Filed under: RWC - Pool A
Boks do the business again
Reuters | Sunday, 30 September 2007
South Africa winger Bryan Habana scored twice to lead the Springboks to a 64-15 win over a brave United States in the final pool game of the World Cup.
Habana followed up his record-equalling four-try haul against Samoa in his team’s first Pool A game with two more touchdowns as the Springboks finished off their preparations for next week’s quarter-final against Fiji in devastating style.
South Africa, who won the World Cup at home in 1995 and are looming as one of the teams to beat this time after ending up on the opposite side of the draw as New Zealand, Australia, England and France, were not at their very best but still managed to notch nine tries in a loose but highly entertaining game.
Outside centre Jaque Fourie crossed twice in the second half while loose forward Schalk Burger, replacement prop CJ van der Linde, inside centre Francois Steyn, scrumhalf Fourie du Preez and flanker Juan Smith all bagged one each.
The Americans were outclassed from the start and finished the tournament without a win at the bottom of the Pool A standings but salvaged some pride by scoring two tries, including a length-of-the-field effort from Takudzwa Ngwenya that ranked among the best of the competition.
South Africa’s dominance was evident early when they opened the scoring after just nine minutes when Burger scooped up a low pass from flyhalf Butch James to dive over in his first game back from a two-match suspension for a dangerous tackle on Samoan scrumhalf Junior Polu.
Utility back Steyn, who escaped a ban after being cited for biting against Tonga, scored South Africa’s second five-pointer in the 27th minute when he weaved his way past three defenders after the Americans were reduced to 14 men when flanker Todd Clever was sin-binned for a professional foul.
Habana crossed for his first try just before the break when he finished off a sweeping backline move in the left corner before the U.S. chanced their arm to score at the other end of the field and bring the Mosson stadium crowd to their feet.
With the Springboks piling on the pressure, the combative Clever intercepted the ball from inside the American quarter then offloaded to Alec Parker, who found Mike Hercus, who threw a long cut-out pass to Zimbabwean-born Ngwenya who sidestepped Habana and sprinted away to score under the posts and cut the margin to 24-10 at halftime.
Habana made amends for his defensive lapse when he scored his second a minute after the re-start to secure his team’s bonus point but left the field shortly after following a nasty head clash with Ngwenya that robbed him of the chance for a hat-trick as the floodgates burst open and the Springboks piled on 40 points in the second term.
Loosehead prop Brendon Botha was also substituted in the first half after injuring his leg but the Springboks did not take any more chances once the game was wrapped up, emptying the bench to save their best players for Fiji.
Fullback Chris Wyles scored a second consolation try for his team in the second half but the Americans were unable to contain the Springboks in the final quarter as they piled on 28 unanswered points to crack the half-century for the second time in the tournament and send an ominous warning to their title rivals.
South Africa 64: Schalk Burger, Francois Steyn, Bryan Habana 2, CJ van der Linde, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie 2, Juan Smith; Conversions: Percy Montgomery 6 con, pen; Butch James 2 con.
US 15: Takudzwa Ngwenya, Chris Wyles tries; Mike Hercus con, pen.
HT: 24-10
Filed under: RWC - Pool D
Argentina turf Ireland out of cup
PARIS, 30 September – Argentina have sent Ireland out of the world cup with a 30-15 defeat at Parc des Princes on Sunday.
Ireland, who needed victory with a four-try bonus point and a margin of at least eight points to qualify for the quarter-finals, were on the attack from the outset.
But the Argentines had other plans as they were looking to wrap up top place in Pool D and avoid having to face the tournament-favourite All Blacks in Cardiff on Saturday.
Staunch defence
The South Americans shut down Ireland with tenacious defence and a structured game that will serve them well in the later stages.
No matter what Ireland threw at Argentina, the boys from the Emerald Isle just could not budge the Argentine defence.
“We knew Ireland was going to be very physical, we just wanted to play a full game,” Argentina captain and scrum half Agustin Pichot said.
