WORLD CUP SEMI FINALS

17.10.2015
South Africa 23, Wales 19 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand 62, France 13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

Briefly
South Africa scored a brilliant try just before the end of the game to end Wales’ hopes of progressing towards the semi-finals. In a fast and ferocious game the result could have gone either way

AMAZING

That has to be said about the way the All Blacks totally dismantled a dispirited and outclassed French side. The result almost certainly ended the coaching career of Philipe Saint-Andre. This performance has certainly placed the All Blacks back in the favourite position to progress further when they take on South Africa next weekend.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: South Africa v Wales Quarter-final 1

17.10.2015

Venue: Twickenham

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Preview
The first of the World Cup semi-finals is a huge game for both teams. South Africa started the tournament with a disastrous loss to Japan whilst Wales has reeled from one major injury crises to another. Despite this both teams have made strong efforts to reach this stage and deserve to be here.

Wales became the first nail in the English rugby coffin for 2015. Their stunning comeback in the second half showed this is a team with real character.

South Africa were in disgrace back home after their loss to Japan. An unthinkable result for the die-hard Springbok supporters of a proud rugby nation. They have pulled their game together and played some powerful expansive rugby to defeat Scotland and Samoa in pool play.

This is going to a bruising encounter. Both teams have a very physical approach to the game. I’m going for Wales because they will match the South Africa physical game but have a very young and enterprising backline. They will also have the vast majority of the Twickenham crowd behind them-a sea of red.

Last Five Encounters
29.11.2014 Wales 12-6 in Cardiff
21.06.2014 South Africa 31-30 in Nelspruit
14.06.2014 South Africa 38-16 in Durban
09.11.2013 South Africa 24-15 in Cardiff
11.09.2011 South Africa 17-16 in Wellington (World Cup, Pool D)

Previous World Cups
11.09.2011 South Africa 17-16 in Wellington (Pool D)

South Africa Last Five P 5, W 3, L 2
07.10.2015 v United States W 64-0 in London (World Cup, Pool B)
03.10.2015 v Scotland W 34-16 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)
26.09.2015 v Samoa W 46-6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
19.09.2015 v Japan L 32-34 in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
08.08.2015 v Argentina L 25-37 in Durban (Rugby Championship)

Wales Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
10.10.2015 v Australia L 6-15 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
01.10.2015 v Wales W 23-13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
26.09.2015 v England W 28-25 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
20.09.2015 v Uruguay W 54-9 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
05.09.2015 v Italy W 23-19 in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Wales 2nd, South Africa 7th

World Rugby Ranking Points
Wales 85.71, South Africa 84.58

Prediction: Wales by 2 points. Score 24-22

TEAMS

South Africa
15 William le Roux, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende,
11 Bryan Habana, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Fourie du Preez (Capt.), 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements
16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Jannie du Plessis, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Willem Alberts, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Patrick Lambie, 23 Jan Serfontein.
Head Coach: Heyneke Meyer

Wales
15 Gareth Anscombe, 14 Alexander Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 James Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Daniel Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Samuel Warburton (Capt.), 6 Daniel Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones,
4 Luke Charteris, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements
16 Kenneth Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Thomas Francis, 19 Bradley Davies,
20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 James Hook
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

RUGBY WORLD CUP

I am at a antique fair in Latrobe, Tasmania this weekend. I’m not sure how much time I will have to cover these games.

17.10.2015
South Africa v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand v France in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

Here are my predictions
Wales by 2 over South Africa. Score 24-22
New Zealand by 19 over France. Score 33-14

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Quarter Finalists Confirmed

17.10.2015
South Africa v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 1)
New Zealand v France in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 2)

18.10.2015
Ireland v Argentina in Cardiff (World Cup, Quarter Final 3)
Australia v Scotland at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final 4)

Briefly
Here they are. Now we are down to the real business end of the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The eight quarter finalists are listed above.

