Well you guessed it, much of this week’s missive will be on the Women’s Rugby World Cup which produced some truly special moments last week, with the intensity and momentum of the Pool stages coming to a head this weekend. There are some huge matches this Saturday and Sunday and even if there hasn’t been any real sense of jeopardy up till now in many of the games, this weekend sees some critical matchups, with even the top 4 sides tipped most likely to go to the Semi-Finals and beyond needing to watch their backs and roll up their sleeves. In short, the pleasantries are over now, and all of a sudden, things have got a lot more interesting and deadly serious.
For many of us, though, our thoughts will also turn to the events set to unfold at Auckland’s Eden Park in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday here in Canada. South Africa will attempt the unthinkable – beating the All Blacks on a ground they just don’t lose on (well, not since 1994, that is). Both sides are going through a transition, and the normal certainties the All Blacks would feel comfortable with heading out on to their favorite turf aren’t quite there. In short, the All Blacks look vulnerable, while South Africa are also not quite the finely tuned precision instrument at the moment that has seen them win back to back World Cups. For all intents and purposes this game is impossible to call and the drama already swirling around it means that it will either be one of the greatest games we’ve ever seen, or potentially the biggest anticlimax in the history of the fabled rivalry between these two legendary sides.
Meanwhile, Australia have made a tour of the casualty wards to see who is available for the Pumas two Test Tour to the Wallabies homeland. Has the injury crisis snuffed out Australia’s remarkable renaissance this past year? Can the Pumas finally string two dominant performances together, or will their now infamous inability to be consistent trip them up once more? In short, there are so many questions to be answered this weekend for both sides.
Finally, Canada’s Men traveled to Japan for the second leg of their Pacific Nations Cup campaign, and suffice to say the story didn’t end well. However, the opening chapters were such good reading despite Canada ulitmately falling dramatically short to a Japanese banzai charge in the final 25 minutes. Consequently, although Canada’s seeming inability to go more than 60 minutes in big pressure matches came back to haunt them with a vengeance in Sendai last Saturday, the opening 55 gave us enough reasons to be cheerful allowing us to hang onto to our fragile beliefs that change in the Canadian Men’s fortunes is slowly starting to take hold.
So plenty of moments that kept our pints more than frothy this week, so let’s get into it, starting with, of course, our fabulous Women over in England!
Canada go through to the Quarter-Finals with an emphatic win over Wales but expose some cracks that need urgent attention!
In many ways, Canada’s ultimately emphatic 42-0 win over Wales was exactly what they needed, as every game from now on gets infinitely more challenging. It was the last real chance for Canada to take a long, hard look at themselves and identify problem areas before the jeaopardy of the Quarter Finals and beyond is upon them. Don’t get us wrong, it was a fine win, and at times, Canada played some sublime rugby. However, if they plan to have a shot at tilting at England’s windmills on September 27th at Twickenham they’ll know that, despite the 42-0 scoreline, there are several areas where they need to make a significant step up in terms of performance.
Canada struggled to assert control in the first 15 minutes, and Wales definitely had the upper hand. However, after that, a collective switch was thrown, and all the lights came on for Canada. They took the game by the scruff of the neck and never looked back. However, what concerned us was in so doing they looked under pressure at times and made a series of handling errors that had been problematic for the team as recently as 18 months ago, but on evidence of their matches this year we thought they had addressed. The 29 handling errors they made against Wales would have been suicidal against a team like England or New Zealand. Furthermore, even once they had got the measure of the game, the statistics at the final whistle showed that Canada had the ball turned over on them 21 times. Head Coach Kevin Rouet was clearly concerned at the end of the match and felt that despite nilling their opponents 42-0 that it wasn’t one of their better performances and improvements were needed.
Heading into the game, Canada had a 100% lineout record but could only manage 88% in this game. Their scrum, however, held up extremely well and managed a 100% success rate. Nevertheless, needless penalties given away by Canada in the opening 15 minutes allowed Wales into the ascendancy. It was soon snuffed out, however, and Canada went about their business even if it lacked some of their customary finesse. They’ll also be concerned that in the final quarter, they appeared to lack a certain degree of killer instinct and could and should have put 60 points plus on the Welsh. After dominating territory and possession in the second half, we were mildly surprised to see Canada score no points in the final twenty-five minutes of the game. Whether that was due to the fact that with a bonus point win already in the bag and a Quarter Final berth secured, they felt it unnecessary to risk potential injuries, we will probably never know.
