ENGLAND v FIJI: Rugby World Cup, Pool A

18.09.2015

Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)

Image thanks to http://toursof2012sites.com

Venue: Twickenham

Pool Standings

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	TF	TA	BP	PT
AUSTRALIA
ENGLAND
FIJI
WALES
URUGUAY

Preview
Following the opening ceremony, the on field action for the 2015 Rugby World Cup finals begins with the England-Fiji clash.

The Fijians will produce some tough tackles and moments of brilliance in the first half and give the hosts an awful fright. But England will be expecting that. Their better fitness and skill levels will pull them through. They should be pulling away by the end of the match.

Fiji’s performances pre tournament have been impressive. Don’t be surprised if the scores are closer but only the wildest optimist would predict a Fiji win. Still test rugby is a funny old game and this is the rugby world cup.

Other Previews
http://www.englandrugby.com/news/features/england-fiji-facts-and-stats/

Last Five Encounters
10.11.2012 England 54-12 at Twickenham
20.10.1999 England 45-24 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final Playoff)
20.07.1991 England 28-12 in Suva
04.11.1989 England 58-23 at Twickenham
17.06.1988 England 25-12 in Suva

The 1988 game was the first full test between these two sides. Thus Fiji has never defeated England in test rugby.

Previous World Cups
20.10.1999 England 45-24 at Twickenham (World Cup, Quarter Final Playoff)

England Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
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)
21.03.2015 v France W 55-35 at Twickenham (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Scotland W 25-13 at Twickenham (Calcutta Cup, 6 Nations)

Fiji Last Five P 5, W 3, D 1, L 1
06.09.2015 v Canada W 47-18 in London (World Cup Warm Up)
03.08.2015 v Samoa W 39-29 in Vancouver (Pacific Nations Cup, Final)
29.07.2015 v Japan W 27-22 in Toronto (Pacific Nations Cup)
24.07.2015 v Samoa D 30-30 in Suva (Pacific Nations Cup)
18.07.2015 v New Zealand Maori L 26-27 in Suva

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: England 2nd, Fiji 11th

World Rugby Ranking Points
England 85.04, Fiji 77.04

Prediction: England by 17 points. Score 35-18

TEAMS

England

15		Michael Brown	London Harlequins
14		Anthony Watson	Bath Rugby
13		Jonathan Joseph	Bath Rugby
12		Bradley Barritt	London Saracens
11		Jonathan May	Gloucester Rugby
10		George Ford	Bath Rugby
9		Benjamin Youngs	Leicester Tigers
8		Benjamin Morgan	Gloucester Rugby
7		Christopher Robshaw (Capt.)	London Harlequins
6		Thomas Wood	Northampton Saints
5		Geofrey Parling	Exeter Chiefs
4		Courtney Laws	Northampton Saints
3		Daniel Cole	Leicester Tigers
2		Thomas Youngs	Leicester Tigers
1		Joseph Marler	London Harlequins
16		Robert Webber	Bath Rugby
17		Marko Vunipola	London Saracens
18		Kieran Brookes	Northampton Saints
19		Joseph Launchbury	London Wasps
20		William Vunipola	London Saracens
21		Richard Wigglesworth	London Saracens
22		Owen Farrell	London Saracens
23		Samuel Burgess	Bath Rugby
		HEAD COACH: Stuart Lancaster

Fiji

15		Metuisela Talebula Maijaina	Union Bordeaux Bègles, France
14		Waisea Nayacalevu Vuidravuwalu	Stade Français, France
13		Vereniki Goneva	Leicester Tigers, England
12		Gabiriele Lovobalavu	Unattached
11		Nemani Nadolo	Canterbury Crusaders, New Zealand
10		Benjamin Volavola	NSW Waratahs, Australia
9		Nikola Matawalu	Bath Rugby, England
8		Sakiusa Masi Matadigo	Lyon Olympique Universitaire, France
7		Akapusi Qera (Capt.)	Montpellier Hérault Rugby, France
6		Dominiko Waqaniburotukula	CA Brive, France
5		Leone Nakarawa	Glasgow Warriors, Scotland
4		Apisalome Ratuniyarawa	SU Agen, France
3		Manasa Saulo Ramumu	RC Timişoara, Romania
2		Sunia Koto Vuli	RC Narbonne Méditérranée, France
1		Campese Ma'afu	Provence Rugby, France
16		Tuapati Talemaitoga	Provence Rugby, France
17		Peni Ravai	Nadroga
18		Isei Colati	U S O Nivernaise, France
19		Tevita Cavubati	Tasman, New Zealand
20		Peceli Yato	Worcester Warriors, England
21		Nemia Kenatale	Farul Constanta, Romania
22		Joshua Matavesi	Neath Swansea Ospreys
23		Asaeli Tikoirotuma	London Irish, England
		HEAD COACH: John McKee

