Blood & Mud

Rugby Video: Shane Williams retires almost perfectly, and yet does it perfectly. Much like his career.

This blog's opinion on the stature of Shane Williams and the impact of his exit has already been given; but today he retired in a way that was so nearly empirically perfect - the only thing missing was a win - but its falling just short mattered not.  Spiritually it was perfect, and that is all we will and should remember. 

He led out his team in front of a packed house of 72,000 adoring fans and a TV audience of many more from many nations, all equally in his thrall.  He chokes back genuine tears as his anthem rings out like a regretful yet glorious peal of bells while Ryan Jones does a perfect south walian man's comforting strategy of patting him on the head once, and no more.  He scores in the dying minutes, he then clutches his children in the post-match interview and humbly states, "I've had the best time of my life."

So have we Shane.

Watch this video and ask yourself, do you really give a shit who won or lost?

Rugby video: The legends talk about the Rugby World Cup finals.

Scott Quinnell pulls no punches about France here.

For more insights and analysis from the Heineken Ambassadors into Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, please visit www.thisisthegame.com.

Rugby World Cup, Semi Final Preview: New Zealand vs Australia

As a rule this blog doesn't believe in fairy tales.  

Such yarns demand a suspension of disbelief beyond even that required to accept Matt Banahan as a World Cup rugby player.  But, there is one such story that, if you were to have told it some 24 years ago, it would have been roughly as plausible as that one about England becoming good.  And so it was that the tale of the All Blacks only winning one world cup did come to pass....

Can they sort it out this time?  This blog has nothing to offer but conjecture.

Even without Carter, New Zealand should win this game.  They are at home, they are dead good and stuff, and they have Dagg, Nonu and McCaw.

On the other hand; they tend to lose at around this time in the Big CUp. And ,if anyone can balls it up for them it's Pocock and the Aussies, who have taken pissing on All Black chips to such an art form that the Tate are looking seriously at it as an installation in some godawful museum somewhere next year.

But, surely the AB's will sort it this time?

B&M Prediction: All Blacks by 5

TEAMS:

New Zealand: Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Richard Kahui, Aaron Cruden, Piri Weepu, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock, Brad Thorn, Jerome Kaino, Richie McCaw (captain), Kieran Read.

Replacements: Andrew Hore, Ben Franks, Ali Williams, Victor Vito, Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald, Sonny Bill Williams.

Australia: Kurtley Beale/Adam Ashley-Cooper; James O'Connor, Adam Ashley-Cooper/Anthony Fainga'a, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane; Quade Cooper, Will Genia; Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander, Dan Vickerman, James Horwill (capt), Rocky Elsom, David Pocock, Radike Samo.

Replacements: Tatafu Polota Nau, James Slipper, Rob Simmons, Ben McCalman, Luke Burgess, Berrick Barnes, Anthony Fainga'a/Rob Horne

 

 

SHIT/GOOD™ Ratings: Australia 11 South Africa 9

Australia Ratings

by Josh Freedman

Wellington’s streets were flooded once again on Sunday evening but surprisingly it was not caused by New Zealand’s wretched weather but by the tears of thousands of Springbok supporters. 

The pressure of a quarter-final exit forced both teams into conservative tactics while Bryce Lawrence’s control of the breakdown was farcical at times allowing hands in the ruck and bodies flying in from all directions. 

A famous Wallaby win somehow won without the ball, without territory and without a fly half. It was a match that was rough on the eyes but also the heart.  

SHIT

Quade Cooper - there is no beating around the bush with Cooper’s performance tonight because it really was SHIT. A mere shadow of the usual calm, collected and decisive man we’ve become accustomed to. Playing behind the advantage line, hesitant, defensively poor, and sketchy at the back Australia will stand no chance against the All Blacks unless Cooper can find himself in the next seven days.

Wallaby scrum - no surprises here, even for stubborn Australians like myself it is quickly becoming apparent that the Australian scrum is a lost cause. Like a bad rash this problem seems to never go away.

Wallaby lineout - yes, the Wallabies were up against the world’s best lineout tactician in Victor Matfield but there is no excuse for not jumping on defence, it was not even a contest. 

