| 8th September 2007 07:17 AM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
Rugby World Cup 2007 fixtures
Pool A
England, South Africa, Samoa, USA, Tonga
Pool B
Australia, Wales, Fiji, Canada, Japan
Pool C
New Zealand, Scotland, Italy, Romania, Portugal
Pool D
France, Ireland, Argentina, Georgia, Namibia
FULL RUGBY WORLD CUP 2007 SCHEDULE
7 September:
France 12-17 Argentina, Stade de France, Paris, Pool D
Match report
8 September:
England v USA, Lens, Pool A (1700 BST)
Australia v Japan, Lyon, Pool B (1445 BST)
New Zealand v Italy, Marseille, Pool C (1245 BST)
9 September:
Ireland v Namibia, Bordeaux, Pool D (1900 BST)
Wales v Canada, Nantes, Pool B (1300 BST)
South Africa v Samoa, Parc des Princes, Paris, Pool A (1500 BST)
Scotland v Portugal, St Etienne, Pool C (1700 BST)
11 September:
Argentina v Georgia, Lyon, Pool D (1900 BST)
12 September:
Italy v Romania, Marseille, Pool C (1900 BST)
USA v Tonga, Montpellier, Pool A (1300 BST)
Japan v Fiji, Toulouse, Pool B (1700 BST)
14 September:
England v South Africa, Stade de France, Paris, Pool A (2000 BST)
15 September:
Ireland v Georgia, Bordeaux, Pool D (2000 BST)
Wales v Australia, Cardiff, Pool B (1400 BST)
New Zealand v Portugal, Lyon, Pool C (1200 BST)
16 September:
Fiji v Canada, Cardiff, Pool B (1300 BST)
Samoa v Tonga, Montpellier, Pool A (1500 BST)
France v Namibia, Toulouse, Pool D (2000 BST)
18 September:
Scotland v Romania, Edinburgh, Pool C (2000 BST)
19 September:
Italy v Portugal, Parc des Princes, Paris, Pool C (1900 BST)
20 September:
Wales v Japan, Cardiff, Pool B (2000 BST)
21 September:
France v Ireland, Stade de France, Paris, Pool D (2000 BST)
22 September:
South Africa v Tonga, Lens, Pool A (1300 BST)
Argentina v Namibia, Marseille, Pool D (2000 BST)
England v Samoa, Nantes, Pool A (1500 BST)
23 September:
Scotland v New Zealand, Edinburgh, Pool C (1600 BST)
Australia v Fiji, Montpellier, Pool B (1330 BST)
25 September:
Canada v Japan, Bordeaux, Pool B (1700 BST)
Romania v Portugal, Toulouse, Pool C (1900 BST)
26 September:
Georgia v Namibia, Lens, Pool D (1700 BST)
Samoa v USA, St Etienne, Pool A (1900 BST)
28 September:
England v Tonga, Parc des Princes, Paris, Pool A (2000 BST)
29 September:
Australia v Canada, Bordeaux, Pool B (1400 BST)
Wales v Fiji, Nantes, Pool B (1600 BST)
Scotland v Italy, St Etienne, Pool C (2000 BST)
New Zealand v Romania, Toulouse, Pool C (1200 BST)
30 September:
France v Georgia, Marseille, Pool D (1400 BST)
South Africa v USA, Montpellier, Pool A (1900 BST)
Ireland v Argentina, Parc des Princes, Paris, Pool D (1600 BST)
6 October:
QF1: W Pool B v RU Pool A, Marseille (1400 BST)
QF2: W Pool C v RU Pool D, Cardiff (2000 BST)
7 October:
QF3: W Pool A v RU Pool B, Marseille (1400 BST)
QF4: W Pool D v RU Pool C, Stade de France, Paris (2000 BST)
13 October:
SF1: W QF1 v W QF2, Stade de France, Paris (2000 BST)
14 October:
SF2: W QF3 v W QF4, Stade de France, Paris (2000 BST)
19 October:
3rd place play-off, Parc des Princes, Paris (2000 BST)
20 October:
Final, Stade de France, Paris (2000 BST)
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| 8th September 2007 07:23 AM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
France 12-17 Argentina
France (9) 12
Pens: Skrela (4)
Argentina (17) 17
Tries: Corleto
Pens: F Contepomi (4)
Argentina rocked tournament hosts France with a sensational 17-12 victory in the opening match of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Paris.
The inspired Pumas outplayed an error-ridden and nervous-looking France and took control with a first-half try from full-back Ignacio Corleto.
Centre Felipe Contepomi chipped in with 12 points to leave the 80,000-strong Stade de France crowd stunned.
France could only muster four penalties from struggling fly-half David Skrela.
The French became only the second home side in the six-event history of the World Cup to lose their opening game. England lost to New Zealand in 1991.
No side since the tournament's inception in 1987 has lost a game in the pool stages and still gone on to win the World Cup.
"We're not the best tactical players or the best technically, but our best resources are the passion and pride when we put on the jersey."
France coach Bernard Laporte said: "When you begin a World Cup and it is imperative to win the match and you lose, you can say only one thing that the sky has fallen in on your head."