Canada will feel pleased that Sophie de Goede appears to have made a full recovery from her ACL injury and is now operating at peak efficiency, and she has also clearly brought her best set of kicking boots to England, as her goalkicking was absolutely spot on, kicking all 6 from 6. Winger Asia Hogan-Rochester has also made an excellent recovery from injury, putting in some outstanding line breaks and covering more meters than any other player in the match. Canada’s forward pack ultimately shut the Welsh down from minute 15 onwards and Canada’s rolling maul is becoming increasingly effective, something that might be a useful counter to England if they are to meet them at some point in this tournament.
In short, some definite work ons ahead of their most challenging game to date this weekend as they face off against a rapidly improving Scotland. The Scots like Canada are already through to the Quarters, but the stakes are high as winning the Pool should ensure a more favorable route through the knockout stages. Finishing second in Pool B would mean Canada would likely have to face England in the Quarters, which is something they most likely would rather not do at this stage in the Tournament. Scotland will also be keen to avoid a similar fate, so although both teams are through, Saturday’s encounter in Exeter is a high stakes affair requiring maximum effort from both sides. Canada still head into the game as favourites, but there should be plenty of sparks in what should be an entertaining game and on paper Canada’s sternest test to date.
Canada vs Scotland – Saturday, September 6th – 6:30 AM TSN 1 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
In the “Best of the Rest,” we look ahead to what should be a thrilling, high stakes final weekend of Pool action in the Women’s World Cup
There were some great moments this past weekend in the Women’s World Cup. While some of the games may have been wildly lopsided, most notably Brazil’s thumping at the hands of France and England’s utter domination of Samoa, the heart, commitment and passion that this tournament has evoked in players and fans alike has been uplifting. Even in their overwhelming 92-3 loss to England, Samoa remained proud and steadfast to the end. As the Samoan Coach said in an emotional post-match press conference, sometimes winning is not the most important thing, it’s just being in the moment that counts. Harmony Vatau’s successful penalty kick and Samoa’s only points were probably the most applauded three-pointer in the history of rugby.
Meanwhile, in a thriller in York, South Africa’s women made history by beating Italy for the first time and getting their ticket to their first ever World Cup Quarter Final. The scenes of jubiliation and euphoria on the pitch at the final whistle embodied all the reasons why we love this game so much, while at the same time our hearts went out to the entire Italian team who now find themselves out of the World Cup after their final Pool game against Brazil this weekend. South Africa now face France in their final Pool game, and if they play anything like they did last Sunday, this could easily be one of the best games of the weekend. Brazil themselves were admirably brave in their loss to France, and even Japan managed to give New Zealand food for thought at times.
However, perhaps the most riveting contest of the weekend was that 31-31 draw between Pool A contestants Australia and the USA. Expectations were high that Australia would get the job done, but in a match where the lead was changed almost continuously, neither side could gain an advantage. It was nailbiting stuff from start to finish and arguably the most tense match of the competition so far. Australia found themselves caught off guard by some intense physicality from the Americans, and Australia’s discipline cost them dearly at times. Some truly heroic defence from the Wallaroos just managed to keep the Eagles at bay in the final ten minutes, as with the Americans in the ascendancy the Wallaroos were forced to defend as if their lives depended on it and it worked. Australia now have the unenvious task of finishing their Pool campaign against England, while the USA have a relatively easy run against a brave but ultimately outclassed Samoa. If there is a big points haul for the Americans against the Pacific Islanders, and assuming England beat Australia as is the general consensus, then those points difference calculators will suddenly become very busy on Saturday afternoon.