Ireland head coach Eddie O’Sullivan said he was ”hugely disappointed” by the loss.
“I thought we had a chance today if we got things going. We did at time get things going in stages.
“It was a tough day.”
Thrilled coach
Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda was understandably thrilled with his side’s performance and was looking forward to the quarter-final match against Scotland at the Stade de France in Paris next Sunday.
“We have to be very quiet and still be very humble and to work as hard as we did to get here,” Loffreda said.
Pichot agreed.
“Scotland are a great team, they are in the top eight. But we arrive being favourite against them as well,” he said.
Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll was philosophical after the match, acknowledging that Argentina always made it tough to score tries.
“It is difficult defending a team who refuses to play in their own half,” O’Driscoll said.
“For a large part of the match they are in your 22, kicking the ball in the air. They played a good kicking game.”
Points to ponder
While the Pumas are looking forward to their quarter-final, Ireland will now head home trying to figure out where it all went wrong for them at this tournament.
Despite lacklustre performances, O’Sullivan said he still had faith in his team and was adamant that his future as coach was secure.
“I’ve never walked away from a challenge and I don’t intend to start now,” he said.
“There are a lot of good players in this side. We created a lot of expectation in coming here, both from ourselves and from our supporters. We haven’t lived up to it,” he said.
RNS dm/mp/pr
Filed under: RWC - Pool D
France crush Georgia to make quarters
Reuters | Sunday, 30 September 2007
Two tries by record-breaking wing Christophe Dominici helped France crush Georgia 64-7 in their final Pool D match to advance to the World Cup quarter-finals where they will face New Zealand.
The hosts finished runners-up in the pool to Argentina, who defeated Ireland 30-15 later in the day.
Needing four tries to secure a bonus point that would have given them a slim hope of finishing top of the group before the outcome of the Argentina-Ireland match was known, France ran in nine in Marseille.
Dominici became his country’s record try scorer in World Cup history after taking his tally to eight, while young flyhalf Lionel Beauxis also made a telling contribution, scoring a try and kicking 19 points.
“Our duty was to win with a bonus point, it’s done,” said France coach Bernard Laporte, whose team put themselves in a tricky situation by losing to Argentina in the tournament opener on September 7.
“The players wanted to set the record straight after losing their first match and they’ve done it by winning the next three. I’m proud of them,” Laporte told reporters before rushing to go and watch the match between Ireland and Argentina on television with his players.
France will take on the All Blacks in Cardiff next Saturday, while Argentina meet Scotland in Paris on the Sunday.
Georgia, who had to be content with a late consolation try from replacement flanker Zviad Maisurardze, looked helpless at times but will go home proud after scoring their first World Cup win by beating Namibia 30-0 in their previous game.
A determined France moved ahead after three minutes with a Beauxis penalty.
Then came a brilliant move sparked by centre Yannick Jauzion, who slalomed through the Georgian defence before setting up Clement Poitrenaud for the first try, which Beauxis converted.
Losing scrumhalf Pierre Mignoni through injury and replacing him by Jean-Baptiste Elissalde did not slow down France’s forward march.
Two more Beauxis penalties, including one from over 50 metres, followed when Georgia were temporarily reduced to 10 men with a yellow card for prop Mamuka Magrakvelidze.
France chose that moment to score their second try through flanker Yannick Nyanga, who surged from a rolling maul after a lineout.
A classic move from the French backs gave the home side a third try by the outstanding Beauxis, whose conversion put France 30-0 at halftime
France stayed in total control after the break, Dominici scoring his two tries after astute kicks from Beauxis and Elissalde.
Hooker Sebastien Bruno and lock Lionel Nallet contributed from mauls and Remy Martin also touched down before Georgia were again reduced to 14 for the closing stages, this time after a dangerous tackle by centre Revaz Gicauri.
No 8 Julien Bonnaire completed the demolition after another fluent combination thrilled the Marseille crowd.
