RUGBY WORLD CUP: Quarter Finals Day 2

09.10.2011
Australia 11, South Africa 9 in Wellington
New Zealand 33, Argentina 10 in Auckland

Briefly
How South Africa lost that game I do not know! They won everything but the scoreboard. Boy did Australia tackle. Australia made twice as many tackles as South Africa. That’s the only other statistic Australia did better at than South Africa. So credit to Australia.

My hat goes off to Argentina. Their defensive game was excellent against the All Blacks. It wasn’t until late in the game that New Zealand began to punch wholes in the Argentinean defence. What a game from Piri Weepu!

So next weekend we have the 2011 Rugby World Cup semi-finals. The teams that will win will be those with less walking wounded from this weekend’s games and those that recover the best.

15.10.2011
Wales v France in Auckland

16.10.2011
Australia v New Zealand in Auckland

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Argentina v New Zealand, Quarter Final 4

09.10.2011
Argentina v New Zealand in Auckland (World Cup, Quarter Final 4)
Venue: Eden Park
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Preview
On paper this would be the easiest match of the quarter finals to predict. A comfortable win to the All Blacks. Or is it?
So far the form books have been re written in this World Cup at the quarter final stage. Wales upset Ireland, France upset England. I’m predicting Australia to upset South Africa. Do I think Argentina can upset the All Blacks? No.
Argentina will have a noisy and very passionate supporting contingent from Argentina in the crowd for this game. I was in Palmerston North to see Argentina defeat Georgia last weekend. Of all the supporters I came across in New Zealand none were louder than the Argentineans. The crowd may well be All Blacked out at Eden park but the constant noise will come from Argentineans.
Don’t get me wrong. I was at the France-All Black game and when push came to shove the All Black supporters could rouse themselves to a good outburst when needed (ie when scoring points, tries or when pressed on defence). I think we will be hearing plenty from the Kiwis in the crowd.
Which means New Zealand will be scoring more points than Argentina. Simple as that. I just can’t see Argentina applying the kind of pressure that say South Africa would. The Pumas just don’t have an armoury that will worry the All Blacks.
Argentina are due to enter the Tri Nations Southern Hemisphere championship. They have many older players who will retire after this World Cup. Count on them to try to go out with a bang.
Last Five Encounters
24.06.2006 New Zealand 24-19 in Buenos Aires
26.06.2004 New Zealand 41-7 in Hamilton
01.12.2001 New Zealand 24-20 in Buenos Aires
23.06.2001 New Zealand 67-19 in Christchurch
28.06.1997 New Zealand 62-10 in Hamilton
New Zealand This World Cup (Pool A)
09.09.2011 v Tonga W 41-10 in Auckland
16.09.2011 v Japan W 83-7 in Hamilton
24.09.2011 v France W 37-17 in Auckland
02.10.2011 v Canada W 79-15 in Wellington
Argentina This World Cup (Pool B)
10.09.2011 v England L 9-13 in Dunedin
17.09.2011 v Romania W 43-8 in Invercargill
25.09.2011 v Scotland W 13-12 in Wellington
02.10.2011 v Georgia W 25-6 in Palmerston North
GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-New Zealand 5th, Argentina 6th
IRB Ranking Points
New Zealand 90.62, Argentina 80.28
Prediction: New Zealand by 18 points
Teams

New Zealand
15 Mils Muliaina, 14 Cory Jane, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Ma'a Nonu, 11 Sonny Bill Williams, 10 Colin Slade, 9 Piri Weepu, 8 Kieran Read, 7 Richie McCaw, Capt. 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Bradley Thorn, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements
16 Andrew Hore, 17 Benjamin Franks, 18 Alistair Williams, 19 Victor Vito, 20 James Cowan, 21 Aaron Cruden, 22 Isaia Toeava.
Head Coach: Graham Henry

Argentina
15 Martín Rodríguez, 14 Gonzalo Camacho, 13 Marcelo Bosch, 12 Felipe Contepomi, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Santiago Fernández, 9 Nicolás Vergallo, 8 Leonardo Senatore,
7 Juan Manuel Leguizamón, 6 Julio Farias Cabello, 5 Patricio Albacete, 4 Manuel Carizza, 3 Juan Figallo, 2 Mario Ledesma, 1 Rodrigo Roncero.
Replacements
16 Agustín Creevy, 17 Martín Scelzo, 18 Marcos Ayerza, 19 Alejandro Campos, 20 Alfredo Lalanne, 21 Lucas Gonzalez Amorosino, 22 Juan Jose Imhoff.
Head Coach: Santiaho Phelan

RUGBY WORLD CUP: South Africa v Australia, Quarter Final 3

09.10.2011
South Africa v Australia in Wellington (World Cup, Quarter final 3)

Venue: Regional Stadium, Wellington

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)

Preview
This will be another pulsating, enthralling encounter.