Argentina ripped into France from the off and the intensity of their start looked to have unsettled Les Bleus.
Pumas fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez tried a couple of early drop-goals before Felipe Contepomi, playing inside his brother Manuel, slotted the first points of the World Cup with a penalty on five minutes.
Skrela hit back for France but Argentina were on the front foot and a promising foray deep into French territory resulted in another penalty for the Pumas.
France were edgy and lacking their usual sharpness and precision, while Argentina's forwards were aggressive and eager, coupled with the enterprising Felipe Contepomi and Hernandez asking a variety of questions behind the scrum.
The hosts finally showed some trademark spark with a threatening, surging break involving the likes of power runners Yannick Jauzion and Aurelien Rougerie.
But the move broke down and soon Felipe Contepomi stroked Argentina further ahead with a third penalty, shortly after missing with a speculative drop-goal effort.
Three minutes later, France suffered a deeper blow when a dangerous run from Damien Traille ended with Remy Martin throwing an interception.
Argentina's Felipe Contepomi shipped on the ball quickly to racy full-back Corleto, who outpaced the covering defence to score in the right corner.
Felipe Contepomi missed with his conversion and France sneaked back another penalty when Skrela's break set up good field position. And the French fly-half traded another kick with Contepomi to close the first half eight points adrift.
France's forward battalions had a point to prove after the break and a rumbling, driving maul, roared on by an expectant crowd, looked certain to set up a close-range score with barely five minutes gone.
But Argentina bravely withstood repeated surges at their line before drawing a penalty to snuff out the danger and make an emphatic point of their own.
Skrela, suffering a poor night all round, missed a crucial penalty on 55 minutes, though he found the target soon after to narrow the gap to 12-17.
But Argentina went close to putting the game out of sight with 16 minutes left, only for Felipe Contepomi to spill what may have been the scoring pass after a lightning counter attack.
France squandered another opportunity to edge closer when Frederic Michalak, on for Skrela, missed a three-pointer with 10 minutes left.
The Pumas missed two late penalties of their own but a monstrous defensive display backed up by a simple gameplan was enough to secure a famous victory.
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France: Cedric Heymans; Aurelien Rougerie, Yannick Jauzion, Damien Traille, Christophe Dominici; David Skrela, Pierre Mignoni; Olivier Milloud, Raphael Ibanez (capt), Pieter de Villiers, Fabien Pelous, Jerome Thion, Serge Betsen, Remy Martin, Imanol Harinordoquy.
Replacements: Dimitri Szarzewski, Jean-Baptiste Poux, Sebastien Chabal, Julien Bonnaire, Thierry Dusautoir, Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, Frederic Michalak.
Argentina: Ignacio Corleto; Lucas Borges, Manuel Contepomi, Felipe Contepomi, Horacio Agulla; Juan Martin Hernandez, Agustin Pichot (captain); Rodrigo Roncero, Mario Ledesma, Martin Scelzo, Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe, Patricio Albacete, Juan Fernandez Lobbe, Lucas Ostiglia, Juan Manuel Leguizamon.
Replacements: Alberto Vernet Basualdo, Santiago Gonzalez Bonorino, Rimas Alvarez, Martin Durand, Nicolas Fernandez Miranda, Federico Todeschini, Hernan Senillosa.
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| 8th September 2007 07:29 AM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
Preview: England v USA
England captain Phil VickeryTwo more contrasting teams you will not find. England and the United States are, in Rugby Union terms, at totally opposite ends of the spectrum.
England, the defending World Cup champions, come from a very strong Rugby Union culture - in fact it is regarded (wrongly or rightly) as the birthplace of the game.
In the US Rugby Union is a minor sport which struggles for any kind of media coverage and for which funding is minimal. They have only a few semi-professional players and one or two full-timers.
Yet, when they meet in Lens on Saturday there will be expectations and hope like in any other game.
The expectations will be that of England and their vast supporter base that travelled across the channel to France. They will be expecting an easy win and a smooth ride into the crucial encounter with South Africa six days later.
The US Eagles and their small party of fans will be hoping for an upset. But mostly, they will be hoping to be just competitive.
The Eagles have qualified for the finals of a World Cup four times, with the buzzword always being the "potential" of the team. However, they won only two games - both against Japan - in their previous three visits to this global showpiece.
After their win in the inaugural 1987 tournament, they lost a record 10 games in a row until victory at Gosford in 2003.
Despite starting as overwhelming favourites, England are aware that they can't afford to look too much beyond Saturday, as complacency has brought down much bigger and better teams.
England captain Phil Vickery, who said his team is more than ready to launch the defence of their World Cup title, is the first to admit that the Eagles are not to be summarily dismissed.
"You look at it on paper and this is a team we should beat convincingly, but there is always that danger that if you don't treat them with respect then you will come unstuck," Vickery said.
"We have got to respect these guys, they are a very proud nation, they have got some very good players and they are playing the defending champions in the opening game of the Rugby World Cup."
The Eagles have focused on improving their set pieces, heading into this match against England and with several veteran forwards returning this year, the US outfit aims to make this an interesting match-up.
"We have come a long way in a very short time," scrum coach Bill LeClerc said.