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Results Saturday 10 October

Australia 15, Wales 6 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
England 60, Uruguay 3 in Manchester (World Cup, Pool A)
Scotland 36, Samoa 33 in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)

Briefly
Australia put on a stunning ten minute display of defence against Wales in the second half. Reduced to 13 players they held out a great effort by Wales to score in a thrilling encounter. The score was 12-6 to Australia. A Welsh try with the conversion would have put them in the lead. But Wales could not breach the defence. Stand up tall Australia and be proud. Yet another amazing game at this tournament.

Probably the best game of rugby at the tournament to date saw Scotland just edge out Samoa 36-33. What a game! Running rugby at its best. Whew!!

England defeated Uruguay 60-3. That was that!

After today’s results the quarter finals look like this.

Australia v Scotland
Wales v South Africa
New Zealand v Ireland or France
Ireland or France v Argentina

The quarter finals will take place next Saturday and Sunday

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Saturday’s Games

Due to other commitments previews have to be brief.

10.10.2015
Australia v Wales at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)

This is a crucial game in Pool A. The winner will take top spot and will play either Scotland or Japan in the quarter finals. The loser will have the much harder game against South Africa.

Prediction: Wales by 5 points. Score 26-21

England v Uruguay in Manchester (World Cup, Pool A)

Nothing much to write about this one. England are out of the tournament and will want to appease their fans with a huge win which they are capable of doing. Uruguay will be going home without a win and having to re qualify for the 2019 tournament.

Prediction: England by 73 points. Score 81-8

Samoa v Scotland in Newcastle (World Cup, Pool B)

Samoa has been a huge disappointment at this tournament. They will put up a good fight in the first half but I expect Scotland to be too strong in the second.

Prediction: Scotland by 13 points. Score 24-11

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Thursday 1 October

01.10.2015
Wales 23, Fiji 13 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
France 41, Canada 18 in Milton Keynes (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
Fiji and Wales put on a very entertaining game in Cardiff before Wales finally won 23-13. Fiji’s scrum often pushed the Welsh back at scrum time but they were unable to finish off some exciting free flowing moves. Wales’ defence was very good.

France overcame a very determined and spirited Canadian side in another very entertaining game.

POOL A

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
WALES	3	3	0	0	105	47	58	11	2	1	13
ENGLAND	2	1	0	1	60	39	21	5	2	2	6
AUSTRALIA	2	2	0	0	93	16	77	14	1	1	9
FIJI	3	0	0	3	37	86	-49	3	9	0	0
URUGUAY	2	0	0	2	12	119	-107	0	19	0	0

Coming Up
03/10: England v Australia
06/10: Fiji v Uruguay

POOL D

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
IRELAND	2	2	0	0	94	17	77	13	2	2	10
FRANCE	3	3	0	0	111	40	71	12	4	1	14
ITALY	2	1	0	1	33	50	-17	1	2	0	4
CANADA	3	0	0	3	36	114	-71	3	12	1	1
ROMANIA	2	0	0	2	21	82	-61	1	5	0	0

Coming Up
04/10: Ireland v Italy
06/10: Canada v Romania

RUGBY WORLD CUP: October 2. Wales v Fiji

Wales v Fiji in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)

Preview
This has been a long anticipated World Cup match ever since Fiji upset Wales 38-34 at the 2007 RWC in France. The win eliminated Wales from the tournament. Wales atoned for that loss with a 66-0 thumping of a very unhappy Fijian side at the 2011 RWC.

Both sides are affected by injuries to key players which will level the field. However Wales will be buoyed by their win against England, a team Fiji succumbed to in the opening game of the tournament.Unless Fiji can produce a game out of the hat like they did in 2007 I can see Wales outlasting the Islanders in the second half. This is a very different Welsh side to the one in 2007.

