Lineout Calls of the Week

Well Folks it’s almost upon us and the excitement is building by the day. Sure the draw is a bit lopsided to say the least, but as a result it could set up the most fascinating permutations we’ve ever seen in a World Cup. Sure there are the favourites, but then there are also the potential giant slayers and history makers. Last but not least, form is a many layered beast and as we’ve seen so many times in the past, form heading into the World Cup may not necessarily be a true measure of what a team actually ends up doing in the tournament itself. So let the speculations begin as all eyes turn towards the drama about to played out on the fields of France.

We’re a little behind schedule in getting this missive out. Fortunately with no rugby this week to speak of, we managed to catch up and look back on that last eventful weekend of World Cup warm ups with the highlight being the permutations of the Twickenham dustup between New Zealand and South Africa. There were plenty of fascinating games in that final weekend of preparation, but the ones that got us talking were the Springbok demolition team at Twickenham and the exploits of Fiji the following day at the same venue. Meanwhile, fellow Pacific Islanders Samoa almost sent a Tsunami sized shock wave across the Rugby World in a rain sodden Bayonne.

Like everyone else who muses on matters related to the oval ball, we too have sat down and had a look at the Pools ahead of the tournament opener next Friday at the Stade de France. We’ve singled out the three teams who are most likely to finish in the top three of their respective Pools and thus gain automatic qualification for Australia 2027, but we also speculate on how the minnows are likely to fare as well as who will actually make it out of the Pools and into the knockout stages.

So without any further ado, here’s what kept our pints frothy this week and are likely to do so for the next two months.

Ireland almost lose the plot, South Africa demolish their greatest rivals and Fiji just keep getting better and better

There was plenty of excitement in the final weekend of the World Cup warm-ups, but the drama of the two games held at Twickenham and Ireland’s clash with Samoa in Bayonne was hard to beat. Italy put a clearly out of sorts Japan to the sword, Scotland rediscovered their mojo in the second half against a resilient Georgia, and France ultimately breezed past Australia – all good games in their own right but we have a hunch the three we’re focusing on will have more than just a few implications for the World Cup kicking off in just 3 days time.

First up let’s talk about that REMARKABLE game at Twickenham between New Zealand and South Africa. South Africa laid down a marker of intent that was nothing short of awe inspiring. Sure you have to be careful about reading too much into these warm-ups, but it was clear from the outset that neither team regarded this game as anything other than a full blown Test match and one that could be regarded as the first “unofficial” game of the tournament. We always had a hunch it would be close, but the fact that South Africa held New Zealand in a scoreless stranglehold for a full 70 minutes had to be seen to be believed. Agreed Scott Barrett’s red card reducing New Zealand down to 14 men at the end of the first half didn’t help matters, but despite what some crusty old former All Blacks thought on the New Zealand rugby show “The Breakdown”, it was a fair cop. There was also the fact that at half time South Africa, through their 7-1 bench split, essentially brought on an entirely new and fresh front row, punishing a battered All Black outfit and making a 21-0 scoreline even more of a mountain to climb.

New Zealand had more territory and possession than South Africa and essentially dominated every statistic. However, the Springboks simply absorbed every effort made by New Zealand with ease and shut the All Blacks down. Consequently, they were able to make much better use of their own ball up against an increasingly fatigued New Zealand outfit. South Africa made 157 tackles compared to New Zealand’s 92, yet outscored them in the try department five to one. South Africa also excelled at disrupting New Zealand’s lineouts as the All Blacks’ set piece work was under constant pressure from the Springboks, especially when that fresh as a daisy new forward pack left the benches on the 46th minute. New Zealand weren’t a bad team on the day, but they were completely outclassed by an utterly clinical and ruthless South African side. In Pool B Ireland and Scotland will be quaking in their boots, while hosts France in Pool A will have taken careful notes. It’s hard to argue that in 80 minutes South Africa have suddenly become the Team to beat.