"We were fortunate to have Mike Cron [the All Blacks' scrum doctor] at the beginning of the year. We have implemented a lot of his techniques.
"A lot of our players have come along in leaps and bounds in terms of their conditioning," he added.
"We have got the best tactics we can. They (the US pack) are up for it and they want to see how they go against one of the best packs in the world."
Ones to Watch:
For England: In the absence of the injured Jonny Wilkinson the spotlight will inevitably shift onto Olly Barkley, to see how he shapes up at fly-half on the biggest stage of all. The US are not exactly the biggest test he'll face, but he will have an ideal opportunity to show there is life after Wilko.
For the United State: You will have to look at the veterans - the likes of Mike Hercus at fly-half and Luke Gross in the second row - to guide the World Cup newcomers, of which there are many in the Eagles team.
Head to Head: The midfield battle could be very entertaining. Probably not the most decisive showdown, but it will be worth watching how veterans Jamie Noon and Mike Catt (England) shape up against the effervescent Paul Emerick and Vahafolau Esikia (Eagles). In the second row Luke Gross (US) will play a crucial set piece role in his battle with Simon Shaw (England).
Recent Results:
2001: England won 48-19, San Francisco
1999: England won 106-8, London
1991: England won 37-9, London
1987: England won 34-6, Sydney
Prediction: Like all North American sides you can expect the Eagles to be very committed. They've had their moments, but they've also had problems in sustaining that over a period. This England team is not as bad as most people think and even without Jonny Wilkinson will cruise to an easy win - by 20 points or more.
Teams:
England: 15 Mark Cueto, 14 Josh Lewsey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Jason Robinson, 10 Olly Barkley, 9 Shaun Perry, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Tom Rees, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Mark Regan, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Peter Richards, 21 Andy Farrell , 22 Mathew Tait.
United States: 15 Chris Wyles, 14 Salesi Sika, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Vahafolau Esikia, 11 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 10 Mike Hercus (c), 9 Chad Erskine, 8 Henry Bloomfield, 7 Todd Clever, 6 Louis Stanfill, 5 Mike Mangan, 4 Luke Gross, 3 Chris Osentowski, 2 Owen Lentz, 1 Mike MacDonald.
Replacements: 16 Blake Burdette, 17 Matekitonga Moeakiola, 18 Alec Parker, 19 Inaki Basauri, 20 Mike Petri, 21 Valenese Malifa, 22 Albert Tuipulotu.
Date: Saturday, 8 September
Venue: Stade Felix Bollaert, Lens
Kick-off: 18.00 (16.00 GMT)
Conditions: Mostly sunny, wind NW 14 km/h; High 22°C, overnight low 13°C
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Television match official: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)
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| 8th September 2007 07:32 AM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
Preview: Australia v Japan
Just a simple game of touch awaiting the Wallabies?Australia's quest to capture a record third Rugby World Cup begins against Pool B minnows Japan in the group's opening game in Lyon on Saturday.
The Wallabies have waited long enough for the prestigious event to finally get underway and are itching to trade tackle bags for living souls - Japanese souls at that. It's been seven weeks since the two-time Rugby World Cup champs have even played a Test match.
The men in green and gold must be feeling a bit rusty and could not have asked for a better way to get the oil in their system flowing again against a minnow team like Japan.
But before the long-serving Cherry Blossom fans start unsheathing their samurais in anger at the above dismissal of their team, even they can't argue the fact that their team have not won a World Cup game since 1991.
Of course this isn't the only reason why the Australians should already start cracking open the celebratory beers.
Japan have not had the best luck leading up to the rugby spectacle in France, with injuries aplenty ruling key players out of action.
In their final warm-up game against Portugal, Japan lost their record try-scoring wing Daisuke Ohata as well as fly-half Eiji Ando with ligament damage to his right knee.
Hooker Mitsugu Yamamoto was also ruled out with a hamstring injury during the side's training camp in Italy, while other injuries over the season included the loss of first choice full-back Goshi Tachikawa (knee) and second choice fly-half James Arlidge with a broken left leg. Captain Takuro Miuchi also misses out on the World Cup festivities with an ankle injury, while another loss was flanker Glen Marsh who was denied eligibility to play for Japan by the IRB.
Now is also a good time to point out that coach John Kirwan has not even named his strongest side after opting to rest a number of his best men to focus their efforts against Fiji just four days later.
But Kirwan does have faith in his team and has told them above all things to believe in themselves.
With a full-strength Australia line-up standing by to take centre stage at the Stade Gerland, Kirwan, like the rest of his coaching staff, was delighted that the Wallabies had picked a well tuned side for the Pool B opener.
"Their whole team is competitive," said Kirwin.
"They are the second best team in the world and have lots of experience. They have picked their top side and that is what we wanted. This is a huge opportunity. We have nothing to lose."
Australia coach John Connolly is the one that Kirwan has to thank, with "Knuckles" obviously looking to stamp his team's authority in Pool B from the word go.
It almost didn't work out that way with the Aussies having to overcome some niggling injuries of their own at their training camp in Montpellier.
Backline stars Stirling Mortlock (back), Berrick Barnes (groin) and Adam Ashley-Cooper (groin) have all overcome their injury scares just days before their World Cup opener.