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiji_national_rugby_union_team

RUGBY WORLD CUP 2015

THIS IS WHAT IT IS ALL ABOUT. THE WEBB ELLIS TROPHY

Past winners
1987-New Zealand
1991-Australia
1995-South Africa
1999-Australia
2003-England
2007-South Africa
2011-New Zealand
2015-?

Opening Games This Weekend

18.09.2015
England v Fiji at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool A)

19.09.2015
South Africa v Japan in Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
Tonga v Georgia in Gloucester (World Cup, Pool C)
Ireland v Canada in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool D)
France v Italy at Twickenham (World Cup, Pool D)

20.09.2015
Wales v Uruguay in Cardiff (World Cup, Pool A)
Samoa v United States at Brighton (World Cup, Pool B)
New Zealand v Argentina in London (World Cup, Pool C)

TEST RUGBY RESULT: Saturday 12 September

12.09.2015
Poland 29, Sweden 11 at Enkoping (REC 1B)

Review by ‘Polter’ at http://t2rugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=637

This win in many ways was the best win for the Plonka, post Putra coaching regime. They've managed to beat under strength Swedish and woeful Czech Republic teams a few times, plus beaten the Netherlands at home, but this result vindicates their position in the division.

The loss of Daish was a blow to the Swedes, but Poland also missed several first choice players through injury or unavailability. All credit to Poland for getting 2 yellow cards and going down to 13 men and yet still coming away with a bonus point win. Sweden on the other hand only scored a try after a Poland mistake and 6 points during the yellow cards.

What next for Sweden? There is still a mathematical chance for them to stay up. The Netherlands are now the team to reel in but they have to rely on the Dutch not picking up any further points. 3 more home games will help the Swedes and as long as the best players they have can be picked it they will be far more competitive, but the disastrous first year of the campaign plus the need to win away in the Ukraine looks to be too much to make up. That said, they could still play a significant role in deciding who wins the division depending in how they do against the teams Belgium and Moldova send to Sweden.

And as for Poland? The countries rugby community really really needed this win. Hopefully the team will take a lot of confidence, get some more players back and put up a decent challenge to the Ukraine away in October and Moldova at home in November. Please don't sit back on your laurels and make this another false dawn....

Point scorers
Poland:
Tries-Gruszczyński (2), Bobryk, Rakowski.
Convs-Banaszek (3)
PGs-Banaszek

Sweden
Try-Gowland
Pgs-Tim Johansson (2)

Image thanks to http://pzrugby.pl

 

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	B	PT
BELGIUM	5	5	0	0	189	75	114	2	22
MOLDOVA	5	3	0	2	155	83	72	4	16
POLAND	6	3	0	3	132	157	-25	2	15
UKRAINE	5	3	0	2	108	81	27	1	13
NETHERLANDS	5	2	0	3	81	74	3	2	10
SWEDEN	6	0	0	6	60	255	-193	0	0

Remaining Fixtures 1B Division
26/09: Sweden v Belgium at Enkoping
10/10: Ukraine v Belgium in Kiev
07/11: Sweden v Moldova in Malmo (TBC)
14/11: Poland v Moldova in Warsaw
21/11: Ukraine v Moldova in Odessa
20/02: Belgium v Netherlands in Brussels
12/03: Moldova v Belgium in Chisinau
19/03: Poland v Belgium in Poland
19/03: Moldova v Netherlands in Chisinau
30/04: Netherlands v Poland in Amsterdam
30/04: Ukraine v Sweden in Kiev
07/05: Netherlands v Ukraine in Amsterdam
14/05: Sweden v Netherlands in Enkoping

SWEDEN v POLAND: REC 1B

12.09.2015

Venue: Enkoping, Sweden

Referee:

	P	W	D	L	PF	PA	DIFF	B	PT
BELGIUM	5	5	0	0	189	75	114	2	22
MOLDOVA	5	3	0	2	155	83	72	4	16
UKRAINE	5	3	0	2	108	81	27	1	13
NETHERLANDS	5	2	0	3	81	74	3	2	10
POLAND	5	2	0	3	103	146	-43	2	10
SWEDEN	5	0	0	5	49	226	-177	0	0

Preview
This rugby tests kicks off the second part of the Rugby Europe Championship. This second part determines who is promoted and who is relegated. The championship is contested each season.