There are no two sides at this level with such contrasting styles of play. It will be the might of the South African pack against the skill of the Australian backs.

South Africa has the better record at this World Cup. They have conceded fewer points than any other side. Their defence is second to none. Their forward pack is brutal and has yet to be mastered in this tournament. They may have lost two key players (Steyn and Botha) but their replacements (de Villiers and Rossouw) are experienced players. South Africa showed against Fiji that they can run the ball with skill and showed against Samoa just how good their defence is. They are a team without weaknesses.

Australia has won 5 of their last 6 encounters against the Springbox. These tow teams have a long history but recently Australia has gained the better of their old rivals. If the forwards can hold the in the tight five, their loose forwards may gain an advantage now that David Pocock is back in the side. If Australia can gain quick ball at the break downs they will be dangerous.

In 1999 South Africa and Australia met at the quarter finals stage. Australia won and went on to lift the Rugby World Cup. I’m going for the underdog Australia to repeat history-at the quarter finals stage at least.

Last Five Encounters
13.08.2011 Australia 14-9 in Durban (Mandela Cup; Tri Nations)
23.07.2011 Australia 39-20 in Sydney (Mandela Cup; Tri Nations)
04.09.2010 Australia 41-39 in Bloemfontein (Mandela Cup; Tri Nations)
28.08.2010 South Africa 44-31 in Pretoria (Mandela Cup; Tri Nations)
24.07.2010 Australia 30-13 in Brisbane (Mandela Cup; Tri Nations)

South Africa This World Cup (Pool D)
11.09.2011 v Wales W 17-16 in Wellington
17.09.2011 v Fiji W 49-3 in Wellington
22.09.2011 v Namibia W 87-0 in Albany
30.09.2011 v Samoa W 13-5 in Albany

Australia This World Cup (Pool C)
11.09.2011 v Italy W 32-6 in Albany
17.09.2011 v Ireland L 6-15 in Auckland
23.09.2011 v USA W 67-5 in Wellington
01.10.2011 v Russia W 68-22 in Nelson

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-South Africa 1st, Australia 4th

IRB Ranking Points
South Africa 86.71, Australia 84.84

Prediction: Australia by 5 points

Teams

South Africa
15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit, Capt. 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements
16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Willem Alberts, 19 François Louw, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Butch James, 22 Gio Aplon.
Head Coach: Pieter de Villiers

Australia
15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Patrick McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 William Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock,
6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill, Capt. 4 Daniel Vickerman, 3 Benjamon Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements
16 Tatafu Polota Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Benjamin McCalman, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.
Head Coach: Robbie Deans

RUGBY WORLD CUP: ‘Les Blues’ Catch The English Off Guard

08.11.2011
France 19, England 12 in Auckland (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

Briefly
What a day of rugby. If you weren’t stunned by Wales’ victory, how about the French? I wrote them off. Well, not quite! I did say this was the stage of the tournament for upsets. And this was one of them. After their loss to Tonga last weekend, France were not given much of a chance.

I should have known. France do not play two shockers in a row. In fact, quite the opposite. History has repeated itself in Auckland. France came out and played a blinder. England were packed off home.

The French dominated in all areas of play. Their passes stuck, they found gaps, they outplayed the English in the loose, stole lineout ball and generally had the upper hand throughout most of the game. What they managed to do wrong against Tonga they did right against England. Most importantly, they played with passion.

France v Wales next weekend. Can’t wait.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Wales Win A Stunner

08.10.2011
Wales 22, Ireland 10 in Wellington (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)

Briefly
I managed another miss calculation, a bit like the Irish. Did they read the game wrong or did the Welsh just get it all right? I think the later more so. The Welsh played wonderful running rugby, dominated in the loose, held their defence and generally outplayed a disappointing Irish side.

After being in the crowd in the Ireland v Australia game and surrounded by Irish supporters my heart goes out to supporters in green. Your team just didn’t fire and were defeated by the better side.

Congratulations to Wales. Next weekend will see them play in a semi-final for the first time since 1987. And they deserve to be there. Gatland had faith in a young side, handed them the challenge to measure up and they did.

Commiserations to Ireland. A number of players will now retire after many years of great service to their side.