Prop Guy Shepherdson, who didn't look as though he would train this week after taking a knock to his left thigh, has recovered to take his place on the Wallabies bench.
The front row is an area that Australia have been working hard at to silence their critics and while Japan won't pose any real threat in that department, popular belief has it that the positions one, two and three will certainly be targeted at a later stage in the tournament.
Despite the detractors over the past few months, this is a remarkable Australian team that has a wealth of experience and talent to go all the way. It's no wonder they managed to attract a crowd of 10,000 at the team's first open training session at Stade Yves du Manoir where they witnessed an enjoyable game of touch rugby between the 30-man squad.
The French know a winning team when they see one and all eyes will once again be on the Wallabies as they try and keep the scoreboard ticking over against Japan.
And with a backline possessing big names such as Stephen Larkham, Matt Giteau, Stirling Mortlock, Chris Latham and Lote Tuqiri - it could just be another game of touch rugby for the men from Down Under.
Ones to watch:
For Australia: With the Wallabies boasting 235 Test caps between them, it's hard to pick out an individual who we haven't seen in all their glory already. Which makes us turn our attention to the bench where 21-year-old Berrick Barnes will be almost guaranteed his first Australia cap. The former rugby league player has all the qualities to make it big in this business at fly-half: pace, vision and a handy boot. The promising youngster will want to prove that his surprise inclusion in the Wallabies 30-man World Cup squad was the right call. Barnes has already tasted victory over Japan when turning out for Australia A in the 71-10 thumping in the Pacific Nations Cup.
For Japan: The forwards will be looking to hold their own at scrum time but with a lack of height in the line-out they will have to work hard to secure their own throws. Enter Lautangi Samurai Vatuvei. The Tongan-born lock weighs in at 120 kg - the heaviest in the pack - and stands just short of two metres tall. His performance will be critical if Japan were to stand any chance at the scrummaging exchanges and especially the line-out - where the backs will be relying on good ball to work with. As his middle name suggests, Vatuvei can cut through the defence like a samurai through hot butter and has nine tries from 20 games to show for it.
Head to Head: It will be a test of courage for fly-half Kosei Ono who will be opposing Stephen Larkham, considered by many to be one of the greatest playmakers of the game. Larkham, who is now 33 yearsold made his debut in 1996 when Ono was still only 9 years old. With 101 caps, including the 1999 and 2003 World Cups behind the Wallaby pivot, this will truly be a case of master versus apprentice. This is the swansong for Larkham on the international stage as he is set to leave Australian rugby after this World Cup. However, for Ono, at his age he has the potential to play another three, if not four World Cups.
Prediction: On paper it's turning out to be a long day at the office for the brave Japanese warriors. While a victory to Australia is forthcoming, it's the margin between the two teams that will be the tough one to call. Surely Japan won't suffer the same feat like they did against New Zealand at the 1995 World Cup when they were thumped 145-17! Or will they? Expect the Wallabies to make sashimi nigiri out of the Cherry Blossoms. Australia to win by 100 points or more.
Recent results:
1987 Australia won 42-23, Concord Oval, Sydney (RWC)
1975 Australia won 50-25, Ballymore, Brisbane
1975 Australia won 37-7 Cricket Ground, Sydney
The teams:
Australia: 15 Chris Latham, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Stirling Mortlock (c), 12 Matt Giteau 11 Lote Tuqiri, 10 Stephen Larkham, 9 George Gregan (vc), 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 George Smith (vc), 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 Dan Vickerman, 4 Nathan Sharpe, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Matt Dunning.
Replacements: 16 Adam Freier, 17 Guy Shepherdson, 18 Hugh McMeniman, 19 Stephen Hoiles, 20 Berrick Barnes, 21 Drew Mitchell, 22 Mark Gerrard.
Japan: 15 Tatsuya Kusumi, 14 Tomoki Kitagawa, 13 Koji Taira, 12 Nataniela Oto, 11 Hirotoki Onozawa, 10 Kosei Ono, 9 Yuki Yatomi, 8 Hajime Kiso, 7 Takamichi Sasaki (c), 6 Yasunori Watanabe, 5 Luatangi Samurai Vatuvei, 4 Takanori Kumagae, 3 Ryo Yamamura, 2 Taku Inokuchi, 1 Masahito Yamamoto
Replacements: 16 Yuji Matsubara, 17 Tomokazu Soma, 18 Hitoshi Ono, 19 Hare Makiri, 20 Tomoki Yoshida, 21 Yuta Imamura, 22 Kosuke Endo
Date: Saturday, 8 September
Kick-off: 13:45 (12:45 BST)
Venue: Stade Gerland, Lyon
Referee: Alan Lewis (Ireland)
Touch judges: Dave Pearson (England), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)
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| 8th September 2007 07:33 AM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
Preview: N Zealand v Italy
Can McCaw and co. emulate Kirk's 1987 All Blacks?The quest to satisfy a twenty year thirst begins in earnest for New Zealand in Marseille on Saturday when they open their 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign against Italy.