First-up tackles - their line may not have been crossed but it was only thanks to desperate scrambling defence. The Springboks cut up the Wallabies through the middle time after time.

GOOD

David Pocock - simply irreplaceable, Pocock is Australia’s most important player. Securing Australia’s fickle inside channel and winning turnovers the Pocock/McCaw battle next week will be memorable.  

Radike Samo - a big game player Samo was at his best. Securing ball from the back pedaling Wallaby scrum and an enforcer in defence it was great to see the big man give the South Africans a taste of their own medicine. 

Will Genia - in the battle between the world’s two best halfbacks Genia made up for Cooper’s disappearance and made the most of Australia’s few opportunities. 

James Horwill - a heroic performance by the skipper and Big Kev finally showed excellent leadership in a tight game.

A special mention to whoever told Robbie Deans what the bench is for.

Follow this writer on Twitter @JoshFreedman1

 

Rugby World Cup: Things we learned from the groups stages about the quarter-final teams

1.  Ireland have a very good bunch of forwards now, the transformation in their front-row in particular has been nothing short of lazarusesque.

2.  Dan Carter is out.  Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden are not exactly mugs, but they're not Dan Carter either (who is?), and no matter how much spin they want to put out in press conferences this loss will hurt NZ both on the field and in their heads.  They should still win comfortably against Los Puma, and then the whole thing.  But we've been there before haven't we?

3.  Wales are improving game by game since the Samoa outing. The reason they were so stilted in that game was due to nothing but pure psycholigical terror and fear of failure against their bogey-nation again. Once that was out of the way they settled into a rhythm that could see them go far.  Just a simple glance at the SportGuru predictions give you an idea of just how impossible to pick their game vs Ireland is.

4.  England are playing very badly and have not looked fluent, confident or proficient at any time so far in the tournament, and they can count themselves extremely lucky they had that group to play in.  This malaise of form will not right itself in the next week.  History books may eventually show that they reached the semis, but someone will have to include the caveat "Struggled past Scotland, then beat a divided and demoralised France, lost to someone decent"

5.  Australia will go a lot better if Berrick Barnes is more involved.

6.  Argentina have provided some great moments and are a team that we all admire and like to watch, but this is the end of the road come Sunday.  However, if they can do this well now, what will they be like next time around after four years of TriNations games?

7.  France make it very hard for sports writers and bloggers to be original by living up to every single cliche ever written about them.  But, despite the disgraceful performance against Tonga it's still very hard to say they will definitely lose against England.

8.  After New Zealand, South Africa are the team looking the most likely.  However, the gap between NZ and the rest is pretty damn big.

SHIT/GOOD™ Ratings: Australia 68 Russia 22

by Josh Freedman

As expected Australia won but it was a disjointed performance with some great tries in the first half but their second half was almost as miserable as the New Zealand weather.

SHIT

Wallaby scrum - Holds together about as well as a wet paper bag. Giving away 2 scrum penalties against a Russian scrum that was decimated by the Americans would have South Africa’s props licking their lips.

Quade Cooper - Looked good in the first half creating plenty of opportunities. We know he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed but it really did show a distinct lack of intelligence to continue throwing cut out passes as the rain plummeted down. 

James O’Connor - I’ve had enough of his little dance before kicking for goal. It makes Wilkinson’s toilet seat stance or Cooper's spirit fingers look remarkably normal. 

GOOD

Victor Gresev and  Alexander Yanyushkin - The Russian Number 8 was destructive in attack with over a dozen barn storming runs while at just over 5 foot Yanyushkin is one ballsy halfback.

David Pocock - There are plenty of great number 7s in RWC2011 but Pocock showed why some believe he is the best. Two tries and 8 tackle busts in just 40 minutes of rugby while being a menace at the breakdown. The Wallabies are a completely different team with Pocock on the field.

Berrick Barnes - Was excellent throughout the game. Must remain in the midfield as Cooper’s foil if the Wallabies are any chance of progressing deep into the tournament. 

Set Tap Moves - Despite being absolutely ineffective aren’t they great to see?