Both teams languish at the bottom of the points table in Division 1B. Poland’s position looks reasonably safe but with a full squad of players Sweden will be desperate to avoid relegation. A loss today for the Swedes would virtually seal their fate.

’This looks to be as strong a sides as the Swedes could put out. The disharmony between players and the union that led to players from lower level clubs having to be picked instead of Exile players seems to be over. The Swedes have also been able to bring in Andrew Daish who plays in England and stood up well in their match against the Netherlands in May. The only notable exceptions would be the Exiles pair of Daniel Chamberlain at lock (unavailable) and back row Chris Bradley (injured).’

‘The flanker Aleksander Nowicki and lock/back row Tomasz Hebda have not been released by their Federal 1 clubs. The union web site also mentioned that neither has Thomas Pretkowski which is interesting given that he is one of the grandfather rule French players brought in during the Putra regime. The current coach has turned his back on the French nurtured players in favour of those domestically raised, however the dearth of top quality props in Poland may have required a U-turn on this policy. I remember Pretkowski playing a few games for the national side, and although unspectacular he did a solid job and that fact that he seems to start at tight head for Federal 1 Lille most weeks seems to be enough to try and get him back in the set up.

Other omissions include the injured lock Kruzycki and the number 8 Zeszutek. An interesting inclusion is Grabowski, the Lodz centre, who's brother plays in the back row for the Ukraine. He has Polish roots and also qualifies on residency and looks to be called in as Poland try to beef themselves up in the midfield as well as prop.

I travelled to Enkoping 4 years ago to watch this fixture when Poland were still chasing promotion and a bonus point win. Instead of kicking easy points they fell prey to a disciplined Swedish performance and came away with nothing which effectively led to the end of the Putra regime and the selection of French bred players. Since then Poland has slipped down the rankings. They have improved enormously off the pitch promoting the game, the international matches are held in I would say the best stadiums for the division, trainers from South Africa have also been brought in but the wins are just not coming. Poland seem to be able to score tries and have a good kicker, but defence has been a big issue. Let's see what they can do on Saturday. One key match up will be Bartoszek against Daish in the battle of the back rows.’

Thanks to ‘Polter’ at http://t2rugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=637

Last Five Encounters
06.09.2014 Poland 29-17 in Warsaw (REC 1B)
07.09.2013 Poland 30-9 in Warsaw (WCQ Europe R4; ENC 1B)
01.06.2013 Sweden 19-11 in Stockholm (WCQ Europe R4; ENC 1B)
11.10.2003 Poland 36-0 in Gdansk (ENC 2A)
05.10.2002 Poland 14-7 in Lund (ENC 2A)

Sweden Last Five P 5, L 5
30.05.2015 v Netherlands L 14-24 in Amsterdam (REC 1B)
28.03.2015 v Belgium L 10-71 in Brussels (REC 1B)
22.11.2014 v Moldova L 8-57 in Chisinau (REC 1B)
18.10.2014 v Ukraine L 0-45 in Enkoping (REC 1B)
26.09.2014 v Poland L 17-29 in Warsaw (REC 1B)

Poland Last Five P 5, W 2, L 3
09.05.2015 v Ukraine L 17-20 in Warsaw (REC 1B)
18.04.2015 v Belgium L 23-53 in Brussels (REC 1B)
15.11.2014 v Moldova L 25-48 in Chisinau (REC 1B)
18.10.2014 v Netherlands W 9-8 in Warsaw (REC 1B)
06.09.2014 v Sweden W 29-17 in Warsaw (REC 1B)

