Filed under: RWC 2007
I read this article on Rugby Heaven:
Australian newspapers sought to ease the pain of the Wallabies’ Rugby World Cup exit at the hands of England – and the boot of Jonny Wilkinson – by taunting the All Blacks.
“At least we didn’t choke,” Brisbane’s Courier-Mail screamed across its back page, asserting that Australia were simply beaten by a better team, whereas New Zealand fell apart under the pressure from an inspired French team.
“While Australia was edged out of the cup 12-10 by England’s Grumpy Old Men, New Zealand was French fried by the tournament host in another quarter-final, extending the Kiwis’ catalogue of World Cup disasters,” the newspaper said.
The paper also pointed out that the only Australian still involved in the World Cup was sacked Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, now a consultant with South Africa.
Veteran Australian rugby reporter Peter Jenkins offered a more sober assessment of the Wallabies’ demise.
“Just three months ago hopes were high after a breakthrough victory over the All Blacks in Melbourne, another over the Springboks in Sydney and Australia almost stealing their first win in South Africa for seven years,” Jenkins wrote in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“A soft underbelly in the forwards, supposedly consigned to the past, was exposed.
“The scrum was man-handled by England. Even worse, they were comprehensively out-muscled at the breakdown, driven off the ball on crucial occasions when the Red Rose heroes flooded the tackle contest.”
The Sydney Morning Herald also said that no matter how bad the Wallabies were, the All Blacks were worse.
“Has there ever been a more horrible day in Australian-New Zealand rugby history?” it asked.
“Probably not. In the first quarter-final, Australia ended their worst World Cup campaign by losing to a substandard England, suffering greater humiliation than they did four years ago when defeated by the same team in the final.
“Losing a World Cup final is forgivable. Being defeated in a quarter-final by B-grade opponents isn’t.
“But this is nothing compared to the doom and gloom New Zealand is now suffering.
“For 20 years, the All Blacks have supposedly been the best rugby team in the world. And all they have to show for it is one World Cup triumph – in 1987.”
Former Australian rugby coach Alan Jones, now Sydney’s highest rating radio host, was brutal in his assessment.
“Well the self-indulgence of the trans-Tasman rugby world has been ruthlessly punished at the weekend,” he said.
“One can only wonder where the so-called defenders of the system that produced this are now going to hide.
Jones said the Australian and New Zealand squads had been weighed down by too many coaching and administrative staff and said complacency was the key factor in the losses.
He said the Australian Rugby Union’s determination to sign a New Zealand coach to replace John Connolly, believed to be Canterbury’s Robbie Deans, was not the answer.
So, I have a response to the Aussies: Saying the All Blacks choked is like the pot calling the kettle black. England didn’t do anything special to win that match. Australia lost it by being unorganized and conceding penalties. All England did was rely on Jonny Wilkinson’s foot. They didn’t even score a try!
Filed under: RWC Quarterfinals
Pumas edge Scots to make history
Reuters | Sunday, 7 October 2007
Argentina hung on in the face of determined Scotland pressure to win their quarter-final 19-13 and reach the last four in the World Cup for the first time.
In by far the least attractive match of the quarter-finals weekend, the tiring Pumas defended their tryline tooth and nail against a last-ditch Scottish onslaught to earn a semifinal against South Africa.
“We were very tired and Scotland played really well. We stuck with it, we wanted to be in our first semi-final and we are,” Pumas captain Agustin Pichot said.
Argentine players and fans, some beating drums, became locked in a frenzy of soccer-style celebration as the Pumas, unlikely semi-final candidates when the tournament started a month ago, notched a historic fifth World Cup victory in a row.
The teams scored one try apiece, number eight Gonzalo Longo for Argentina in the first half and replacement scrumhalf Chris Cusiter for the Scots with 16 minutes remaining.
The difference between the sides in the end were six of the points from the boot of centre Felipe Contepomi, whose three penalties and a conversion took his tournament tally to 64 points.
The Argentines, notching their sixth successive victory over Scotland, had a nervous final quarter of an hour as Scotland, their dream of a second semi-final since 1991 ebbing away, threw everything they had into a potential match-winning try.
In the poorest of the four quarter-finals following the exciting upset victories by hosts France and defending champions England to reach the other semifinal, the packs dominated from the off in a battle of attrition.
Scotland went ahead with a Dan Parks penalty from just inside the halfway line after Contepomi had missed his first effort.
Contepomi, however, put the Pumas level and then 6-3 up with successive penalties either side of the half hour.
Then Argentina made the breakthrough when Longo charged down an attempted clearance deep in the Scottish half by wing Sean Lamont, chased the loose ball and beat two Scots to the touchdown. Contepomi converted.
Chris Paterson reduced Argentina’s lead to 13-6 with a penalty just before halftime.
Pumas flyhalf Juan Martin Hernandez had a poor first half which might have started brightly if his drop goal attempt in the opening minute from some 35 metres had not sailed just wide of the upright.
The flyhalf’s kicking from hand was wayward and when he tried to run the ball he was usually stopped dead or slipped on the damp turf.
But there was a marked improvement after the interval including a fine left-footed drop goal in the 55th minute that gave Argentina a seeming unassailable a 19-6 lead.
However, with most of the fresh Scottish replacements on the field, Scotland launched a counter-attack down the left and the ball went blindside out of a maul with Cusiter darting over in the corner.