Having supped the sweet wine of success from the Webb Ellis trophy in 1987 the world's number one side has subsequently failed to repeat the achievements witnessed at Eden Park all those agonising years ago.
Such is the extent of the agony suffered by the All Blacks on their perilous journey to France, that the trophy has become something of a poisoned chalice. Now only the sweet taste of success in Paris will quell the fires of torment that have raged for so long.
The fires will continue to burn in every New Zealander's belly, but with each game they will gradually subside as they edge towards the cool waters of a glorious shore in Paris. There will be few obstacles obstructing their path as far as the pool goes, although Italy will provide the main challenge.
With no disrespect to Italy, for they are a team with great promise, they are simply not in the same league as Graham Henry's current crop of All Blacks. Let us not forget this is a team who have won 38 of their last 43 Tests, a staggering 88 per cent winning record for those who are bereft of calculators.
It is no wonder then that, with the freakish athleticism of Richie McCaw, the best tighthead propin the world , Carl Hayman, and the prodigious Dan Carter orchestrating the show, that New Zealand will go to Marseille with more than a smattering of confidence.
Italy, for their part, will compete, but for how long is another question. They will come at the All Blacks like banshees, running on passion and adrenaline. The blood that courses through their bodies will be cool, yet the bodies of battle will be burning with pride.
Yet at some stage in the game Italy will fade, and when they do the All Blacks will cut loose in a ruthless but methodical manner. It is in their very nature to sense when the time is right, to sense when the Azzurri are feeling heavy and cumbersome from their heroic efforts. That is what sets New Zealand apart, their killer instinct, and the abundance of class to exploit it.
Having not played a Test since the tail end of the Tri-Nations, opting instead for an altogether private preparation period, it will, without doubt, take New Zealand some time to hit their straps. And so it is in this period when Italy need to make their efforts tell, otherwise the nightmare of the hundred-point defeat at Rugby World Cup 1999 could well come back to haunt them.
For New Zealand, they will look to their only successful campaign, in 1987, and their opening game at Eden Park, against Italy. A 70-6 victory for David Kirk's men set them on the road to glory. It may therefore be coincidence, or it may be the rugby gods playing their subtle hand, that New Zealand once again open their quest against Italy.
A repeat of the Eden Park mauling then will be the perfect way for Graham Henry and his charges to go after their very own Holy Grail.
Ones to watch:
For New Zealand: Make no mistake about it, you will want to maintain a close watch on the entire All Black squad. The pressure is on, they know anything but World Cup glory will be seen as a failure, and the road to glory starts here. The side oozes talent, as does the bench, but if you want a single player to watch it has to be Sitiveni Sivivatu. Favoured over Joe Rokocoko, he has a phenomenal scoring record, twenty one tries in twenty Tests, and will provide the Italians with plenty of work in defence.
For Italy: The Azzurri, man for man, will need to be at their passionate best in Marseille and you can be assured Alessandro Troncon will wear his sizeable heart on his sleeve. A veteran of 97 Tests, the wily scrum half knows that this is his swan song, not that he will let sentiment obstruct the task at hand. He has proven to be a handful to New Zealand teams in the past and you can rest assured he will be in this, his last game against them.
Head to Head: The battle between the two opensides, Richie McCaw and Mauro Bergamasco, will be full of intrigue. There are few in the world who can come close to the irrepressible McCaw, and for very good reason, he is the world's best. Yet in Mauro Bergamasco Italy have the next best thing. The contrasting styles of these two would have you believe they are leagues apart, but don't be fooled. Bergamasco is the key to Italy making a fist of this, and if he hits the heights we know he can, New Zealand will be made to work hard for their win.
Prediction: Italy will compete, that much is certain. However they wont win, again that much is certain. The All Blacks will dictate how much they win by. If they hit the ground running the score will tick over with a familiar regularity. Yet there is a chance they will take a while to find their form, in which case Italy will hang in there for as long as is possible. New Zealand by at least thirty.
Recent results:
2004: New Zealand won 59-10, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
2003: New Zealand won 70-7, Colonial Stadium, Melbourne (RWC)
2002: New Zealand won 64-10, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton
2000: New Zealand won 56-19, Genoa
1999: New Zealand won 101-3, McAlpine Stadium, Huddersfield (RWC)
1995: New Zealand won 70-6, Bologna
1991: New Zealand won 31-21, Welford Rd, Leicester (RWC)
1987: New Zealand won 70-6, Eden Park, Auckland (RWC)
The teams:
New Zealand (revised): 15 Leon MacDonald, 14 Doug Howlett, 13 Mils Muliaina, 12 Luke McAlister, 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu, 10 Dan Carter, 9 Byron Kelleher, 8 Rodney So'oialo, 7 Richie McCaw (captain), 6 Jerry Collins, 5 Ali Williams, 4 Chris Jack ,3 Carl Hayman 2 Keven Mealamu, 1 Tony Woodcock.
Replacements: 16 Anton Oliver, 17 Neemia Tialata, 18 Chris Masoe, 19 Sione Lauaki, 20 Brendon Leonard, 21 Aaron Mauger, 22 Isaia Toeava.