France 64: Clement Poitrenaud, Yannick Nyanga, Lionel Beauxis, Christophe Dominici 2, Sebastien Bruno, Lionel Nallet, Remy Martin, Julien Bonnaire tries; Beauxis 5 cons, 3 pens.
Georgia 7: Zviad Maisuradze try; Malkhaz Urjukashvili con. Ht: 30-0.
Filed under: RWC - Pool C
Composed Scots dump Italy
Reuters | Sunday, 29 September 2007
Peerless goalkicker Chris Paterson sent Scotland into the quarter-finals when he landed six penalties to secure an 18-16 victory over Italy in a nervy, rain-affected Pool C showdown.
Paterson, who had landed nine out of nine conversions in Scotland’s first three games, continued his perfect return with six out of six in St Etienne.
It proved just enough against an Italian team who scored the only try of the match but will rue a catalogue of errors that ensured their long wait for a first quarter-final appearance goes on.
Scotland finished runners up to New Zealand and will play either France, Argentina or Ireland in Paris in the last eight while Italy, who had high hopes after beating the Scots in Edinburgh in the Six Nations this year, go home.
After the breathless excitement of the Wales v Fiji game earlier in the day, this Pool C encounter was a much tighter, affair as wet, slippery conditions encouraged a more conservative approach.
Scotland moved into an early 6-0 lead with two Paterson penalties but Italy then enjoyed a period of dominance and scored 10 unanswered points despite being reduced to 14 men when Mauro Bergamasco was sin-binned for killing the ball.
A soaring Ramiro Pez up-and-under caused chaos in the Scottish ranks and Alessandro Troncon, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Marco Bortolami, scampered through for a try on his 101st appearance.
David Bortolussi converted and then slotted a penalty for a 10-6 lead.
Italy though lost their way and their discipline and Mirco Bergamasco escaped punishment, but can certainly expect a citing, after tripping flyhalf Dan Parks.
They had picked the wrong team to offend against too as Paterson, switched to the wing for this match, landed four more penalties either side of halftime to turn the deficit into an 18-10 lead.
The Italians, though, fought back tenaciously and Bortolussi, who had missed two earlier attempts, was accurate with two more to make it 18-16 with 20 minutes remaining.
As the clock ticked down neither team risked anything but Bortolussi had the chance to become the hero with a long-range penalty attempt four minutes from time, but sent it wide.
Scotland 18: Chris Paterson 6 pen.
Italy 16: Alessandro Troncon try; David Bortolussi con, 3 pen.
HT: 12-10.
Filed under: RWC - Pool B
Fabulous Fijians dump Wales out of Cup
Saturday, 29 September 2007
Fiji created the biggest shock of the World Cup so far with a sensational 38-34 win over Wales today to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 1987.
The Pacific Islanders produced a wonderful opening period to lead 25-10 at the break and put themselves on course for the runners-up spot in pool B behind Australia.
Two tries by flanker Akapusi Qera and one each to lock Kele Leaware and prop Graham Dewes meant Fiji will travel to Marseille for next weekend’s quarter-finals.
Wales started well in the nine-try classic and took an early lead when Stephen Jones slotted over a penalty after three minutes.
Fiji hit back and their increasing pressure told in the 14th minute when Qera took Seru Rabeni’s pass to finish under the posts. Nicky Little added the conversion.
The sevens specialists opened up and extended their advantage four minutes later when the dazzling Rabeni broke out of his own half before offloading to wing Vilimoni Delasau who claimed his own chip to beat Mark Jones to score.
Fiji were in complete control when they scored their third try of the half after Qera’s lung-bursting run. His pass found lock Leawere who powered over and Little’s conversion gave the Fijians a 25-3 lead.
Wales were desperate to get a foothold in the match and, after a succession of scrums, Alix Popham was able to claim a simple pushover try.
James Hook took over the kicking duties from Jones and converted. But he missed a handy penalty on the stroke of halftime which would have narrowed the gap further.