The next day, Twickenham was the scene of another display that clearly made the denizens of Pools C and D reach for a stiff drink. Fiji are rapidly looking like they will be the side to dominate the easier side of the draw along with Argentina. Fiji are certainly becoming one of the most exciting outfits to watch, as they managed to fire yet another torpedo into the listing England ship. On paper and mulling over the game’s stats, there doesn’t appear to be too much in it between the two sides, but it is clear that England simply couldn’t find a game plan that was able to deal with Fiji’s increasingly well rounded and executed style of play. Much like South Africa the day before it was essentially Fiji making England do all the work. They were able to match England in the physical department, and made England continue to look inept and unimaginative in attack. What was more impressive was Fiji’s ability to hang onto their lead and build on it in the final ten minutes, despite England making a concerted effort at a comeback. Furthermore for Fiji to then put the game out of reach with a superb try on 72 minutes, shows just how much this side have developed from a team that tended to invariably fluff their lines under such pressure in the past. All of a sudden it’s not unreasonable to think that Fiji could end up dominating Pool C.

As for England it was another painful look into the abyss of a potential Pool stage exit. This is the poorest England side we’ve seen since the World Cup in 2015, where the Men in White also exited the tournament stage left at the end of the Pool stages. Defensively they look at sixes and sevens, especially against creative sides like Fiji and in the physical battles they have become ponderous and beyond predictable. Argentina must be licking their lips for their opener against England on Saturday, while after their exploits against Ireland, Samoa must surely also be fancying their chances.

Lastly, in Bayonne on Saturday in truly horrendous conditions it was Samoa not Ireland who looked more than comfortable with playing in the wet. Although it was an experimental starting fifteen for Ireland, it took their experienced bench to steady a ship that looked headed for the rocks at a rate of knots. Even then Samoa were only one mishandled lineout from making history. Ireland looked rattled make no mistake, and it was obvious that their tag as the number one side in the world heading into the tournament seems a bit out of place in light of that performance. They are still a team that could go all the way, but that familiar ghost of World Cups gone by is clearly sitting menacingly on their shoulders. Samoa ran Ireland off the park and met the legendary physical prowess of Ireland fair and square. Ireland’s lineout throwing was way off the mark, and it was only the appearance of veteran Hooker Rob Herring which pulled this key component of Ireland’s set pieces out of the fire. Had Samoa been just a bit more accomplished in that department we would be writing a very different postscript to this game.

Ireland will take comfort from the fact that their bench managed to save the day, and decisions about who to take to France and who to leave behind became instantly apparent by the time Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle. The loss of front row legend Cian Healy however was a bitter blow to their front row stocks. It also served to remind us all that should the stretcher bearers get busy in Ireland’s relatively soft opening two games, their ranks could be too thinly depleted and lacking game time by the time they get to the business end of the Pool stages against a powerhouse Springbok outfit and tricky Scotland. It was an uncomfortable 80 minutes in Bayonne for Ireland and they know that they need to find at least another three gears between now and September 23rd, while also managing to keep a clean bill of health. Not the easiest of balancing acts for Coach Andy Farrell and his team.

Pool A – the most predictable of all, yet is there a surprise lurking somewhere in its depths?

After last weekend’s dustup at Twickenham, and France’s relatively care free second half romp at the Stade de France last Sunday, a pattern seems to be emerging as to how Pool A is going to play out. Let’s be completely honest, unlike all the other Pools there really is only one BIG game in this Pool and it happens in the tournament opener, when hosts France take on New Zealand. Italy will be a spirited opponent, and could possibly catch either of these two giants napping, but only those wanting to cash in on perhaps the biggest gambling odds in the tournament are likely to put any money on it.

France are starting to look like the favourites to top Pool A. While they may have injury concerns, there is enough depth in this French squad that they should be able to manage it. They are the confident side heading into the Tournament opener this Friday with New Zealand. Agreed there is the weight of an expectant nation on their shoulders, but we can’t help feeling that it is a demon they are only going to have to really start grappling with once they reach the knockout stages which they look set to do comfortably. Their games against Uruguay and Namibia should be nothing more than mid Pool warm-up games for that one potentially tricky final encounter with Italy. France have a bad habit of underestimating the Italians either at the beginning or end of big tournaments. However, in our opinion given the fact that the Azurri will have had seven bells probably knocked out of them the week before by an All Black side with a point to prove, France should manage to progress comfortably to the knockouts as potentially the top team in their Pool.