Italy: 15 David Bortolussi. 14 Kaine Robertson, 13 Andrea Masi, 12 Mirco Bergamasco, 11 Marko Stanojevic, 10 Roland de Marigny, 9 Alessandro Troncon, 8 Sergio Parisse, 7 Mauro Bergamasco, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Marco Bortolami (c), 4 Santiago Dellapè, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Fabio Ongaro, 1 Salvatore Perugini.
Replacements: 16 Carlo Festuccia, 17 Andrea Lo Cicero, 18 Valerio Bernabò, 19 Manoa Vosawai, 20 Paul Griffen, 21 Gonzalo Canale, 22 Ezio Galon.
Date: Saturday September 8, 2007
Kick off: 13:45 (12:45 BST)
Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Touch judges: Christophe Berdos (France), Mark Lawrence (South Africa)
Television match official: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assessor: Ian Scotney (Australia)
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| 9th September 2007 12:10 PM |
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| keith_tif |
Nowadays, Rugby is more business than sport.
I prefer Rugby of seventies.It's like tennis of today: BORING!!! BORING!!! |
| 9th September 2007 01:10 PM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
England fail to convince
Going nowhere: Cueto is stopped by Emerick
View Match Stats England won their opening World Cup match against the USA 28-10 in Lens on Saturday, but there were few positives to take from the performance, and disturbingly, not even a try bonus point.
Job done! That is about the only good thing one can say about England's opening match.
England captain Phil Vickery was the first to admit that, judging by this performance, his team will have a tough time defending the World Cup crown they won in Australia four years ago.
And Vickery's suggestion that the England changing room wouldn't be the happiest place in the world was closer to the truth he realised.
Others would use far stronger language to describe England's performance.
Leading 21-3 at half-time, despite a jittery first half, they looked home and dry. But England failed to push home the advantage they enjoyed in the set pieces and the second half ended with the teams each scoring just seven points.
Despite going up 28-3 in the 49th minute, the English ended up producing a second-half performance that can only be described as unadulterated horse manure.
Yes, it was that poor.
The English pack was clearly superior - stealing a number of American throws at line-outs and they also had the American scrum under constant pressure.
However, the Eagles managed to compete with the English at the breakdown and also matched them in the physical exchanges.
What must be most concerning to England coach Brian Ashton is that his team failed to turn their superior forward power into scores on the board - not withstanding stand-in fly-half Olly Barkley's at times sublime moments and slick play.
The Eagles, who looked the more structured of the two teams, showed they can compete at this level.
However, a lack of experience - which saw them often taking the wrong option - resulted in a number of golden opportunities being squandered.
The first scoring opportunity came in the sixth minute, with Olly Barkley slotting a penalty from 25 metres out after the Eagles backline drifted offside.
The Eagles were level two minutes later after England were penalised when an attempted maul went pear-shaped. Mike Hercus' penalty kick wasn't as well struck as that of Barkley, but it counted for the same number of points.
England should have been reduced to 14 men, possibly even permanently, after captain Phil Vickery kicked out at Eagles centre Paul Emerick. However, referee Jonathan Kaplan and his fellow match officials conspired to miss the blatant trip and Vickery was allowed to play on. He may well face a visit from the citing officer.
The English certainly did not have it all their own way, but they managed to open up a gap on the scoreboard, largely through the rub of the green rather than the performance on it.
Barkley slotted penalties in the 21st and 31st minutes - the second coming after Eagles centre Vahafolau Esikia was yellow carded for repeated infringements.
This also highlighted the inconsistencies by the match officials, as Esikia was certainly guilty of a lot less than Vickery and another dangerous tackle by England wing Jason Robinson.
England soon made their numerical advantage count, with Barkley using his boot to pass the ball right across the field to Jason Robinson on the left wing - who went over with no defender near him. Barkley's conversion attempt drifted wide, but at 14-3 England started to look like a team in command.
They scored once more, on the stroke of half-time, this time some great handling putting Barkley over for the second try - as the Eagles struggled to plug all the gaps, being a man down. Barkley slotted the conversion to give his team a 21-3 lead at the break.
But the scoreline belied the fact that England looked more like wilting roses than the marauding machine that won the Webb Ellis trophy four years ago.
Nine minutes into the second half the English stretched their lead even further - with flank Tom Rees driving over from a quick tap-'n-go. The call first went to the TMO, as the English loose forward went over in a heap of bodies, but the call came back that the try was good. The conversion by Barkley made it 28-3 and the match was effectively over as a contest. All that remained was a half hour for England to get that crucial fourth try.
The Americans kept plugging away and England's efforts continued to disappoint.
And when England were reduced to 14 men in the 74th minute, the Eagles scored their first try of the tournament - replacement prop Matekitonga Moeakiola barging his way over from a close-in penalty. Hercus' conversion made it 28-10 to England.
The US Eagles certainly finished the stronger of the two teams, although with time running out they were again reduced to 14 men - after centre Paul Emerick was yellow carded for a spear tackle on Barkley. Emerick, too, may join Vickery in the citing officer's dock.
The game ended with the Eagles taking away a moral victory and England four points on the standings, when five had been mandatory.
England's pack beefed around enough to suggest that South Africa should still face England as their crunch match. On the strength of this performance, England might now be more worried about Samoa.