With Qera languishing in the sin-bin, Shane Williams scored a wonderful solo try after the break. The little wing took Tom Shanklin’s pass and side-stepped past Isoa Neivua’s tackle.
Skipper Gareth Thomas celebrated his 100th cap in style by rounding off a fine move involving Hook and Jones to score in the right corner. Jones got in on the act himself after 51 minutes to put Wales into the lead for the first time.
Little responded with two penalties to hand Fiji the lead again and the islanders could have sewn up the match when Ifereimi Rawaqa was halted only by Thomas’s marvellous last-ditch tackle.
Flanker Martyn Williams then intercepted Little’s pass to put Wales ahead again before Dewes’s match-winning try was awarded by the television match official.
“We’re devastated. We look at the video and we made some serious errors,” Thomas told interviewwers afterwards. “Our defence wasn’t up to standard, we turned over the balls in the wrong areas.”
“On a day like today it’s down to the 80 minutes and if we don’t perform for 80 minutes then we’re on the plane home and unfortunately we’re going home.”
It was the third time Wales have lost to a Pacific Islands side at the World Cup after they were beaten by Samoa in 1991 and 1999.
Fiji 38: Akapusi Qera, Vilimoni Delasau, Kele Leawere, Graham Dewes tries; Nicky Little 3 cons, 4 pens.
Wales 34: Alix Popham, Shane Williams, Gareth Thomas, Mark Jones, Martyn Williams tries; James Hook con; Stephen Jones 2 cons, pen. Ht: 25-10. – Reuters
Filed under: RWC - Pool B
Mitchell makes it seven for Wallabies
By JULIAN LINDEN | Saturday, 29 September 2007
Wallabies winger Drew Mitchell continued his try-scoring feast at the World Cup with a double in Australia’s 37-6 victory over Canada today.
Mitchell crossed twice in the second half to lift his tally for the tournament to seven tries from just four games, breaking David Campese’s Australian record for the most tries in a single World Cup with his six in 1991.
Mitchell’s seven touchdowns is already the most by any player at this World Cup and just one short of the all-time record of eight, which was set by New Zealand’s Jonah Lomu in 1999.
Chris Latham, Adam Freier, Al Baxter and George Smith also helped themselves to tries as the Wallabies finished the pool phase with another resounding, albeit error-strewn, win.
The Wallabies were already assured of their place in the quarter-finals against England so were able to rest their best players for a match that had no bearing on the competition and understandably lacked intensity.
The new combination were never in danger of losing to Canada but struggled to turn their dominance into points, lacking cohesion and repeatedly losing possession in the slippery conditions.
Australia opened the scoring in fewer than two minutes when flyhalf Julian Huxley landed a penalty from in front but failed to impose themselves on Canada in the first 40 minutes as steady rain made the ball greasy.
Baxter celebrated his 50th appearance for the Wallabies by scoring his first test try in the 24th minute, diving over in the left corner as the Australians started finding cracks in the Canadian defence.
When Freier crashed over from the back of a maul 10 minutes later, the Australians looked to be on their way to a huge win but the anticipated rout never materialised.
Canada held the Australians to 13-0 at halftime and opened their own account with two penalties from James Pritchard in the second term before running out of puff in the final half hour.
Smith was gifted a try when Canadian hooker Pat Riordan threw the ball straight to him off a lineout before Mitchell and Latham joined in the act, giving Australia maximum points from their pool games. Canada finished bottom of the Pool B standings without a single win for the first time at a World Cup.
Australia 37: Al Baxter, Adam Freier, George Smith, Drew Mitchell 2, Chris Latham tries; Cameron Shepherd 2 cons; Julian Huxley pen.
Canada 6: James Pritchard 2 pens. Ht: 13-0.
Filed under: RWC - Pool C
Romanian romp as ABs give no quarter
By MARC HINTON in Toulouse - RugbyHeaven | Saturday, 29 September 2007
And now for the real stuff. The All Blacks closed out the warmup phase of their World Cup campaign with an 85-8 pool C demolition of Romania, a result that tells us exactly nothing about their prospects a week hence when it all gets decidedly serious.