GWC Rugby Rankings
Europe Table: Poland 19th, Sweden 20th

IRB Ranking Points
Poland 49.84, Sweden 46.05

Prediction: Poland by 4 points. Score 21-17

TEAMS

Poland

15		Patryk Reksulak	Budowlani Łódź
14		Radoslaw Rakowski	Arka Gdynia
13		Tomasz Gasik	Orkan Sochaczew
12		Marek Grabowski	Budowlani Łódź
11		Tomasz Rokicki	Lechia Gdańsk
10		Dawid Banaszek	Arka Gdynia
9		Łukasz Szostek	Arka Gdynia
8		Paweł Dąbrowski	Arka Gdynia
7		Mateusz Bartoszek	SMRC Saint Médard, France
6		Marek Płonka jnr	Lechia Gdańsk
5		Paweł Poniatowski	Skra Warszawa
4		Stanisław Powala-Niedźwiecki	Ogniwo Sopot
3		Radosław Bysewski	Arka Gdynia
2		Kamil Bobryk (Capt.)	SC Vienne, France
1		Mariusz Wilczuk	Ogniwo Sopot
16		Adrian Chróściel	Pogoń Siedlce
17		Grzegorz Janiec	USRP Romans, France
18		Cyprian Majcher	Budowlani Łódź
19		Piotr Karpiński II	Budowlani Łódź
20		Dawid Plichta	Orkan Sochaczew
21		Rafał Szrejber	Arka Gdynia
22		Sebastian Gruszczyński	Posnania Posnania Poznań
23		Grzegorz Buczek	Lechia Gdańsk
		HEAD COACH: Marek Plonka

http://t2rugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=637

Sweden Squad

Alexander Rappestad Norrköping RK Trojan
Alexander Johansson Vänersborg RK
André Eriksson Pingvin RC (Trelleborg)
Andrew Daish Old Albanian RFC (England)
Dustin Eaton Stockholm Exiles RFC
Erik Arvidsson Pingvin RC (Trelleborg)
Grant Duffy Stockholm Exiles RFC
Henrik Ek Norrköping RK Trojan
Ian Gowland (Capt.) Stockholm Exiles RFC
James Darbyshire Stockholm Exiles RFC
Jonas Zengler Norrköping RK Trojan
Karl Linderoth Stockholm Exiles RFC
Mark Beveridge Stockholm Exiles RFC
Matt Mitchell Stockholm Exiles RFC
Måns Derk Södertälje RK
Neil Erasmus Stockholm Exiles RFC
Oliver Callaghan Amstelveense RC (Holland)
Rikus van Niekerk Stockholm Exiles RFC
Robin Fransson Stockholm Exiles RFC
Sean Burke Stockholm Exiles RFC
Tim Karl Johansson Stockholm Exiles RFC
Tobias Röstam Pingvin RC (Trelleborg)
Mak Jelek Dozo Stockholm Exiles RFC

http://t2rugby.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=637

NO POSTS 08.08.2015 to 11.09.2015

Regret no posts on this blog during the above dates as I was away on holiday.

WORLD CUP WARM UP TEST: Ireland v Wales

08.08.2015

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Preview
Both these teams are fielding experimental sides with fringe players getting the opportunity to stake a claim for inclusion in their national Rugby World Cup squads.

Ireland will take the opportunity to get revenge over Wales after their defeat in Cardiff during the 6 Nations this year. Wales’ win robbed the Irish of a Grand Slam although they did go on to take the 6 Nations title.

Wales’ side is less experimental than Ireland’s and they look stronger in the forwards. This will be a game that won’t be memorable but I’ll give Wales a narrow win.

I still think Ireland will have their best ever Rugby World Cup.

Last Five Encounters Wales 3, Ireland 2
14.03.2015 Wales 23-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
08.02.2014 Ireland 26-3 in Dublin (6 Nations)
02.02.2013 Ireland 30-22 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
05.02.2012 Wales 23-21 in Dublin (6 Nations)
08.10.2011 Wales 22-10 in Wellington (World Cup QF)

Ireland Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
21.03.2015 v Scotland W 40-10 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Wales L 16-23 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
01.03.2015 v England W 19-9 in Dublin (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v France W 18-11 in Dublin (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v Italy W 26-3 in Rome (6 Nations)

Wales Last Five P 5, W 4, L 1
21.03.2015 v Italy W 61-20 in Rome (6 Nations)
14.03.2015 v Ireland W 23-16 in Cardiff (6 Nations)
28.02.2015 v France W 20-13 in Paris (6 Nations)
14.02.2015 v Scotland W 26-23 at Murrayfield (6 Nations)
07.02.2015 v England L 16-21 in Cardiff (6 Nations)

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

World Rugby Ranking Points
Ireland 85.76, Wales 84.07

Prediction: Wales by 3 points Score: 24-21

TEAMS

Wales
15 Hallam Amos, 14 Alexander Cuthbert, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Scott Williams (Capt.), 11 Eli Walker, 10 James Hook, 9 Michael Phillips, 8 Daniel Baker,
7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Aaron Jarvis,
2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Nicholas Smith.

