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I don't know if you guys have watched any games yet in the tournament, but it's pretty clear that the crowds are going to be extremely vocal against the likes SA, NZ and OZ.

Am I the only one that thinks JDV is all of a sudden starting to look like his age is catching up with him. He looked almost gaunt on the weekend. The Boks could do with some young blood in their team.

It'll be really interesting to see Japan try to qualify for the Quarters from here. Based on what we've seen to date, Japan should beat the US. That means they'll need a win against either Scotland or Samoa. That's still a fairly big mountain to climb. There is every chance that they'll still...

I thought the Samoa were hard done by on occasions too, particular with the way the US were allowed to creep up offside. A different referee might have made this a more interesting game, but the result would have been the same.

true, but i think his general complaint was a fair one. the US were penalised 4 times with ball in hand for some pretty innocuous infringements. in most rugby games there's a fair bit of players going off your feet at the ruck, or these days guys cleaning out defenders from the side of the...

Looking at the way the Boks played, I'm starting a conspiracy theory that the Boks threw the game so that the can try to come 2nd in the pool. The way they bombed the try in the 70th minute, it was like they were trying not to score. Theoretically coming second in the pool would suit boks...

Stayed up late to watch this one and boy was it worth it. Japan were just superb. Eddie Jones has done an amazing job with them. I found his post game interview very interest, he basically said that Japan have a lot of smaller faster players, so they have to play a particular style of rugby...

Makes sense. What is McCalman's status?! he's injured?

I might add that Ita Vaea would be a decent replacement is needed. He was a part of the initial Wallabies training camp and he's been playing very well down in the NRC. Different kind of no.8 to Palu but probably offers more impact these days.

Is it possible to bring in a new player for Palu if he only has a minor injury that is likely to clear up before the end of the tournament? (i.e. does it categorically have to be a tournament ending injury?)

Yeh I think that is true. Some teams seem to approach strength and conditioning in such a way that it leads to very few injuries. Just look at the Tahs over the last few seasons. Barely any injuries. On the flipside, the Reds seemed to injure more players from Monday to Thursday than during the...

Anyone game to make a bold prediction on the winner? I've just made a sizable investment on the All Blacks. I think England are probably most likely to meet them in the final. The Wallabies I think might lose a close one to England at Twickers. I'm expecting they'll make it out of the group...

England 13+ Could be competitive for the first 50 minutes though

Well from an australian perspective i like that approach. Not sure id use the word 'concede' though. The reality is that if fiji lose that first game (which is likely) theyll need to go for broke

The To'omua / Giteau selection is an interesting one. Last night Kafe said that he expected To'omua at 12 with Gits on the bench. Either way is fine with me, but I tend to think that we are probably better off with To'omua's added physicality on the field. Save for 1 poor game against the All...

I think its not unfair to say Quade's form hasn't been very good in the lead up to the RWC. We all know he's quite a hot and cold player. If he was in top form, I'd select him at 10, but on current form I'd go with Foley.

I'm sure they'll replace it at some stage. I watched the first 15 minutes. It was just Grumbles and Cheks talking about coaching. The start certainly wasn't riveting stuff, but I've recorded and will probably go back and watch the rest on the weekend.

fun game to watch. t'was a shame there was a red card in the 2nd half. It made things a bit one sided towards the end. still enjoyable viewing for a Thursday night.

If we play Hooper/Pocock/Fardy as our Backrow, we'll win the breakdown. That's always a nice start. Couple that with what should be a dominant scrum and Fiji will be behind the 8-ball.

I think if you start Pooper, I think you forget about a 6:2 split. Pocock and Hooper are both 80 minute players. Fardy can also play 80 if required. Skelton covers lock. Mumm cover a Backrow injury / back-up 6 / Back-up lock.