As an entertaining and high-tempo frolic to lay on some “ooh la la” factor in the south of France, it was excellent stuff from the All Blacks at a packed Stadium de Toulouse. Certainly they lifted their accuracy and energy levels several notches from the disappointing hitout a week earlier against Scotland.
But as the last major hitout ahead of a Cardiff quarter-final against – most probably – France, it was as close to irrelevant as you can get. It was all too loose in Toulouse for any sort of an indicator ahead of what should be a cracking first round of the knockout phase.
Still, you’ve got to play it as it lies, and Graham Henry’s men did that in some style, running in 13 tries all told, a half-dozen in the first 40 and seven after the break as they enjoyed some firm footing and a decided advantage in athleticism over keen but limited opponents
So what do we take out of this Romanian romp? Well, the skill level has gone up, the handling discipline has been addressed and the attack is looking sharp. Not a heck of a lot else, though.
The defence was never really tested, apart from a short period late in the first half when the Romanian forwards got the rumble going, and the set piece was almost irrelevant in a wide open, free-flowing contest.
Individually any number of All Blacks took their chance to impress. Nick Evans was sharp at the back, continuing his impressive campaign by also slotting all six of his conversions, Isaia Toeava showcased his skills, all three wings got in on the try-scoring act and Andy Ellis revelled in the up-tempo nature of the match. Second-half subs Brendon Leonard, Doug Howlett and Conrad Smith all made instant impact off the bench.
Up front there was little of real consequence to measure the All Black forwards by, but Sione Lauaki looked to be hitting some form, not to mention showing a noticeable extra yard of pace, Jerry Collins showed some nice touches, Keith Robinson got through nearly 60 minutes’ work without concern and Keven Mealamu also weighed in with a high-energy effort. Chris Jack’s cameo off the bench was highlighted by a dazzling kick-treturn that set up a try.
But in terms of what it does to prepare the All Blacks for France next week (presuming the Pumas seal the deal against Ireland tomorrow in Paris), well we are going to have to trust that coach Henry and his lieutenants will have his men as ready as they can be for a dramatic step up in intensity and stakes.
They have given us no reason to doubt them over the last four years, so it’s being churlish to look for worrying factors now. It’s not their fault they landed the mellow-puff pool of the World Cup, and now they have to make the necessary adjustments.
The New Zealanders, displaying a marked improvement on their handling form of a week ago in Scotland, ran in six first-half tries for a 36-5 lead by the break. There was some crisp stuff amongst it too, though once again it had to be put into perspective by the standard of the opposition.
It didn’t take long for the floodgates to open either, wing Sitiveni Sivivatu over for the first of two first-half tries after just 37 seconds when a length-of-the-field move from the kickoff sparked by Joe Rokocoko put his “cousin” across wide out.
The scores came fairly regularly thereafter, Chris Masoe grabbing the second from a nicely executed scrum move, Rokocoko himself making it 19-0 as the All Blacks won quick phase ball and shifted it effectively and Nick Evans adding a fourth inside the opening quarter when he swooped on a nice little kick-through from the busy Andy Ellis.
Sivivatu brought up his brace on the 24-minute mark via a scintillating attacking move by the All Blacks that saw Evans, Lauaki, Collins, Ellis, Toeava and then finally the wing all handle, before Romania had their moment under the spotlight. Their big pack hammered away at the New Zealand line for a sustained period and were finally rewarded when hooker Marius Toncu drove over from a nicely worked ruck move.
Aaron Mauger finished the scoring for the opening stanza when he found Toeava on the cutback and the centre returned the favour by offloading nicely for his second five to touch down.
The second half carried on in a similar vein, Toeava twice, Rokocoko twice, Andrew Hore, Conrad Smith and Doug Howlett getting in on the scoring as the New Zealanders quickly got their running game going again.