Follow this contributor on Twitter @JoshFreedman1

 

SHIT/GOOD™ Analysis: Australia 67 - USA 5

by Josh Freedman

The Wallabies scored 11 tries against a USA team who were without 14 of their 15 regular starters and sadly missed the intensity, passion and determination which they showed against Ireland and Russia. In a game which lacked excitement or skill the Wallabies got their World Cup campaign back on track but their performance would hardly make their competition worry, although they would notice the horrendous injury toll.

SHIT

Likened to the Holocaust and slavery the RWC draw is unfair on the minnows. The USA’s game against Italy in just 3 days is the reason why they were forced into resting basically the entire team. This was not the only game ruined by scheduling issues, the fans are the real losers. No doubt Clever, Petri and co. would have made a difference.

As expected “rogue leader” Deans’ inexplicable reselection of Ben McCalman at number 7 is very possibly the worst selection in RWC history (yes I’m aware Wendell Sailor started in the 2003 Final). Zero breakdown turnovers against what was nothing more than a club side is seriously unimpressive. 

Australia’s goal kicking was a shambles resembling an under 10s team taking turns. 

Difficult to class as ‘Shit’ or ‘Good’ the Wallabies casualty ward resembles the hospitals after the Battle of Stalingrad. With serious question marks over selections in the backrow and the midfield, reinforcements, in the form of Matt Giteau or Phil Waugh, would be most welcome. 

USA’s shorts or should I say diapers. Does anyone know what’s going on there?  

GOOD

There is little good to say about the motley crew of Americans although when they did manage to hit the Wallabies they stayed hit. The concussion, dislocated shoulder and fractured cheek bone are testament to a number of big hits, if only they knew how to defend in one line.

Berrick Barnes was a standout after coming off the bench. A genuine ball player in his own right his consistency balances Cooper’s… well… inconsistencies. His goal kicking is certainly required. 

Why has Nathan Sharpe has been watching Australia’s games from the sidelines? Close to 20 lineout wins and a high involvement rate surely cannot go unnoticed. 

Follow this contributor on Twitter @JoshFreedman1

 

Rugby World Cup 2011: The weekend not really previewed within Twitter limits

We tried to preview each of the weekend's games in 140 characters, like on Twitter. We failed. Instead we fell into stereotypes, conjecture and outright silliness.  What else did you expect?  

FRIDAY

Aus vs USA: Aus win on scoreboard, US claim moral victory by invading Wallaby dugout on 70 mins and ousting Robbie Deans as an unelected "rogue leader" who the Australian people do not want due to his inabililty to lengthen vowels properly.  Or coach scrummaging.

SATURDAY

England vs Romania: England win by shedloads, everyone remains unconvinced with ease of victory due to number of tries scored because all the blond and/or short Romanian players running away from Mike Tindall.  England forwards are completely dominant but still give away 11 penalties.

NZ vs France: NZ win. France players run around humming Daft Punk tunes, posturing in an elegant yet artistically aggressive manner and discussing Alain Ducasse's more challenging recipes. Morgan Parra spends the whole match looking at the bench and shrugging his shoulders and Sonny Bill Williams comes off the bench and asks Yachvili what the pay is like at Biarritz. 

SUNDAY

Fiji vs Samoa: Boom, whack, crunch - oh good hands fella! Such lovely handling. Tuilagi brothers, playing for heart and nation - except the English one, and the non-rugby playing one. BOOM! Samoa win by one try and two intact limbs.

Ireland vs Russia: Shaven-headed men in 90s black leather jackets and jeans enter Ireland dressing room 30 minutes before kick off. Ireland triumph in error strewn game by three points, with Andrew Trimble amazingly dropping the ball five times when in sight of the line.  Unnamed Russian man wins $2.5m on spread bet markets.  Ronan O'Gara spends the post match press conference saying how much he's looking forward to having time for fishing when not playing rugby in future while weeping over a picture of a large Carp.  He later denies any knowledge of the sport of fishing, water, fish and any conversation relating to them.  

Argentina v Scotland: It being a Sunday, the Lord's day mind, both teams sit in quiet prayer for lost colleagues Contepomi and Murray for first 20mns.  Play starts,  Nick de Luca drops ball in space and/or Morrisson goes into contact and drops ball in tight.  Argentina fail to capitalise on hands like feet state of Scots midfield and do doing silly things at breakdown.  Paterson does good kicky-kicks. It may rain - it won't matter.  Scotland by 6.

