the match: ooh. Croft perhaps, for being a really fast forward who saves an almost certain try. Or Flood, for setting up a try. Or Tuilagi, for being really big and fast. Or Ashton, for scoring his sixth try of the tournament. So many to choose from… Croft it is. Anyone but Wilkinson.
‘Food’: Jaëger, Stella, Corona, spicy Pringles
Conversation keywords: why are England so terrible? Variations on that theme.
Comments: at 4 am it was almost dawn; by 6:20 it was daylight. Loving Spring at the moment. Not impressed about being kicked out of a bar with 5 minutes to go of a match, though.
Pre-match expectations: the build-up for this game consisted of watching the second half of Tonga’s enthusiastic and rousing (though ultimately unimportant) defeat of France in Sugar, accompanied by several ‘Jaëger Bombs’ and some Stella. Having been rudely turfed out before the match had ended, a litre of Stella was transferred home in a Coke bottle and everyone was in the mood for a slugfest.
Predictions: going on what the papers and everyone has been saying, I can’t see past a victory to England by 6-10 points.
Game: the conditions look terrible but both sides are noticeably fired-up and keen to set about the action, as are we: pints in hand and patriotic fervour at boiling-point. Chance ventures out in his boxers but swiftly returns to the safety of his room.
Half-time status: a torrid, messy, scrappy, generally rubbish game. I can’t tell whether Scotland are playing well or England are just crap. I think both teams are playing pretty badly actually. Dan Parks is a terrible kicker. So is Jonny Wilkinson (the sacrilege!). We could be up by three at this point, but thanks to Messers Cole and Wilkinson, the score reads 9-3 Scotland. We´ve also lost Kai, Elisa and Wez to the land of nod. If England have another half like that, we’re out.
Full-time status: glorious, wonderful, incredible rugby, the gift that keeps on giving. Scotland have stuffed it again, they really are becoming first-class chokers. After being ahead by six points for a long stretch of the second half, Jonny finally finds his feet and kicks us within distance, then gets replaced by Flood who loops a wonder pass to Ashton, who puts his head down and charges. The sound of Ashton breaking through the flimsiest of Scottish defences is the sound of Scottish hearts breaking in the New Zealand night. Meanwhile, our exultations in the sitting room wake up Elisa and Kai but fail to rouse Wez. The match finishes 16-12.
Man of the match: ooh. Croft perhaps, for being a really fast forward who saves an almost certain try. Or Flood, for setting up a try. Or Tuilagi, for being really big and fast. Or Ashton, for scoring his sixth try of the tournament. So many to choose from… Croft it is. Anyone but Wilkinson.
‘Food’: Jaëger, Stella, Corona, spicy Pringles
Conversation keywords: why are England so terrible? Variations on that theme.
Comments: at 4 am it was almost dawn; by 6:20 it was daylight. Loving Spring at the moment. Not impressed about being kicked out of a bar with 5 minutes to go of a match, though.
So, farewell: Russia & Tonga
Russia
Friday night’s crushing 68-22 defeat at the hands of Australia saw Russia’s exit confirmed, but their fate had already been written: one solitary point was the Bears return after four punishing losses.
Best moment: their first game, against the other alleged minnows the United States, which saw a Rocky 4-esque clash full of energy and excitement but ended in a 13-6 loss for the Bears.
Worst moment: of the three subsequent thrashings they received, last night’s against Australia was the most convincing and saw the Wallabies qualify for the quarter-finals.
Best player and highest scorer: the centre Konstantin Rachkov, who kicked 14 points and scored a try against Australia.
Tonga
The islanders had a real mixed bag of a tournament, starting with an 41-10 tonking from New Zealand in the inaugural game and ending in last night’s fireworks against France. The team seemed unsure of itself at times and struggled in terms of expression on the pitch, with intermittent flourishes that suggest that, were it not for that loss against Canada, then there could have been more.
Best moment: beating France 19-14 in their last match, which showed that the French are just not at the races at the moment. Tonga can take a lot of pride from a thoroughly enthusiastic performance which showed that on their good days, they deserved better.
Worst moment: but on their bad days… the 25-20 loss to Canada was a shock result but showed that the Tongans were not really able to compete with the big boys. If they'd won this... What might have been.
Best player and highest scorer: their kicker, Kurt Morath, who amassed a mighty 45 points in the tournament, second only to South Africa’s Morne Steyn in terms of personal achievement.
Friday night’s crushing 68-22 defeat at the hands of Australia saw Russia’s exit confirmed, but their fate had already been written: one solitary point was the Bears return after four punishing losses.
Best moment: their first game, against the other alleged minnows the United States, which saw a Rocky 4-esque clash full of energy and excitement but ended in a 13-6 loss for the Bears.
Worst moment: of the three subsequent thrashings they received, last night’s against Australia was the most convincing and saw the Wallabies qualify for the quarter-finals.
Best player and highest scorer: the centre Konstantin Rachkov, who kicked 14 points and scored a try against Australia.
Tonga
The islanders had a real mixed bag of a tournament, starting with an 41-10 tonking from New Zealand in the inaugural game and ending in last night’s fireworks against France. The team seemed unsure of itself at times and struggled in terms of expression on the pitch, with intermittent flourishes that suggest that, were it not for that loss against Canada, then there could have been more.
Best moment: beating France 19-14 in their last match, which showed that the French are just not at the races at the moment. Tonga can take a lot of pride from a thoroughly enthusiastic performance which showed that on their good days, they deserved better.
Worst moment: but on their bad days… the 25-20 loss to Canada was a shock result but showed that the Tongans were not really able to compete with the big boys. If they'd won this... What might have been.
Best player and highest scorer: their kicker, Kurt Morath, who amassed a mighty 45 points in the tournament, second only to South Africa’s Morne Steyn in terms of personal achievement.
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