Ireland must bring new exciting players, much in the way Wales has done this season.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Ireland v Wales, 1st Quarter-final

Venue: Wellington Regional Stadium
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Preview
This is the start of the agonising process of trying to pick the winners of the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarter finals. In my opinion there are two factors that influence the outcome of these matches. 1) All teams are very evenly matched at this stage of the competition, and 2) anything can happen in the winner takes all knockout stages.
The pressure that is on these two teams is immense. One will be going home and I’m struggling to drag them apart.
Ireland is a new team since that fantastic win over Australia. That was a powerful performance with so much passion. With that passion they could be unbeatable. There is no weakness anywhere.
Wales has been the quiet achiever. That display against South Africa showed a team with all that it takes to win. They nearly did.
I’m going for Ireland. A team who can play like they did against Australia deserves a win. But then so does Wales.
Last Five Encounters
12.03.2011 Wales 19-13 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
13.03.2010 Ireland 27-12 in Dublin (6 Nations)
21.03.2009 Ireland 17-15 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
08.03.2008 Wales 16-12 in Dublin (6 Nations)
04.02.2007 Ireland 19-9 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
Ireland This World Cup (Pool C)
11.09.2011 v USA W 22-10 in New Plymouth
17.09.2011 v Australia W 15-6 in Auckland
25.09.2011 v Russia W 62-12 in Rotorua
02.10.2011 v Italy W 36-6 in Dunedin
Wales This World Cup (Pool D)
11.09.2011 v South Africa L 16-17 in Wellington
18.09.2011 v Samoa W 17-10 in Hamilton
26.09.2011 v Namibia W 81-7 in New Plymouth
02.10.2011 v Fiji W 66-0 in Hamilton
GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-Ireland 2nd, Wales 10th
Europe Table-Ireland 3rd, Wales 4th
IRB Ranking Points
Ireland 83.14, Wales 80.73
Prediction: Ireland by 3 points
Teams

Ireland
15 Robert Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, Capt. 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Conor Murray, 8 James Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien,
6 Stephen Ferris, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Michael Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements
16 Sean Cronin, 17 Thomas Court, 18 Donnacha Ryan, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Jonathan Sexton, 22 Andrew Trimble.
Head Coach: Declan Kidney

Wales
15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 James Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Michael Phillips, 8 Tobias Faletau, 7 Samuel Warburton Capt., 6 Daniel Lydiate, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Huw Bennett, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements
16 Lloyd Burns, 17 Paul James, 18 Bradley Davies, 19 Ryan Jones, 20 Lloyd Williams, 21 James Hook, 22 Scott Williams.
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

RUGBY WORLD CUP: England v France, 2nd Quarter Final

08.10.2011

Venue: Eden Park, Auckland

Referee: Steve Walsh (Australia)

Preview
So much controversy surrounds these two teams at this Rugby World Cup, it’s difficult to find the rugby. France is a team falling apart at the seems from the coach down whilst England has had off field incidents that has caused eyebrows raised.

France could simply bounce back. If they do watch out. But I feel that they don’t have the passion or fibre to succeed this time. I met many French fans whilst in New Zealand. They have a colour, a zest and a passion for their team. But I also felt a great sad loss as they could see that their team is not in good health. I hope I’m wrong. I’m not suggesting that France will simply roll over but with such a tremendous amount of pressure on I feel it will be they who will buckle.

England have the grunt to win this game. They are not playing pretty but they can pull a win out of the mire and can hold. Often just. They should win.

Last Five Encounters
26.02.2011 England 17-9 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
20.03.2010 France 12-10 in Paris (6 Nations)
15.03.2009 England 34-10 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
23.02.2008 England 24-13 in Paris (6 Nations)
13.10.2007 England 14-9 in Marseilles (World Cup Warm up)

England This World Cup (Pool B)
10.09.2011 v Argentina W 13-9 in Dunedin
18.09.2011 v Georgia W 41-10 in Dunedin
24.09.2011 v Romania W 67-3 in Dunedin
01.10.2011 v Scotland W 16-12 in Auckland

France This World Cup (Pool A)
10.09.2011 v Japan W 47-21 in Albany
18.09.2011 v Canada W 46-19 in Napier
24.09.2011 v New Zealand L 17-37 in Auckland
01.10.2011 v Tonga L 14-19 in Wellington

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table-England 6th, France 9th
Europe Table-France 2nd, England 5th

IRB Ranking Points
England 84.54, France 83.72

Prediction: England by 8 points

England
15 Benjamin Foden, 14 Christopher Ashton, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Tobias Flood, 11 Mark Cueto, 10 Jonny Wilkinson, 9 Benjamin Youngs, 8 Nicholas Easter, 7 Lewis Moody,
6 Thomas Croft, 5 Thomas Palmer, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Daniel Cole, 2 Steven Thompson, 1 Matthew Stevens.
Replacements
16 Dylan Hartley, 17 Alexander Corbisiero, 18 Courtney Lawes, 19 Simon Shaw, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Matthew Banahan.
Head Coach: Martin Johnson

France
15 Maxime Médard, 14 Vincent Clerc, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Morgan Parra, 9 Dimitri Yachvili, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, Capt. 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Pascal Pape, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Jean-Baptiste Poux.
Replacements
16 Dimitri Szarzewski, 17 Fabien Barcella, 18 Julien Pierre, 19 Louis Picamoles, 20 Francois Trinh-Duc, 21 David Marty, 22 Cédric Heymans.
Head Coach: Marc Lievremont