Replacements
16 Robert Evans, 17 Kristian Dacey, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 James King,
20 Taulupe Faletau, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 Gareth Anscombe, 23 Matthew Morgan.

Head Coach: Warren Gatland

Ireland
15 Felix Jones, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Darren Cave, 11 Fergus McFadden, 10 Patrick Jackson, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 James Heaslip (Capt),
7 Thomas O'Donnell, 6 Jordi Murphy, 5 Donnacha Ryan, 4 Iain Henderson,
3 Michael Ross, 2 Richardt Strauss, 1 Jack McGrath

Replacements
16 Rory Best, 17 David Kilcoyne, 18 Michael Bent, 19 Daniel Tuohy, 20 Chris Henry, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Simon Zebo

Head Coach: Joe Schmidt

Team lists adapted from http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_68344,00.html

Milestones

• Test debuts: Wales. Dominic Day, Ross Moriarty, Hallam Amos and Tyler Morgan.
• Donnacha Ryan, Andrew Trimble and Keith Earls return to test rugby after lengthy spells.
• Mike Ross will play his 50th test for Ireland.
  

BLEDISLOE CUP: RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

08.08.2015
New Zealand v Australia in Sydney

Venue: ANZ Stadium, Sydney

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Preview
It’s all happening in Sydney this weekend. The Rugby Championship decider sees the Wallabies take on the All Blacks in what is one of the traditional rivalries of test rugby.

Australia has a lot going for it in this match. They will want to end the four years of drought in tests involving New Zealand. They have improved since last November’s northern tour and under Cheika has gone from strength to strength. They appear to be building nicely for the World Cup. A win against New Zealand tonight will be a huge boost for their confidence, an area seriously lacking in the Australian team for some time. They will need to catch New Zealand on a bad day however.

The All Blacks have a history of performing well before and World Cup and then croaking at Semi-final or final hurdles, 2011 being an exception. It is a very nervous time for New Zealand supporters and I’m sure the team has this in mind as well. At this stage they are performing very close to world champions and I can’t see them losing tonight.

Last Five Encounters NZ 4, Drawn 1.
18.10.2014 New Zealand 29-28 in Brisbane (Bledisloe Cup)
23.08.2014 New Zealand 51-20 in Auckland (Rugby Champ., Bledisloe Cup)16.08.2014 Drawn 12-12 in Sydney (Bledisloe Cup; Rugby Champ.)
19.10.2013 New Zealand 41-33 in Dunedin (Bledisloe Cup)
24.08.2013 New Zealand 27-16 in Wellington (Rugby Champ., Bledisloe Cup)

Australia Last Five P 5, W 2, L 3
25.07.2015 v Argentina W 34-9 in Mendoza (Rugby Championship)
18.07.2015 v South Africa W 24-20 in Brisbane (Rugby Champ., Mandela Cup)
29.11.2014 v England L 17-26 at Twickenham (Cook Cup)
22.11.2014 v Ireland L 23-26 in Dublin
15.11.2014 v France L 26-29 in Paris

New Zealand Last Five P 5, W 5
25.07.2015 v South Africa W 27-20 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)17.07.2015 v Argentina W 39-18 in Christchurch (Rugby Championship)
08.07.2015 v Samoa W 25-16 in Apia
22.11.2014 v Wales W 34-16 in Cardiff
15.11.2014 v Scotland W 24-16 at Murrayfield

GWC Rugby Rankings
World Table: Australia 4th, New Zealand 5th
Oceania Table: New Zealand 1st, Australia 2nd

World Rugby Ranking Points
New Zealand 94.33, Australia 85.23

Prediction Score: New Zealand 25-16

TEAMS

Australia
15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matthew Giteau, 11 Andrew Mitchell, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nicholas Phipps, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Scott Fardy, 5 James Horwill, 4 Dean Mumm,
3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Stephen Moore (Capt.) 1 Scott Sio,

Replacements
16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Gregory Holmes, 19 William Skelton, 20 Benjamin McCalman, 21 Nicholas White, 22 Matthew Toomua,
23 Kurtley Beale.