Man of the match: The pre-match spotlight was firmly on him and our award goes to England fly-half Olly Barkley, who showed there is life after Jonny Wilkinson. Barkley had some really great patches in the game, including a number of sharp breaks.
Moment of the match: This has to go the flank Tom Rees' try in the 49th minute, the score which finally put the game beyond the brave Americans.
Villains of the match: The first half alone produced two England candidates - captain Phil Vickery for his trip on Emerick and Jason Robinson's awful tackle on an opponent. The match officials also deserve an dishonourable mention in this department, since they conspired to miss these blatant acts of foul play. Eagles centre Paul Emerick made a late entry into the ranks with a dangerous tackle on Barkley.
The scorers:
For England:
Tries: Robinson, Barkley, Rees
Cons: Barkley 2
Pens: Barkley 3
For USA:
Try: Moeakiola
Con: Hercus
Pen: Hercus
Yellow cards: Esikia (USA, 29, repeated infringements), Dallaglio (England, 73, professional foul), Emerick (USA, 79, dangerous tackle)
England: 15 Mark Cueto, 14 Josh Lewsey, 13 Jamie Noon, 12 Mike Catt, 11 Jason Robinson, 10 Olly Barkley, 9 Shaun Perry, 8 Lawrence Dallaglio, 7 Tom Rees, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Ben Kay, 4 Simon Shaw, 3 Phil Vickery (c), 2 Mark Regan, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements: 16 George Chuter, 17 Matt Stevens, 18 Martin Corry, 19 Lewis Moody, 20 Peter Richards, 21 Andy Farrell , 22 Mathew Tait.
United States: 15 Chris Wyles, 14 Salesi Sika, 13 Paul Emerick, 12 Vahafolau Esikia, 11 Takudzwa Ngwenya, 10 Mike Hercus (c), 9 Chad Erskine, 8 Henry Bloomfield, 7 Todd Clever, 6 Louis Stanfill, 5 Mike Mangan, 4 Alec Parker, 3 Chris Osentowski, 2 Owen Lentz, 1 Mike MacDonald.
Replacements: 16 Blake Burdette, 17 Matekitonga Moeakiola, 18 AN Other, 19 Inaki Basauri, 20 Mike Petri, 21 Valenese Malifa, 22 Albert Tuipulotu.
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)
Touch judges: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand), Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Television match official: Paul Honiss (New Zealand)
Assessor: Michel Lamoulie (France)
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| 9th September 2007 01:13 PM |
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| fireontheplatter |
please let me know if canada wins their game against wales. |
| 9th September 2007 01:25 PM |
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| stewed & Keefed |
Wales down brave Canucks
Wales 42 Canada 17
Sonny Parker dots down Wales' first try
View Match Stats Wales got their World Cup trail off to a fine start on Sunday, beating Canada 42-17 in Nantes on Sunday, although they had to fight to do it.
Canada led 17-9 after five minutes of the second half, and it was the introduction of Gareth Thomas and Stephen Jones that steadied the Welsh ship, with the Welsh running in five tries thereafter.
However it was the first half that really got the Welsh fans needing manicures at half-time after chewing their nails to the bone. Not even Nostradamus himself could have predicted Canada going into the break with a three-point lead after a well-structured game of rugby from the Canucks.
The game started off with a minute's silence for the passing of former Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) president and honorary life vice-patron Sir Tasker Watkins who died at the age of 88.
Wales did nothing to prove their critics wrong after their poor results leading up to the World Cup left them in the bad books. It was as if Wales felt all they needed to do was turn up.
But how wrong they were, as Canada took it upon themselves to make a go of it and try pull off what would have been the tournament's second major upset in the space of three days.
Canada showed no signs of nerves and played a more controlled game of rugby with their big pack of forwards keeping the subdued Wales pack guessing with thundering rolling mauls from all over the park.
Wales never seemed to have a game-plan and relied on Canada to make the errors before launching any decent attack of their own.
The problem was Canada weren't making any mistakes and took play to the Welshmen - be it from clever kicks from fly-half Andre Monro, or little bursting runs from wing DTH van der Merwe and full-back Mike Pyke.
It was the constant hustle and bustle of the Canucks that kept Wales so unsettled. It also counted against Canada though, whose over eagerness resulted in four penalties against them, of which three were turned into points by fly-half James Hook.
With Wales boasting a generous 9-0 lead after 20 minutes played on the stadium clock, the game looked to be slowly drifting away from Canada. The capacity crowd also had nothing spectacular to cheer about.
However that was all about to change as the remainder of the half was painted red - with Wales sporting a dark grey kit, it's obvious they were not the ones in possession of the paintbrush.
Canada mounted an attack just outside the Wales' 22m line with twelve impressive phases of play that ended with lock Jamie Cudmore eventually finding a small gap in the wall of grey defenders. The ref was right on the spot to award the first try of the match.
The touchline conversion was just pushed wide by wing James Pritchard, but Canada were at least on the board.
Van der Merwe nearly made it try number two for Canada, but failed to hang on to a sneaky interception. Instead it was centre Craig Culpan who showed everyone how it's done when snatching a Hook pass near his own line and racing 90 metres to score.