Prediction: Wales by 21 points. Score 42-21

TEAMS

Wales
15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Alexander Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 James Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Daniel Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Samuel Warburton (Capt.), 6 Daniel Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones,
4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements
16 Kenneth Owens, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Luke Charteris,
20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 James Hook.
Head Coach: Warren Gatland

Fiji
15 Metuisela Talebula, 14 Timoci Nagusa, 13 Vereniki Goneva, 12 Lepani Botia, 11 Aseli Tikoirotuma, 10 Benjamin Volavola, 9 Nemia Kenatale, 8 Netani Talei, 7 Akapusi Qera (Capt.), 6 Dominiko Waqaniburotu, 5 Leone Nakarawa,
4 Tevita Cavubati, 3 Manasa Saulo, 2 Sunia Koto, 1 Campese Maafu.
Replacements
16 Viliame Veikoso, 17 Peni Ravia, 18 Leeroy Atalifo, 19 Nemia Soqeta,
20 Malakai Ravulo, 21 Henry Seniloli, 22 Joshua Matavesi, 23 Kini Murimurivalu.
Head Coach” John McKee

France v Canada in Milton Keynes (World Cup, Pool D)

RUGBY WORLD CUP: Saturday 27 September

26.09.2015
Wales 28, England 25 at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)
South Africa 46, Samoa 6 in Birmingham (World Cup, Pool B)
Italy 23, Canada 18 in Leeds (World Cup, Pool D)

Briefly
After being behind in just about every aspect of the games Wales stormed home in the last quarter of the match to snatch a 28-25 win over England in their pool match. The Twickenham crowd was noisy and full of song for most of the match as England looked to have the game well under control when leading 21-12 with 30 minutes remaining. Wales’ comeback was remarkable but came with costly injuries.

England now have to win against Australia on the 3rd October to hold second place in the pool or become the first Rugby World Cup host to miss the quarter finals. Desperate stuff.

South Africa blew away the memory of the loss to Japan with an emphatic 46-6 victory over a brave but outclassed Samoan side. The Samoans were not match for a South African side that were determined to stamp their mark on this tournament. Sadly South African captain Jean de Villiers has been ruled out of the tournament with a broken jaw.

Italy had to struggle past a gallant Canadian side that came close to scoring the second major upset of the tournament.

ENGLAND v WALES: Rugby World Cup Pool A

26.09.2015

Venue: Twickenham

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
WALES	1	1	0	0	54	9	45	8	0	1	5
ENGLAND	1	1	0	0	35	11	24	4	1	1	5
AUSTRALIA	1	1	0	0	28	13	15	3	1	0	4
FIJI	2	0	0	2	24	63	-39	2	7	0	0
URUGUAY	1	0	0	1	9	54	-45	0	8	0	0

Preview
It doesn’t get bigger than this game in Rugby World Cup Pool play. Two of Europe’s fiercest rivals will square off in the pool of death. Apart from the France-Ireland clash in Pool D this is one of THE crucial games before the quarter finals. Both teams have everything to win and an awful lot to lose from the outcome.

England were shaky in their 35-11 win over Fiji in the opening game of this tournament. They did enough but didn’t impress against a tough Fijian side who played a part of that game with 14 men. Their second game in front of their home crowd will see a huge improvement.

Wales’ preparation for this game was an easy win over Uruguay, hardly ideal before such a crucial game. Their lead up form was impressive during the warm up games which included, like England, a win over 6 Nations Champion Ireland.

So this is it. The first BIG clash of the tournament. It at the home of rugby and it will be in front of a packed house. What an atmosphere! What a game!