New Zealand will clearly have been rattled by their schooling at the hands of the Springboks last week. It wasn’t exactly the ideal preparation for appearing in the opening game of the World Cup against the tournament hosts. The All Blacks would appear to be still harboring some confidence issues that held them back so significantly last year. Don’t get us wrong they are clearly one of the tournament’s heavy artillery pieces, but we are not really going to get a chance to see what they’re made of until potentially the knockout stages. If opening night jitters trip them up against France on September 8th, then they will be painfully aware that they will not have too much time to set their house in order before potentially meeting the Springboks once more in the Quarter Finals. Furthermore with all due respect, Namibia, Italy and Uruguay are not exactly the calibre of opposition needed to ensure they’ve ticked all the boxes in terms of preparation for such an encounter. However, this is the All Blacks we’re talking about who still have that ability to reinvent themselves better than any other team, and as a result we think they will still manage to finish a comfortable second if not better in their Pool.

As much as we REALLY want to see Italy reach their first ever Quarter Final, reality dictates that once again they will finish a strong third in their Pool. Their opening games are ideal preparation for them causing a possible upset against either New Zealand or France, as they will ramp up in intensity for a final showdown with France. Namibia should be a good outing to fix any concerns arising from the warm up games. Uruguay should then be a competitive but ultimately comfortable win ahead of meeting an All Black side who will be in no mood to take any prisoners, especially if things did not go in favour of the Men in Black against France. Italy will cause France some discomfort at times, but ultimately simply be that last cog in les Bleus final preparations for the knockout stages. We hope we’re proven wrong somewhere down the Road in the Pool stages, but it’s hard to see history being made and us having to eat humble pie, as much as we would enjoy a decent slice of it dished out to us by Italy.

Lastly, the Pool’s two basement dwellers Uruguay and Namibia bring up the rear, with passion and commitment in abundance, but sadly in the grand scheme of things experience gained at this, the top level of the sport, is the best that can be hoped for. We can’t see either of them troubling the big guns of France and New Zealand and even an upset against an Italian side on a very definite upwards trajectory is unlikely, despite Uruguay’s giant slaying abilities against Fiji in the last World Cup. That simply leaves them duking it out between each other for their solitary win. On form alone you have to give it to Uruguay who are clearly benefiting from the organised growth of the game in South America, whereas Namibia have found themselves alone in the wilderness in recent years. Their clash may be one of the most entertaining of this Pool, but ultimately Namibia is likely to emerge with the wooden spoon and Uruguay continue building for future tournaments by finishing fourth.

Pool B – The aptly named “Pool of Death” has more questions swirling around it than all the rest of the Pools put together

After the Springboks’ demolition of the All Blacks last weekend at Twickenham, it’s looking like it’s Ireland and Scotland who have all the work to do. Ireland may still be clinging onto the mantra of being the number one side in the World, backed up by the impressive credentials of a series win in New Zealand last year and a Six Nations Grand Slam this year, but since then they simply haven’t been grabbing the headlines, or if they have it’s been for all the wrong reasons through either injuries or the off field antics of their Captain Jonathan Sexton. Scotland meanwhile appear to be growing in stature and ability as the tournament approaches, the problem being that sadly we’ve seen it all to often in the past from these two sides for it to ultimately only end in tears.

It’s hard to argue against South Africa being favourites to top the Pool, after their awe inspiring display of physicality and ability on attack last weekend against the All Blacks. The defending Champions and 3 time Cup holders look alarmingly well focused on the task at hand. Ahead of the tournament they appear to have fixed the two biggest concerns we had, given the potential absence of Handre Pollard and Lukhanyo Am. Last weekend fly half Manie Libbok brought his kicking boots to the party and the centre pairing of Canan Moodie and Andre Esterhuizen, as we suspected it might be, proved to be a revelation. They open their account against a tricky Scotland side, who can at times be impossible to predict, but expect the Springboks to wrestle any creative ability out of their Celtic opponents by ensuring that Finn Russell is under constant pressure. They then get a warm-up match against a physical but scrappy Romanian side as preparation for their match with their number one threat Ireland. On the basis of what we saw at Twickenham and a potentially confidence boosting win over a wily Scottish side, the fixture with Ireland could well be weighted in South Africa’s favor particularly if the Irish are nursing more injuries picked up in the opening rounds. South Africa end their Pool campaign with what should be nothing more than a formality match against Tonga, enabling them to emerge top of their Pool. The only caveat we’d put on all of this transpiring is that ironically South Africa tend to be more successful heading into a World Cup when they are coming off a run of bad form which isn’t exactly the case this year. Only time will tell.