It was unfortunate for Wales, who had launched their first real attack and had a try just begging to be scored with a five-man overlap to the left. But Culpan showed good initiative and had the legs to outrun Hook to the corner flag.
Pritchard's conversion was successful this time round and Canada were applauded off the field as they went into the changing rooms 12-9 ahead.
Canada started the second half with the same confidence and verve as they did the first, with captain Morgan Williams marshalling his forwards to the Wales line yet again.
The nippy scrum-half then made an American Football-style dive over the ruck to score the third try for Canada. The conversion missed yet again, but the Canucks held an impressive 17-9 lead.
It didn't come as a surprise when Wales coach Gareth Jenkins made two big substitutions, replacing James Hook and Kevin Morgan with Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas respectively.
It was at that moment that the tables had turned for Wales as Sonny Parker immediately was sent into a gap by Jones for the side's first touchdown - much to the relief of the players and their fans.
Jones made the simple enough conversion and Wales were already just one point adrift from Canada.
Winger Shane Williams had an interesting next few minutes as a comedy of errors plagued the Ospreys winger. First he had a clean break with players on either side facing a clear run to the line. Instead, he fumbled the ball and tripped with not even a feather touching him.
The second try-scoring opportunity was blown just moments later after a casual dive for the corner ended in Van der Merwe taking his opposite number out into touch.
However it was the Canucks seeing red after a simple pass for a clearance kick was dropped by Pyke on his line. Towering Wales lock Alun-Wyn Jones seized the loose ball and fell over the line for only his second try for Wales.
Jones converted to give Wales the lead once again with 57 minutes of the match already played.
Shane Williams was then on hand to make up for his earlier two blunders to score two tries of his own. The first coming off a Tom Shanklin break - he never put a foot wrong all afternoon - and the second from some genius play from Gareth Thomas.
All of a sudden the lead had stretched out to eighteen pints with Wales looking a lot happier with a 35-17 scoreline.
Another replacement that had an influence in the turning of this match was veteran flank Colin Charvis who was rewarded for his efforts with a superbly worked try of his own. Again it was Stephen Jones who was responsible for setting everything up after slipping an inside pass to Charvis, who still had a lot of hard yards to make up.
Wales looked a completely different outfit and more tries could have been scored if it weren't for some wandering hands from the Canadians spoiling play.
However it was Canada who again took control in the last ten minutes as they continued to bash away at the Wales line. Hats off to the Welsh defence though, who never gave the Canucks an inch.
Though the final scoreline will suggest an impressive victory for Wales - the coaching staff will be very concerned leading up to their clash with Australia. In fact, make that Fiji as well.
Man of the match: For Canada, hats must be tipped to captain Morgan Williams and the entire Canada forward pack for their impressive march towards the Wales' tryline, which led to two tries. For Wales, replacements Stephen Jones and Gareth Thomas were instrumental in playing Wales back into a better sounding tune. Prop Gethin Jenkins was the pick of the Welsh pack, who really gave it his all in all facets of play. But it was Tom Shanklin who never put a foot wrong from start to finish in the midfield. The well-built centre wreaked havoc every time he touched the ball and kept the Canada defenders on their toes. it was no surprise then that nearly all the breaks came from this man - and all of them led to tries.
Moment of the match: With the odds packed up against them, it has to be the intercept try by Craig Culpan at the stroke of half-time. Not only did it put the Canucks in an unexpected lead - put also was a way of showing everyone watching that Canada were not just here to make up the numbers.
Villian of the match: Not a single punch thrown or any foul play that could have led to a yellow or red card. In all - a super game of rugby.
The scorers:
For Wales:
Tries: Parker, Wyn Jones, S.Williams 2, Charvis
Cons: S. Jones 4
Pens: Hook 3
For Canada:
Tries: Cudmore, Culpan, Williams
Con: Pritchard
Wales: 15 Kevin Morgan, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin,12 Sonny Parker, 11 Shane Williams, 10 James Hook, 9 Dwayne Peel (c), 8 Alix Popham, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Gethin Jenkins
Replacements: 16 T Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Michael Owen, 19 Colin Charvis, 20 Michael Phillips, 21 Stephen Jones, 22 Gareth Thomas
Canada: 15 Mike Pyke, 14 Dth van der Merwe, 13 Craig Culpan, 12 Dave Spicer, 11 James Pritchard, 10 Ander Monro, 9 Morgan Williams (c), 8 Sean-Michael Stephen, 7 Dave Biddle, 6 Jamie Cudmore, 5 Mike James, 4 Luke Tait, 3 Jon Thiel, 2 Pat Riordan, 1 Rod Snow
Replacements: 16 Aaron Carpenter, 17 Dan Pletch, 18 Mike Pletch, 19 Mike Burak, 20 Colin Yukes, 21 Ed Fairhurst, 22 Ryan Smith
Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland)
Touch judges: Alan Lewis (Ireland), Hugh Watkins (Wales)
Television match official: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland)
Assessor: Bob Francis (New Zealand)
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| 9th September 2007 04:34 PM |
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| Quiquestone |
Go Pumas Go!!!!! |
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