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Well Holy Dooley, G&GR, what a weekend of rugby (please note this is written before Aus plays France). So many games to talk about, a number of shocking results, and upsets. Just a fantastic viewing overall weekend! So in my very sleep-deprived state, let’s dive straight in. There’s absolutely heaps to discuss!
Weekend Results
South Africa 35 defeated New Zealand 7
Wow, what a game to start the weekend off on. South Africa produced a near-perfect performance to finalise their preparations for the Bill as they claimed a record-breaking victory over 14 man New Zealand, shellacking them 35-7 at a packed-to-the-rafters Twickenham. The Nearlies suffered from discipline issues that almost made them look like the Wallabies, losing Scott Barrett in the first half as he was given two pieces of cheddar, which was made a shiraz on standard rules, as the Dutch Dirt Farmers went to oranges with a 14-0 lead thanks to some really good tries scored by skipper Siya Kolisi and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, and Kwagga Smith also dotted over the line for tries in the second half to further rub salt into the wounds of the Sheep Lovers. The Nearlies scored finally, to save their pants, with Cam Roigard scoring a late consolation for New Zealand.
I don’t think anyone saw this one coming to be honest. South Africa played a near-perfect game, and pretty much everything New Zealand touched turned to poo. To rub salt in the wounds it is likely that Scott ‘the unfortunate looking’ Barrett will be cited and face the tribunal. This citing, due to Barrett’s less-than-stellar discipline record could see him missing a fair chunk of the RWC if not all of it.
Sitting down chatting with rugby mates, including two Kiwis (and yes I have Kiwi mates , I am inclusive 🤣) on Sunday over coffee, the general consensus was they would rather have their ‘shite game’ out of the way during their practice matches than blow a pooper valve in the pool games. The other unified view was, you never want to play NZ after they have lost, let alone taken an ass whooping! They are going to come out hard, in their next game.
Fiji 30 defeated England 22
Well, bugger me with a pitchfork! I know I hoped and prayed for this, but the likelihood of it actually happening? I’m not sure which makes me happier, my beloved Fiji winning or the fact that it was England that lost at home to them at Twickenham! Either way, I’m over the moon!
The Soap Dodgers slumped to a 30-22 drubbing against Fiji to record their first-ever defeat by the Pacific nation flyers, leaving them looking like an utter shit show ahead of the World Cup in less than two weeks. England struck early through the recently recalled Jonny May deep in the left corner, after a strong start to the game by the Pommy forwards. But any positivity the Soap Dodgers and their fans may have had was short-lived as the Flying Fijians then ripped England apart piece by piece during the 2nd and 3rd quarter of the game, with two tries for Fiji with centre Waisea Nayacalevu and winger Vinaya Habosi as the Fijians started picking apart the very weak, in fact some would say non-existent, defence of the Poms.
England as they have often done, actually looked better when their bench came on. As panic started setting in, the team threw caution to the wind and actually played better. This certainly will raise questions about Borthwick’s selection strategy. Regardless of this, England looked utterly terrible, and their fans in the crowd (those that actually bothered turning up as there was a bigger crowd at NZ v South Africa) looked horrified. Either way, nothing could be taken away from the Flying Fijians and their performance. What a day for Fiji and World Rugby!
Scotland 33 defeated Georgia 6
Scotland managed to recover from a really poor first-half display to finalise their World Cup preparations with a spirited victory over a plucky Georgia side. An absolutely appalling first 40 minutes had the Haggis Eaters behind 6-0 at oranges courtesy of two very sweet Luka Matkava 3 pointers. The Scots were much improved after the break, and they had to be, scoring tries through Duhan van der Merve (2) (what a player this guy is going to be), Rory Darge, ‘Aussie’ Jack Dempsey, and Kyle Steyn.
Italy 42 defeated Japan 21
Italy claimed a 42-21 win over Japan in what can only be described as the whirling dervish test of the weekend in Italy. The pasta lovers have managed to gain themselves some serious momentum heading into the Bill. The Azzurri’s wingers Ange Capuozzo and Monty Ioane were definitely on fire as they caused the Brave Blossoms all kinds of defensive problems. Japan’s form this year, particularly leading into the RWC has been poor. However, Italy certainly seems to be in the building mode, so it will be interesting.
Ireland 17 defeated Samoa 13
Ireland will have to check the state of their undies, after being frightened ‘pooless’ by Samoa in their final Rugby World Cup warm-up game. They just managed to hold on to beat the Samoans 17-13 in a very tense encounter in Bayonne in the southwest of France. Behind 10-7 at oranges, before another Samoan penalty extended the margin to six points at the 46 minutes mark, Ireland somehow managed to avoid what would have been another shock defeat this weekend. Handy tries from Conor Murray and Rob Herring in the second half, in the end, proved just enough to grab victory out of the jaws of what looked like an imminent defeat. I’m sure Ireland and their coaching staff will be relieved to’ve got over the line on this one.
Argentina 62 defeated Spain 3
In what will please Michael Cheika immensely, the Los Pumas mauled the hapless Spaniards in a very lopsided game. The game was played in Madrid, which seemed a small consolation for the Spaniards who had forfeited their place in this year’s Bill. The first half was clearly dominated by Los Pumas 31-3 by the time they went to oranges. But the second half became a scrappy affair and the FISMs were in the Spanish 22 for over 15 minutes without scoring, which would have infuriated the Cheikmeister. However, in the end the Los Pumas were able to close out a convincing victory.
Australia A 30 defeated Portugal 17
In what Australian fans can view as their first decent look at Portugal’s side this year, this served as an intriguing game prior to the World Cup. The Portuguese demonstrated that won’t be an easybeat team at this World Cup by leading the Aus A team at halftime by 14-12. In the second half, the Aus A team’s combinations started to gel and they started to get dominance over their opponents.
While the Aus A players played quite well, with a few standouts. I don’t think there are any players that have dislodged any of the Wallabies starters. At best they will be workable injury covers.
World Ranking going into the Bill
*Note this was the ranking before Aus played France
Well G&GRs, this certainly throws the cat among the pigeons when it comes to the world rankings prior to the kickoff of the Bill. To be honest I think this is a pretty fair representation of where the top ten teams are at. Really happy to see Fiji firmly in the Tier One rankings.
For Pool D, Argentina is now the highest-ranked team, and it is not a certainty that England will beat either them or Japan. Such is the dross the Soap Dodgers are serving up at the moment. It what is potentially another World Cup where England doesn’t make it out of the pool matches.
For Pool C, Fiji are now ranked higher than Australia and Wales. One of these two nations is unlikely to make it out of the pool matches as well.
In an ongoing theme for me, it was interesting watching these games over the weekend, and realising how important taking the three when it was on offer (except for the New Zealand v South Africa game). In the Fiji v England game Caleb Munz was slotting them like a champion, even from the 46 metre mark. Australia does not have a dedicated kicker and only has one flyhalf. Some people might call Donaldson a 10, but to be honest, that is an insult to all the other genuine 10s out there. This will pose a serious risk to Eddie’s plans, and as per our rankings, we are unlikely to beat Fiji at this stage.
Anyway, enough of this old man rabbitting on. Enjoy your Monday, and remember only 11 days to the Rugby World Cup. Have at it G&GRs and welcome again to the new age!