Head Coach: Michael Cheika

New Zealand
15 Benjamin Smith, 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder, 13 Conrad Smith, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Julian Savea, 10 Daniel Carter, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read,
7 Richie McCaw (Capt.), 6 Jerome Kaino, 5 Luke Romano, 4 Brodie Retallick,
3 Owen Franks, 2 Dane Coles, 1 Tony Woodcock.

Replacements
16 Codie Taylor, 17 Benjamin Franks, 18 Nepo Laulala, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Samuel Cane, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Beauden Barrett, 23 Malakai Fekitoa.

Head Coach: Steve Hansen

Milestones

• Test debut: New Zealand. Nehe Milner-Skudder
• Richie McCaw will eqial Brian O’Driscoll’s world record 141 test caps.

Team lists adapted from http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_68416,00.html

TEST RUGBY THIS WEEKEND

08.08.2015
New Zealand v Australia in Sydney (Bledisloe Cup, Rugby Championship)
South Africa v Argentina in Durban (Rugby Championship)
Ireland v Wales in Cardiff (World Cup Warm Up)
Kenya v Namibia in Windhoek (Africa Cup 1A)

Briefly
The warm up fixtures will be well and truly underway this weekend with the first 6 Nations side hitting out. Ireland and Wales clash in Cardiff.

The Africa Cup 1A competition continues with Namibia at home against up-and-coming Kenya. It will be a big test for both sides. Kenya has impressed this season whilst Namibia will be keen to add the Africa Cup to the silverware cabinet before they land in England for the World Cup. They have another game in Windhoek next weekend. This will be the last Africa Cup 1A game and it will be against Zimbabwe.

The final round of the 2015 Rugby Championship (shortened because of the Rugby World Cup) will see a final between New Zealand and Australia in Sydney. Both teams go into this test match undefeated. Australia, as hosts, will be eager to defeat New Zealand for the first time in four years. New Zealand captain will equal Brian O’Driscoll’s world record 141st test caps. This game will be a cracker. Can’t wait!

In the other game South Africa meets Argentina in Durban to sort out the minor placings. The Rugby Championship though is not really the top prize for 2015. These games are really just curtain raisers.

PACIFIC NATIONS CUP: Finals Day

03.08.2015
Fiji 39, Samoa 29 in Vancouver (Pacific Nations Cup, Final)
Tonga 31, Japan 20 in Vancouver (Pacific Nations Cup, Playoff 3^rd-4th)
United States 15, Canada 13 in Vancouver (Pacific Nations Cup, Playoff 5^th-6th)

Briefly
Fiji finished strongly to defeat Samoa and recapture their dominance of Pacific rugby. Japan were defeated by Tonga and although this was not their strongest combination appear to have lost a little gloss to their game. The United States scored five penalty goals to sink Canada who slumped to last place in this competition. This was a huge disappointment for the host nation. They will be more than a little worried about their poor form leading up to the Rugby World Cup/

TEST RUGBY RESULT; 1 August

01.08.2015
Uruguay 30, Argentina XV 26 in Montevideo (World Cup Warm up)

Briefly
It may not have been Argentina’s first team (That team is in South Africa preparing for the Rugby Championship test against South Africa this Saturday) but a number of the Argentine side would have the opportunity to stake a claim for inclusion into the World Cup Puma’s side. They were in for a big shock!

Uruguay were playing their last test in front of their home crowd before they venture off the prepare for the Rugby World Cup. And play their hearts out they did. They inflicted a first ever defeat of an Argentinean side by another South American side.

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP: Round 2

25.07.2015
New Zealand 27, South Africa 20 in Johannesburg (Rugby Championship)
Australia 34, Argentina 9 in Mendoza (Rugby Championship)

Briefly
Australia out muscled and out thought Argentina in Mendoza to win convincingly. The result was very disappointing for Argentina who made all the play early in the match and spun the ball whenever they could.

Australia’s solid defence was the key. Towards the end two quick tries against a tiring Argentina sealed the match.

New Zealand played a very patient game against South Africa. Their defence held against a determined Springbox side that played a very open game at pace (very much like the All Blacks) but mistakes were costly especially in the second half. It was at this stage that New Zealand began to take control and were on top towards the end.

Next

08.08.2015
Australia v New Zealand in Sydney
South Africa v Argentina in Durban

This is the last round in a shortened Rugby Championship for 2015. The New Zealand-Australia game will virtually be the final; The winner takes the title.