It was brilliant to watch from the All Blacks, the skills and speed at times scintillating. Their support play was also a treat as they ran into holes seemingly at will, and always seemed to have a receiver on hand when the tackles came. But if it is to be France next week, with elimination awaiting the loser, it’s sure to be a whole new ball game.
The All Blacks are primed, no doubt. But are they ready? We won’t know the answer to that one for another week.
New Zealand 85: Sitiveni Sivivatu 2, Chris Masoe, Joe Rokocoko 3, Nick Evans, Aaron Mauger, Isaia Toeava 2, Andrew Hore, Conrad Smith, Doug Howlett tries; Luke McAlister 4 cons; Evans 6 cons.
Romania 8: Marius Tincu try; Florin Vlaicu. Ht:36-5.
Filed under: RWC - Pool A
England too good for Tonga – champs stay alive
By MARC HINTON in Paris - RugbyHeaven | Saturday, 29 September 2007
Typhoon Tonga finally blew out of puff in France, the breath of fresh air that was the South Seas Islanders finally meeting their match at this World Cup in the form of a disciplined and predatory England side at the Parc des Princes.
England had just too much firepower in a willing and high-tempo encounter to secure a 36-20, four tries to two victory, that safely secures second spot in pool A and a quarter-final matchup next Saturday against the Wallabies in Marseille.
Once again Jonny Wilkinson’s boot played a key role in the victory for the world champions, the No 10 grabbing 16 points via two penalties, two conversions and a couple of snappily taken dropped goals in Paris on Saturday (NZ time).
Though it had to be said England?s talisman looked far from convincing with ball in hand or on defence, a fact sure to be noted by the Australians.
It was a mixed bag all told from the English, who struck twice in clinical fashion in the first 40, added a couple more touchdowns as their superior fitness and field position told in the second, but were still put under pressure often enough by the Tongans to give coach Brian Ashton some major concerns ahead of the Marseille showdown.
Their attacking game remains a far from convincing sight, too, with their backs too static, too shallow and much too lateral in their play.
The England pack remains a formidable unit at set-piece time, but their inability to win quick ball for long periods against the Tongans suggests they might find next week somewhat of a reality check.
And the Tongans? So the fairytale had no happy ending. Darn it all. But that didn’t stop the islanders bowing out with their heads held aloft, and their stock in world rugby even higher.
This terrific band of men, who had barely been able to scrape together the funds to make it to France, but more than managed to assemble a competitive side once they got here, gave it their all.
They attacked England from the outset and hinted briefly at the monumental upset they came so close to a week earlier. But they weren’t quite able to put the points on the board in the first 40, and that try just before halftime against the run of play was a killer.
Eventually England’s superior fitness and possession supply told in the second spell, but the Tongans never threw in the towel and it was fitting, after they’d been outplayed for the middle part of the game, that they had the final say when Southland’s Hale T-Pole was able to slide over in the left corner after his captain Nili Latu held his pass perfectly.
In the end it was a clinical, rather than classical, victory for England and one that, on the balance of things, won’t have the Wallabies? worry-meter on red-alert next week as they prepare for their sudden-death clash.
Truth be told there was nothing from the 2003 winners to suggest they earned anything but a week-long reprieve from what is surely the inevitable conclusion of a less than stellar four-year period as incumbent champions. They will be hopeful, having now struck a couple of testing wins together, but really it will be nothing more than that next week.
The intent of both sides was clear from the off, England standing toe to toe with the Tongans as they unleashed their Sipi Tau on halfway. Neither team was prepared to take a backward step, and so it was when the real skirmish began just seconds later.
It was immediately obvious, as well, that this was going to be no landslide, a la the last time these two sides squared off at a World Cup (one of only two meetings they’ve ever had, both won by England) when the final score finished 101-10 back in 1999.
No siree, this is a much different Tongan outfit indeed from those doormats of days gone by. This modern incarnation, it appears, gets walked over by no one. Not even world champions.