Ireland have been tipped as one of the favourites ever since they catapulted themselves to the top of the World Rankings last year. They have managed to doggedly hang onto that number one spot, even if their form at times has increasingly been less than convincing. Furthermore, they have the stigma of having consistently exited the tournament at the quarter final stage since its inception. They are painfully aware of their shortcomings at the World Cup, and are desperate to break the trend in this year’s edition. However, like hosts France it remains to be seen how much of burden of expectation this proves to be for a team desperate to break free from the shackles of history. Furthermore, injuries tend to be equally unkind to Irish hopes of progressing further, and although they have managed to emerge relatively unscathed from the warmups, lingering concerns remain, particularly over their two star Hookers, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher. Despite all this however, they are still a quality side through and through and it will take a highly disciplined and skilled outfit to get past them. Although Scotland may well come close to breaking Irish hearts in their last game of the Pool stages, we expect to see Ireland finish second in their group, even if that means they are faced with the prospect of facing hosts France in the Quarter Finals – which may once again prove a bridge too far for Ireland.

Scotland are definitely the dark horse of not only Pool B but the tournament as a whole. They go into this World Cup as the fifth ranked team in the world, which is the highest they’ve ever been. Their route through the Pools starts and ends with a bang as they have to attempt to outwit a physically dominant South Africa, and then try and see if they can play a faster and smarter game than Ireland at the end of it. Given they have Rugby’s version of Harry Potter, in the shape of Captain and fly half Finn Russell, pulling the strings in addition to a capable forward pack and a set of backs that can mix it with the world’s best, Scotland will be everybody’s giant banana skin. Despite the truly daunting quality of Pool B and its justified status as the tournament’s most unforgiving group, Scotland don’t appear intimidated by the challenge. They could well be the biggest surprise of this World Cup, and South Africa and Ireland will be keenly aware of this. However, although they boast some genuine World Cup quality, we have trouble seeing them unseat either South Africa or Ireland, but we’d also argue that those two games are likely to be some of the best of the entire Pool stages. We think that Scotland will ultimately end up finishing third, and it is perhaps the harshest aspect of the current draw that we may well not see Scotland in the Quarter Finals as a result. Had they been on the other side of the draw we would have had no hesitation in seeing them not only top a Pool but also go deep into the tournament. However, this is the one prediction we feel the most unsure about – so watch this space!

As for the Pool’s other two competitors Tonga and Romania, it’s not too much of a stretch to see the plucky but disjointed Eastern Europeans finish last with Tonga taking fourth place. Tonga despite their ranks being bolstered by some genuine former Wallaby and All Black world class quality, don’t quite look the finished product. There still may be a twist in their route through the Pools and were they on the other side of the draw then we could possibly see it as a distinct possibility. However, Pool B’s three front runners are so stacked it’s hard to see Tonga causing an upset. Romania will play with plenty of courage and heart but in their present state we simply can’t see them getting a win over any of the sides they are up against.

Pool C – Fiji look set to make history at the expense of one of the game’s traditional stalwarts

There is no question that this is one of the most interesting and potentially competitive Pools. Wales may be in relatively poor shape at the moment, and Australia are also struggling with form, but both sides always manage to up their game come World Cup time. However the BIG talking point in the group is Fiji, who are looking seriously dangerous, especially after dispatching England at Fortress Twickenham last week in the World Cup warm-ups.

To be honest we’ve been so impressed with Fiji of late, that we fancy them to top their Pool. They start their campaign against Wales and we have a hunch that this will be the first big surprise of the tournament. But put it in perspective and suddenly it’s not so much of a shock. Fiji dominated the Pacific Nations Cup this year, and have only lost one game this year to World Cup hosts France, with that impressive win over England last weekend their crowning achievement. Even in their loss to France they looked exceptionally competitive at times. They arrive in France highly motivated and with some solid successes under their belt. Furthermore their game has evolved into much more than just pure high octane adrenaline charged entertainment. They are technically competent as well as having an enormous repertoire of almost outrageous attacking skills. In short, they’ve gone from being the Tournament entertainers of old to a serious and well rounded handful for their opponents. If they can win against Wales there is every reason to feel that they can carry that momentum forward into their next game against Australia, especially considering Australia’s discipline issues and Fijian fly half Caleb Muntz’s ability to punish sides with the boot, versus the Wallabies problems off the kicking tee. It may be a bold prediction but we’re sticking our necks out here and predicting Fiji will take top honors in Pool C.