Last Five Encounters  W 3, E 2
06.02.2015 England 21-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
09.03.2014 England 29, Wales 18 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
16.03.2013 Wales 30-3 at Cardiff (6 Nations)
25.02.2012 Wales 19-12 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
13.08.2011 Wales 19-9 in Cardiff (World Cup Warm-up)

Previous Rugby World Cups
08.06.1987 Wales 16-3 in Brisbane (World Cup)

England Last Five P 5, W 3, L 2
05.09.2015 v Ireland W 21-13 at Twickenham (World Cup Warm Up)
22.08.2015 v France L 20-25 in Paris (World Cup Warm Up)
15.08.2015 v France W 19-15 at Twickenham (World Cup Warm Up)
14.03.2015 v Scotland W 25-13 at Twickenham (6 Nations;Calcutta Cup)
01.03.2015 v Ireland L 9-19 in Dublin (6 Nations)

Wales Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
05.09.2015 v Italy W 23-19 in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)
29.08.2015 v Ireland W 16-10 in Dublin (World Cup warm Up)
08.08.2015 v Ireland L 21-35 in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)
21.03.2015 v Italy W 61-20 in Rome (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Ireland W 23-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Wales 1st, England 2nd

World Rugby Ranking Points
England 85.04, wales 84.63

Data from www.rugbyinternational.net

Prediction: England by 6 points. Score 29-23

TEAMS

England
15 Michael Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Bradley Barritt, 12 Samuel Burgess, 11 Jonathon May, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Benjamin Youngs, 8 William Vunipola, 7 Christopher Robshaw (Capt.), 6 Thomas Wood, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Geoffrey Parling, 3 Daniel Cole, 2 Thomas Youngs, 1 Joseph Marler
Replacements
16 Robert Webber, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Joseph Launchbury, 20 James Haskell, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 George Ford,
23 Alexander Goode

Head Coach: Stuart Lancaster

Wales
15 Liam Williams, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 James Roberts,
11 Hallam Amos, 10 Daniel Biggar, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau,
7 Samuel Warburton (Capt.), 6 Daniel Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements
16 Kenneth Owens, 17 Aaron Jarvis, 18 Samson Lee, 19 Luke Charteris,
20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Rhys Priestland, 23 Alexander Cuthbert

Head Coach: Warren Gatland

WALES 54, URUGUAY 9: World Cup Pool A

20.09.2015
Wales 54, Uruguay 9 in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)

Review
Wales were too strong for Uruguay on their home turf and notched up a satisfactory 54-9 win. Their injury worries continued as Liam Williams, Paul James, Cory Allen and prop Samson Lee were all replaced during the game because of injuries. Prior to the tournament Leigh Halfpenny, Rhys Webb and Eli Walker withdrew from the team because of injuries.

It wasn’t a convincing performance but it was a good win. Uruguay were spirited in play, defended well early on and never gave up.

Wale’s next game is the big class against England at Twickenham this weekend whilst Uruguay face an even bigger opponent when the face Australia (and later England !) in 6 days time.

Wales was just too much for Uruguay to handle
Image thanks to www.theguardian.com

Other Reviews
http://www.espnscrum.com/scrum/rugby/story/275413.html

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/sep/20/wales-v-uruguay-rugby-world-cup-2015-live

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_81256,00.html

POOL A

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	TF	TA	BP	PT
WALES	1	1	0	0	54	9	45	8	0	1	5
ENGLAND	1	1	0	0	35	11	24	4	1	1	5
FIJI	1	0	0	1	11	35	-24	1	4	0	0
URUGUAY	1	0	0	1	9	54	-45	0	8	0	0
AUSTRALIA	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

 

18.09.2015	ENGLAND	35	FIJI	11	TWICKENHAM
20.09.2015	WALES	54	URUGUAY	9	CARDIFF
23.09.2015	AUSTRALIA		FIJI		CARDIFF
26.09.2015	ENGLAND		WALES		TWICKENHAM
27.09.2015	AUSTRALIA		URUGUAY		BIRMINGHAM
01.10.2015	WALES		FIJI		CARDIFF
03.10.2015	ENGLAND		AUSTRALIA		TWICKENHAM
06.10.2015	FIJI		URUGUAY		MILTON KEYNES
10.10.2015	AUSTRALIA		WALES		TWICKENHAM
10.10.2015	ENGLAND		URUGUAY		MANCHESTER

Data from www.rugbyinternational.net