Paterson maintained his 100 percent kicking record in the tournament with the conversion and when Hernandez missed a drop attempt minutes later the scene was set for a dramatic denouement.
Argentina 19: Gonzalo Longo try; Felipe Contepomi con, 3 pen; Juan Martin Hernandez dg.
Scotland 13: Chris Cusiter try; Chris Paterson con, pen; Dan Parks pen.
HT: 13-6.
Filed under: RWC Quarterfinals
Fijians brave, but Boks prevail
By MARC HINTON in Marseille - RugbyHeaven | Sunday, 7 October 2007
Brave, brave Fiji gave the mighty Springboks a shakeup, and the fright of their lives, before the South Africans prevailed 37-20 in an entertaining third quarter-final of the World Cup at the Stade Velodrome.
The Fijians shocked everyone in attendance when they scored two tries while a man down in a three-minute burst midway through the second spell to level at 20-20, and were unlucky not to hit the lead 13 minutes out when lock Ifereimi Rawaqa was within inches of scoring in the left corner before JP Pieteren’s timely interjection.
But from there the bruised Boks recovered their poise and spent most of the last 10 minutes camped in enemy territory, collecting tries to Juan Smith and Butch James for their efforts as the Fijians finally flagged.
Still there was no escaping the spirit, adventure and contribution the Fijians brought to the occasion, not just entertaining the crowd with their high-tempo rugby but unsettling the South Africans on more than one occasion. The Boks had to dig deep to prevail, and the relieved look on their faces at the finish was testament itself to the mark the island nation has left on this tournament.
South Africa, faithfully attempting to play the no-frills game they had pledged to all week, took a while to get their show on the road, just a try to Jaque Fourie in the 13th minute and a long-range Frans Steyn penalty to show for an 8-0 lead through the first quarter.
Fourie’s score came when the Boks showed good patience off a Bakkies Botha lineout win, worked the phases and, when Juan Smith went close with the first lunge, eventually sprung the midfielder as the extra man wide on the left.
Fiji, though, were hanging tough, and there was no doubt the islanders were in this for the long haul. They had their own moments of opportunity too, even if they could never quite break the disciplined Boks defensive line.
Still, Ilie Tabue’s men would not have been the unhappiest to concede just one more five-pointer, and a 3-13 deficit, heading into the sheds at the break. It was the same score as the French had trailed the All Blacks by the night before, and we all know what happened there.
The South Africans’ second score came five minutes from the break and, like the earlier touchdown, it was strictly no-frills footy. The Boks took the short lineout off a penalty option and executed the take and drive with precision, hooker John Smit the beneficiary.
When the Fijians, getting some big performances out of their loosies Sisa Koyamaibole and Akapusi Qera, narrowed the gap to just seven points with a second Seremaia Bai penalty early in the second spell you wondered just how comfortably Jake and Eddie were sitting in the stands.
But then 11 minutes into the second spell the game appeared to turn on its head. Big time. Pietersen was put across for a try wide on the right, via a skilful inside pass from Victor Matfield, and in the same play phase Fiji second five Seru Rabeni was sinbinned for a high hit on Butch James, a call he later said he felt was harsh. With the islanders down to 14 men and the Boks up 20-6 it looked like this could get ugly.
But these Fijians are made of much more stern stuff than that. We found that out in an incredible three-minute burst when they scored two tries and levelled the scores at 20-20 to send this 55,000-strong crowd into party mode.
The first went to Vilimoni Delasau with a brilliant kick and chase from halfway, the right wing doing well to spot Percy Montgomery up in the line, and the second to his fellow flyer Sireli Bobo after Norman Ligairi and Mosese Rauluni had carved the Boks up down the middle.
A Percy Montgomery penalty edged the Boks ahead by three, but when Rawaqa went so close soon after it remained anybody’s game. Pietersen’s try-saving tackle was later lauded by the Boks as their key moment of inspiration. Sure enough they finally settled after it, Juan Smith crossing via the dominant scrum 10 minutes from time and Butch James sealing the deal on time when South Africa had laid siege on the Fijian line.
The Fijians had many heroes, but none played harder for them than their inspirational skipper Rauluni who had a blinder. Delasau and Bobo gave the Boks fits out on the wings, Rabeni was a constant threat on the hitup and Seremaia Bai did a fine job stepping into Nicky Little’s boots. Up front their pack battled till the end, outgunned only at scrum time, and those loose forwards gave as good as they received all match.
The Boks will regard this as their wakeup call. They got there in the end but it was none too convincing and they will assuredly have to play much better than this in next week’s semifinal. Smith and skipper Smit were the pick of the Bok forwards, the captain’s rallying of the troops for the final quarter crucial, while Pietersen was the best of a backline that didn’t always keep its poise.
It wasn’t always pretty, but as coach Jake White noted later at least his team is still in the tournament, as opposed to the other Tri-Nations sides. It was hard to fault that logic.
South Africa 37: Jaque Fourie, John Smit, JP Pietersen, Juan Smith, Butch James tries; Percy Montgomery pen, 3 cons; Francois Steyn pen.
Fiji 20: Vilimoni Dealasau, Sireli Bobo tries; Seremaia Bai 2 pens, 2 cons. Ht: 13-3.