Then there’s Eddie Jones’ Australia, and along with Scotland the other smoking gun of the tournament. Eddie Jones may be winless with his new look Wallabies, but we’ve seen glimpses of promise that simply can’t be denied. The fact that they only lost to New Zealand in Dunedin by three points in Bledisloe 2 and at one point looked set to steal the show, was the first sign of what this team could do. We’ve already talked about this Wallaby squad looking to build for when they host their own World Cup in 2027, and as a result this Tournament and everything that follows on from it are the essential building blocks for future success. Despite Jones’ conviction that Australia are in it to win it, we think that’s a tad ambitious. Their defence remains slightly porous which could be a genuine issue for them when they meet Fiji in their second game of the tournament, as does their discipline which could be seriously punished by the Islanders and Caleb Muntz’s kicking boots. However, we think there is enough gas in this Wallaby tank to comfortably outplay a Welsh side struggling with an identity and confidence crisis of epic proportions in their third match. A good win here and in what should be a seriously physical contest with Georgia in their tournament opener should enable them to breeze past Portugal in their final game. Consequently we feel that their match against Fiji could be one of the Tournament’s highlights of the Pool stages. It could go either way but we can’t help feeling that Australia are likely to end up as strong second place finishers in their route to the knockout stages.

Wales have potential make no mistake, but somehow we can’t help feeling that this won’t be a tournament to remember for them. They simply don’t look sharp or cohesive enough. Their recent pummelling at the hands of South Africa and the inexplicable loss to England when they had the Men in White down and out and on the ropes, leaves us with the impression that this time around the odds are stacked against them. Furthermore, Wales overall track record at World Cups is not exactly stellar. Agreed they have made it past the quarter finals and into the semi finals three times, something that fellow Celtic rivals Ireland have never managed to do and Scotland can only claim to have done so once. However in three World Cups they have also not made it out of the Pool stages at all. Wales are definitely a conundrum, as they have produced some of the greatest players the game has ever seen and been dominant for long periods in competitions such as the Six Nations. However, World Cups tend to be very much hit and miss affairs for them and we think this year it’s a miss with them finishing third in the Pool stages.

Lastly the Pool hosts two sides who could also provide an unexpected upset somewhere along the way – Georgia and Portugal. Georgia has been a fan favourite with audiences at the World Cup since their first appearance at the tournament in 2003 and they’ve been a stalwart ever since. Much like Fiji were known until recently solely for their extraordinary attacking game, Georgia were known for their power games through a bruising set of forwards. Like their Fijian counterparts they have developed into a much more rounded side, whose backs are rapidly becoming as much of a threat as their legendary forwards. They’ve long been the dominant force in Rugby Europe’s Tier 2 competition and have been knocking on the Six Nations door with increasing conviction for a few years now. While they may not have enough in the tank to overcome the fizzing Fijians or a Wallaby side growing in confidence, they have been a constant thorn in Wales’ side since the last World Cup, and must surely fancy their chances against Portugal. As for Portugal, it’s probably too much of a tall order for them to pull off their first World Cup win this time around, but watch this space. They are no slouches and are getting more competitive every year. Any side that underestimates them could well end up with egg on their face, even though we feel that they will still end up Pool C’s Wooden Spoon holders.

Pool D – The Pool of surprises and broken dreams?

If you ask us there is only one team at the Races in this Pool and that’s Argentina. For everyone else we can’t help feeling that it’s a World Cup on a wing and a prayer. Argentina bring some impressive form into the tournament, as well as a history of tending to do rather well come the World Cup. Japan, the undisputed over achievers of the last World Cup look to have lost their way, while the only Northern Hemisphere side to lift the Webb Ellis Cup, England, appear to be in a dizzying spiral dive down the World rankings that shows on sign of abating. Samoa arrive clearly fancying their chances over a misfiring Japan and England, and having shown against Ireland last month that they will be no pushover. Lastly Chile arrive at their first ever World Cup full of ambition and dreams of glory, that given the disarray Japan and England find themselves in, might just secure them a place in the history books.