We do promise proper reviews of the matches, albeit with swearing.

Rugby World Cup: 10 things we learned from week two

1.  Ireland proved that form can sometimes mean very little.  The Irish looked in worse nick that Dolly Parton without her wig and make up until Saturday, when a combination of a world class scrummaging performace in the tight and and back-row performance in the loose did for Australia.

2.  Speaking of Australia, it seems that talk of the revival of ther scrum has been premature.  While the Ireland scrum is far better than it was, it's still the Ireland scrum, and the Wallabies were puched about like bewildered tourist staniding on the left of Tube escalator.  The fact is, as a friend of mine pointed out, Australia have not had a consistently decent scrum since about 2003, that eight years without developing scrummagers.  Unforgivable.

3.  England campaign is looking more and more like 2007 every day.  The poor form and the limited gameplan were already there, but now there is a player speaking out about the players having no idea what is going on.  Sound familiar?

4.  Because of 2. abover, one half of the knockout draw is now very likely to not feature any southern hemisphere sides; leaving the big Tri-nations three to duke it out in the bottom half of the draw while the top half hold an RBS Six Nations Lite. 

5.  Chris Ashton is still doing that dive thing, despite him jumping the shark with it about the third time he did it.

6.  Wales have shaken off the Samoa shaped World Cup monkey from their backs.  Unfortunately, Samoa shook the fitness out of both Hook and Lydiate for the rest of the group stage, and Fiji and their Jedi mind tricks still lurk in the near distance.

7.  Scotland are impervious to weather.  They look as bad in the rain as they do in the dry.

8.  New Zealand are hitting their stride slowly.  Not that us Europeans care, we won't see them until the final, and they we can just poison them an win by a drop-goal like someone else did once.  Allegedly.

9.  South Africa keep winning and with increasing certainty, which is annoying for us all.  It's even irritating for South Africans, because deep down none of them want history to reflect that P Divvy did well at a Rugby World Cup.

10.  Russia are everyone's new favourite team.  

What have you gleaned from a week of sleep deprivation of excessive Sky plussing?

Shit/Good Ratings: Ireland 15 Australia 6

by Josh Freedman

Yes the Irish were enthusiastic, yes they were passionate, they were effective and they won but I won’t beat around the bush, they played boring, shit rugby. It just so happened that the Wallabies were even shitter.  

The Wallabies were dumb and the Irish were smart, they defended stubbornly, they scrapped and they dominated the contest upfront. Did I mention they won? Having said that the World Cup has been turned on its head and suddenly it’s North vs South, and no doubt there are more twists to come. 

SHIT

Question marks over Robbie Deans’ selections are no longer questions but clear mistakes. Picking just one number 7 left the Wallabies exposed at the breakdown with an unbalanced backrow. The centers Faingaa and McCabe proved that they are not ready for Test Match rugby while Matt Giteau surely watches smugly across the Tasman. Leaving impact players on the bench was inexplicable and Deans must accept considerable responsibility for the Wallabies capitulation.

Bryce Lawrence allowed Ireland to set the pace of the match and his inability to allow the game to flow ruined the spectacle. The lack of momentum is the primary reason why no tries were scored, although it’s unlikely it affected the outcome of the match.

Just like the players and coaching staff the Wallaby scrum disappeared in Auckland. After matching the Springbok and All Black scrums the Irish pack was clearly dominant. 5 or 6 scrum penalties proving the difference between the teams.    

GOOD

The Irish pack was sensational dominating every contest. Scrum, lineout, breakdown they proved that all you need to do to win a rugby match is win the battle upfront. The backrow in particular were a revelation, like a hungry pack of wolves who had been told there were lots of sheep at the bottom of the Australian ruck.  Which in NZ is probably true.

Cian Healy demands a specific mention. He was a colossus making Ben Alexander’s life miserable. His defence and work in the tight was exceptional.

Brian O’Driscoll’s showed his experience through excellent captaincy and referee management. In stark contrast James Horwill became visibly frustrated even giving away poor penalties himself.  

Saturday night’s game is great for the RWC 2011. It was the upset that seemed inevitable, the question is will there be more?