Finally, perhaps the biggest game of this weekend will be Ireland and New Zealand on Sunday in Brighton. Can Ireland pull off a feat akin to Japan’s “Brighton Miracle” when they beat South Africa in the Pools in the Men’s World Cup in 2015? It’s not beyond the realms of possibility, especially as the last time these two met last year in the WXV, it was Ireland who came out on top. Ireland have looked impressive so far this tournament, while New Zealand don’t quite look the juggernaut that everyone had billed them to be. As the number three side in the World, the Black Ferns are definite title contenders but so far haven’t really shown us the killer instinct needed to get there. Even last weekend, in their comprehensive defeat of Japan, they looked vulnerable at times. They won’t be happy that Japan were able to score three tries against them, and at times, New Zealand’s discipline was problematic as they gave away 11 penalties, one yellow and one red card. New Zealand are a very good team, make no mistake, but invincible at this stage they are not. A lot like Canada as one of the favourites for the tournament, they know they still have plenty of work ons ahead of a Finals date with England.
USA vs Samoa – Saturday, September 6th – 8:12 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
England vs Australia – Saturday, September 6th – 11:42 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
New Zealand vs Ireland – Sunday, September 7th – 9:27 AM (Eastern) – TSN 1 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
France vs South Africa – Sunday, September 7th – 11:27 AM (Eastern) – TSN 2 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Although Canada’s second round Pacific Nations Cup loss to Japan left many of us with that familiar sinking feeling and sense of deja vu, it’s tinged with much more optimism than in the past!
We were really enjoying ourselves watching Canada and Japan duke it out last weekend until the 55th minute. Then that all too familiar sinking feeling set in, as Canada’s ongoing inability to rarely last more than 60 minutes in big games reared its ugly head once more giving us all frightening flashbacks to the Kingsley Jones era we have had to endure until this year. Perhaps even more alarming was how it showed the huge gulf between professional rugby everywhere else in the world and North America. If Japan, end up putting in a big score against the Americans this weekend then we rest our case that the MLR seven years in simply isn’t delivering what is needed to make the US and Canada competitive on the International stage.
There were some good performances in this game make no mistake. Canada’s starting back row of Sion Parry, Lucas Rumball, and Matt Oworu were outstanding for large chunks of the game, as was fullback Shane O’Leary. There was some solid defense by Canada, which kept them in the game with only a seven point difference right up until the 55th minute. However, once Japan scored their third try, the dam burst and Canada were left chasing their coattails for the final quarter, in what has become a depressingly familiar sight in recent years.
A notable difference and one which highlights our concern about the vast majority of our players being drawn from the MLR, was the absence last weekend of forwards Evan Olmstead and Tyler Ardron, with Ardron being Man of the Match against the USA in Canada’s Pacific Nations opener. Both Ardron and Olmstead play in France, Olmstead in the highly competitive Tier Two PROD2 for Agen, and Ardron in arguably the best club competition in the world, the TOP14 for Castres. Look at the enormous impact the pair had on Canada’s game against the USA in Round 1, resulting in an excellent win and Ardron scoring 4 of Canada’s 5 tries.
A week later, without Ardron and Olmstead against Japan, Canada could only manage to cross the whitewash twice, while the Japanese scored an impressive eight tries, with five of those coming in the final 25 minutes. Japan Rugby League One by comparison is hugely competitive with a host of top flight International stars plying their trade in the 12 teams making up the competition. Japanese players are getting game time alongside and up against greats like Pieter Steph du Toit, Richie Mounga, Beauden Barrett, Cheslin Kolbe, Kwagga Smith and Malcolm Marx to name but a few.
In short, while the MLR has its uses, an emphasis should also be placed on getting a core of top Canadian players contracts in Europe and exposure to top flight club rugby week in week out. More than 50% of our hugely successful Women’s team are playing professionally in England and France and look at what it’s done for the team’s development.
Like we say, there were some positives last weekend in Sendai despite the ultimately one-sided scoreline, but Canada needs to learn from their mistakes and build on the success they showed against the USA, while at the same time Rugby Canada needs to take a long hard look at how it is helping players get the exposure they need at an international level, over and above the MLR. Once that’s done, then perhaps Canada can start to go the full eighty minutes against sides it ultimately needs to be able to compete with if regular attendance at future World Cups is to become a reality.