Argentina arrive in France, looking relatively sharp but though they may be labelled as Pool D’s clear favourites, they too are not without their doubts. Nevertheless, this is a highly motivated and cohesive side who benefit from continuity of selection and a strong degree of familiarity with each other, having essentially been together since June. Their defeat of Australia away from home and their narrow loss to South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg during the Rugby Championship, showed once more the the caliber of a team that was able to beat New Zealand and England on the road last year, and indicates they are a side that seems to travel well. Nevertheless, consistency and discipline remain a constant bugbear for an otherwise exceptionally competent team. They seem to be adapting well to life under former Wallaby Coach Michael Cheika, and although they haven’t played nearly as many matches as other teams during August, this is a side that could go deep into the tournament, especially if they pull off an emphatic win over England in their opening Pool game. After that it should be a straightforward arm wrestle with Samoa and a comfortable training run with Chile, ahead of their final game with a Japanese side which seems to be constantly misfiring and which should see Argentina top the Pool.

England are a mere shadow of the team that took New Zealand to task in the 2019 semi-finals and emerged runners up in Japan. As most readers of this blog know we are never fans of changing Coaches in a World Cup year, and while former England Coach Eddie Jones had his critics, the general dismay surrounding new Coach Steve Borthwick makes Jones’ issues pale into insignificance. England look wooden, predictable and perhaps the most unimaginative team out there at the moment. Their skill sets seem well off the mark, and even players that have traditionally been some of England’s strongest assets look desperately out of form and at times lacking big game fitness. England’s only saving grace in this tournament appeared to be that they perhaps had the easiest Pool of all, allowing them to redress their weaknesses for a final hurrah against Japan and Samoa to claw out a quarter final berth against all odds. To be honest even that is looking questionable now. We can’t see them getting past a confident Argentina in their opening game, and while they should squeak out a win against a demoralised Japanese unit, along with World Cup debutants Chile, that final make or break game against Samoa could be a giant banana skin for the Men in White which could end their tournament, especially after the Pacific Islanders’ exploits against Ireland. England are at a low point they are unfamiliar with in recent years, and it will be fascinating to see if they can dig themselves out of it and finish second in their Pool, as in reality in their World Cup journey is likely to end at the Quarter Final stage if not before.

Continuing with the Pacific Island theme, we have a strong suspicion that it will be Samoa who end up finishing third over 2019’s fan favourites Japan. The Samoans are having a stellar year so far, only losing two games. One to Fiji in the Pacific Nations Cup and the other only by a whisker to Ireland, the number one ranked side in the world in their preparation for the World Cup. In short, they look powerful, dynamic and very focused on the task at hand. Their set pieces, particularly the lineouts still need some urgent attention but surprisingly their discipline was better than Ireland’s last weekend. They also managed to make significantly more metres than Ireland, yet their finishing in the red zone just wasn’t there at times, admittedly not helped by the monsoon like conditions in Bayonne. Nevertheless we have a hunch that they could end up punching way above their weight this World Cup, and Japan and England will need to be extremely wary of their Samoan opponents.

Japan are a genuine conundrum. We all know what they can do, the problem is they are just not doing it. Rugby has hit an all time high in Japan since the last World Cup, drawing huge crowds to watch teams with deep financial pockets. However, if you look at the number of Tests Japan has got since the last World Cup it simply doesn’t match up, and that lack of exposure to International competition is clearly evident in the fortunes of the national side in the last four years. Much like England, Japan has been on a downward trajectory. Something is just not clicking in the squad and against powerful and well drilled opponents like Argentina and the spirited Samoans they may well struggle. Perhaps their most important game will be against an English side who find themselves in very much the same boat.

Last but not least Chile make their first appearance at a World Cup, and expect them to embrace the challenge wholeheartedly. Like fellow South Americans Uruguay, Chile are part of a new Latin American rugby force that is slowly starting to bridge the gap to the traditional powerhouse of Argentina. The World Cup may simply be a learning curve too steep at this stage for Chile, but we can’t wait to see them enjoy the party!

So there you have it folks – what a tournament we have to look forward to! The likely givens of Pool A, the fight to the death in Pool B, the Wild Card gamble of Pool C and the anything could happen nature of Pool D all awaits. In short, we can’t wait and have a hunch the rest of you will be like kids on Christmas Eve until Jaco Peyper blows the opening whistle on two glorious months of Test Rugby at 3 PM Eastern on Friday. Till then, kiss your wives, husbands, girlfriends, boyfriends, partners goodbye (unless they are also rugby fans and if they’re not try and convert them) till October 28th, and let the games begin!