In fact it was the Tongans who drew first blood, both on the scoreboard and in the try count, showing that they were not going to bow before an England side supposedly coming back into some form.
Pierre Hola settled things early with a long strike for a penalty and then, not long after Wilkinson had levelled, centre Suka Hufanga had the neutrals amongst the capacity crowd roaring in approval.
It had been veteran second five Epi Taione who had carved the opening, literally running over Wilkinson as his direct approach exposed the flimsy England midfield defence. Once he offloaded, his centre was able to slide over in the tackle for a deserved 10-3 lead just past the quarter-hour mark.
To their credit England were able to steady the listing ship thereafter, thanks in so small part to a major contribution from Wilkinson. Without the superboot’s masterful tactical presence you could only wonder where this limited outfit would be. Down the gurgler, springs readily to mind.
It was Wilkinson’s quick thinking and wing Paul Sackey’s sure hands that saw England open their account just shy of the first quarter, the Tongans caught napping when the flyhalf cross-kicked a penalty and Sackey was just able to gather and ground short of the dead-ball line.
Soon after Wilkinson retook the lead via his trusty dropped goal repertoire and then two minutes from the break Sackey established some breathing room with the second part of his first-half double.
It came via some shoddy stuff from the Sea Eagles as well, prime attacking ball coughed up with a worm-burner of a pass and Sackey able to swoop and dash 90m for a gift five-pointer.
Tonga got back within striking distance early in the second spell, but when centre Matthew Tait sliced through to punish a tiring Tongan defence just past the quarter-hour mark, England had shot out to 26-13.
Ten minutes later replacement back Andy Farrell produced a nice show-and-go from 10m out to stroll over as continued pressure told, and when Wilkinson added a second droppie soon after 36-13 threatened to get out of hand.
But these Tongans are made of stern stuff and they buckled down to battle it out till the end, finally working some field position and T-Pole into enough of a gap to slide over for the final flourish their many fans in the crowd of 45,085 deserved.
All that remained was for the Tongans to take a lap and thank their followers. They may not have got the fairytale finish they were after, but they remain the feelgood story of pool play at this tournament.
“We did the basics right and we did it just about well enough,” Wilkinson told ITV television. “It was a tough night, we were chasing shadows. We knew it was going to be tough.
“It could have gone either way but we showed some fitness and some strength and we were much stronger at the end.
England 36: Paul Sackey 2, Mathew Tait, Andy Farrell tries; Jonny Wilkinson 2 con, 2 pen, 2 dg.
Tonga 20: Sukanaivalu Hufanga, Hale T Pole tries; Pierre Hola 2 con, 2 pen.
HT: 19-10
Filed under: Life
So, the RWC updates are taking a weekend off… I am going away for my church’s women’s retreat in Murrieta Hot Springs. We’re heading out to Glen Ivy for the day and then on the conference center for a weekend of fun, worship, teaching, and relaxation!!!
I promise to catch up on the news when I get back. In the meantime, go All Blacks!
See you Sunday night!
Filed under: RWC 2007
I wasn’t going to start posting my own thoughts until after the Rugby World Cup (since I’m not getting to watch all of the matches and there’s too much to keep up with). But, I’m sitting here watching the Samoa/USA match (on Versus, for those of you trying to find rugby on cable) and I’m really getting sick of these British commentators.
This rant has been brewing for a while… even before the RWC began. I am so sick of the British announcers butchering the names of anyone who isn’t English! How hard is it to learn how to prononce a name properly?!! I think it should be part of their responsibility as journalists (albeit, sports journalists) to say someone’s name correctly… or even say it at all! Oh, while watching the England/Samoa match, I noticed a worrying trend… the announcers frequently would refer to someone as “the Samoan fullback” or “the Samoan hooker”. But always using the names of the English team.
So, quick lesson. Tuilagi is pronounced “too-eee-long-eee”, not “too-eee-lang-ee”!
I miss Nisbo.
