Filed under: RWC 2007
This is a sad day for All Blacks fans… the earliest they’ve ever been eliminated from the RWC! I really thought they had it this time… and they have to win next time… next time, they are the hosts!
I really want to cry, but my dad doesn’t know the outcome yet, so I have to keep quiet.
I suppose now I am rooting for South Africa, cause God knows we can’t have the Brits winning again… especially because of how abysmal their performance has been thus far!
Filed under: RWC Quarterfinals
Nightmare continues: ABs fried by French
By GREG FORD in Cardiff - RugbyHeaven | Saturday, 6 October 2007
Four more years. Those bitter words, plus the screaming celebrations of 20,000 Frenchmen, were ringing in the ears of the All Blacks after they were sensationally bundled out of the World Cup by France 20-18 in Cardiff on Sunday with Graham Henry’s side suffering New Zealand’s earliest exit from the tournament.
New Zealand’s old nemesis France, as they did in 1999, out-passioned the New Zealanders with a powerful second half display.
Everything was going along reasonably smoothly for the All Blacks when they were leading 13-3 at halftime with Luke McAlister having scored a stunning try that promised so much.
But then the wheels fell off.
McAlister was sin-binned for 10 minutes. Dan Carter succumbed to injury and then his replacement Nick Evans suffered a similar fate.
Without their two talismen the All Blacks looked leaderless in the face of the onslaught.
They also had hard man Jerry Collins forced off with a sore thigh and he joined Anton Oliver and Byron Kelleher on the sidelines with those two having to live through another personal World Cup nightmare.
No New Zealand side has failed to make the semifinals in five previous tournaments.
Now the question will have to be asked: did the 2007 team choke?
Thierry Dusautoir and Yannick Jauzion were the destroyers for the French scoring second half tries which proved match winners.
A lone Rodney So’oialo try was all the All Black could conjur when the French upped the ante in the second spell.
And not even the Wellington No 8 could hold his head up high when the whistle blew for full time.
The French signalled their intentions from the start when they marched up to confront the All Blacks’ haka in a sensational opening to proceedings.
Having been comprehensively out-played by new Zealand during Graham Henry’s time in charge of the All Blacks, the French were determined to have their way in Cardiff on a day when they forced the Kiwis to wear silver jerseys.
But the French certainly appeared to have help on their side in the form of English referee Wayne Barnes who gave a questionable performance with the whistle.
His yellow carding of McAlister appeared a particularly harsh call and ultimately cost New Zealand a try.
He also missed a blatant forward pass in the leadup work to the Jauzion try. When that try was converted the French had their two-point lead and they clung on to it for another famous victory.
But there was further drama in the dying stages with New Zealand hot on attack and pressing for a decisive late strike to give them victory.
France managed to turn the ball over on their line with what appeared to be hands in the ruck. But there was no complaint from Barnes or his touch judge and the French survived to live another day.
They head off to Paris to play England in an unlikely semifinal after the defending champions had earlier in the day bundled Australia out of the tournament with a 12-10 upset in Marseille.
Naturally the All Blacks were hugely disappointed. But the reality was few played anywhere near their potential.
Lock Ali Williams had a storming game that deserved better and So?oialo was tireless alongside skipper Richie McCaw who got some very close attention from the man with the whistle.
McAlister looked good with the ball in hand and Joe Rokocoko roamed around industriously but even his valiant attempts to ignite attack were frequently snuffed out by some passionate French defence.
And when the French were in the lead the All Blacks uncharacteristically went into their shell.
All the money time and investment in their preparation came to nothing.
And now the All Blacks face four more years of pain and misery before they can try and redeem themselves ending Graham Henry’s reign in charge of the team in the most bitter of circumstances.
France 20: Thierry Dusautoir, Yannick Jauzion tries; Lionel Beauxis con, 2 pen; Jean-Baptiste Elissalde con.
New Zealand 18: Luke McAlister, Rodney So’oialo tries; Daniel Carter con, 2 pen.
HT: 3-13.
Filed under: RWC Quarterfinals
England send the Wallabies packing 
By MARC HINTON in Marseille - RugbyHeaven | Saturday, 6 October 2007
England, behind their raging bull forward pack, have turned the form book on its head and dumped the Wallabies out of the World Cup with a stunning 12-10 victory in the opening quarter-final at Stade Velodrome today.
And so the defending champions, against the odds and most people’s predictions, live to fight another day at this World Cup, through to next week’s first semifinal in Paris where they will await the winner of the All Blacks-France match.
It was a match that England managed to turn into the dogfight they knew they had to if they were to prevail, their big pack giving the out-of-sorts Wallabies a hiding at almost every phase of the game.
The Wallabies were pushed all over the paddock at scrum time, outplayed at the breakdown and only really showed any nous up front at the lineout where their work was as efficient as ever. It was a brave, bullying performance from the English eight, exactly what they knew they had to do to dump these confident Australians out of the tournament.
But for a pack who had talked all week about their aim of becoming “the best in the world” the Australian eight was so far off that mark it was laughable. The Wallabies could barely keep the scrum upright, so much pressure were they under, and in the end it was a telling aspect of the game. Their work at the breakdown was also lacklustre, time and again England able to turn over possession with their superior technique and commitment.
For all that, there was still not much in it, the 2003 champions relying on four penalties from Jonny Wilkinson to get them home. Australian skipper Stirling Mortlock had a late chance to snatch victory with a 50m penalty from wide out, but he was unable to make the miracle play.
The Australians had done extremely well to take a 10-6 lead into the sheds at halftime, Lote Tuqiri’s try after 33 minutes the difference in a frantic opening 40.
Even then it had been hard to shake the feeling that the Australians were just hanging in, and that Tuqiri’s score late in the half had been pretty much against the run of play.
Still it was a well-taken try, Chris Latham and Stirling Mortlock putting in the power runs, and good patience and ball-retention eventually seeing Berrick Barnes able to slip a pass to Tuqiri that sent him scrambling over, and through, the ineffective tackle of Josh Lewsey.
Remarkably, that was to be the end of the scoring for the Wallabies, their error-rate and lack of punch up front preventing them from mounting the sustained pressure they ahd to to find the holes in the English defensive line.
So two Wilkinson penalties in the second half, after 51 and 59 minutes respectively,w ere all that the 2003 champions needed to progress through to the semifinals.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory, too, for this limited but lethal England side. With Andy Sheridan leading a splendid front-row effort, and the likes of big Simon Shaw and Martin Corry full of endeavour up front the arm-wrestle was won conclusively by the English. Wilkinson ran the game well, and there were odd moments of inspiration out wide, but really this was a famous victory foundered on the iron will of the front eight.
England 12: Jonny Wilkinson 4 pens.
Australia 10: Lote Tuqiri try; Stirling Mortlock pen con. Ht: 6-10
So, today is my birthday (yay, 25 years) and I was asked what my perfect birthday gift would be right now. So, I think the answer would be tickets to the RWC final, plus first or business class seats on British Airways to Paris via London. And a chance to meet the boys in black (specifically the hunk that is Dan Carter). That would be this year’s perfect birthday gift.
Ahhhh, if only….
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