Billed by many as the biggest game of the year, the Springboks’ Rugby Championship showdown with the All Blacks at the New Zealanders’ hallowed fortress has a Hollywood Blockbuster feel to it
This should and could be a game for the ages, but we’d be lying if we didn’t say that we are concerned that this could end up being one of the most overhyped games of the decade. Hang on, we hear you say it’s the Springboks vs. the All Blacks at the Men in Black’s sacred ground and impregnable fortress of Eden Park – this is blockbuster material! The All Blacks record of not being beaten at their National Stadium since 1994 is on the line, and it’s a record that Springbok Coach Rassie Erasmus would love to smash and add to his long list of rugby accomplishments. So what’s the problem?
Our concern is that both sides still look decidedly undercooked at this stage of their transition phase in this current World Cup cycle. South Africa still seem unsure of who they are and what kind of game they want to play, and exactly the same could be said of New Zealand. Add into the mix a crop of worrying injuries for both sides, and given that the stakes are so high, risk taking on Saturday may be nonexistent to the point where it could degenerate into a conservative, yawn inducing low scoring slugfest between two sides paranoid of tripping up in front of their fans who are currently in a fever state of anticipation and expectation.
All that aside, though, let’s assume that we do get the humdinger everyone is eagerly anticipating and which on paper should happen. We read recently a journalist describing the All Blacks, in this their second year under new Coach Scott Robertson, as being “jittery,” and to be honest, we couldn’t think of a more apt description. This is still a world class team, blessed with extraordinary talent make no mistake who can beat anyone on their day. The problem is they just look decidedly unsure of themselves, and the cohesion in the team isn’t evident enough for you to immediately recognize it as an All Black team. Robertson wants them to play differently and almost seems to want them to play like South African sides of old, while Erasmus and his Kiwi attack Coach Tony Brown almost want the Springboks to play like the free running All Black sides of old. This DNA switch is clearly not working for both sides, forcing South Africa to revert back to old school Springbok rugby in the second game of the Rugby Championship after that historic defeat to the Wallabies at Ellis Park in the tournament opener.
For the Springboks “reversion to type” as it were paid off handsomely in the second Test against Australia for the most part, though it never completely negated an inventive and gutsy Wallaby side. Furthermore, as the game wore on Australia rose to the challenge, and had they not missed a few crucial kicks at goal, we might be writing a very different piece right now.
For the All Blacks, we’re really not sure they know what to go back to and even if there is any sense of what that should look like. The talent in this New Zealand side is world class, and of that there is no doubt, the problem is it remains a team of exceptionally gifted players all playing for the most part as individuals. Cohesion and an understanding of systems is clearly lacking at times in their execution. A fortnight ago in Buenos Aires, they almost seemed surprised at the ferocity and organisation that the Pumas came at them with and appeared to have very little in the way of answers to cope with it. At the moment, they appear reactionary, which if the team they are up against is not clicking or having a bad day at the office, works just fine. However, meet a team comfortable in how they are playing and what they want to achieve, and the All Blacks have a tendency to look disorganised and unstructured.
Consequently, despite the hype around Saturday’s fixture, we are struggling to tap into it. We know it’s a big deal, but perhaps we’re more focused on and interested in the exploits of Canada’s fantastic women in the World Cup. We won’t miss this game of that you can be certain, but we just can’t shake this nagging feeling that this game could go one of two ways. First and foremost, hopefully, it lives up to its billing and has us on the edge of our seats and glued to the screen, hardly daring to look away. However, there is also that niggling doubt that maybe with so much to lose in terms of face for both sides, it will end up being one of the most conservative games of rugby every played. It should be a game we are talking about for years to come and telling our grandchidren about. Equally, it could be a game that once the final whistle blows, we switch with relief to Canada vs Scotland in the World Cup. We are hoping it will be a case of the first scenario. Either way, we doubt we’ll be able to say it wasn’t interesting! So let the talking end, and one of this decade’s most anticipated games show us why this is still perhaps International Rugby’s greatest rivalry in terms of spectacle!
New Zealand vs South Africa – Saturday, September 6th – 3:05 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, FLO Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Two Coaches with everything to prove and Captains who know that the expectations of their respective nations lie on their shoulders
Despite some concerning injuries for Australia, looking at the team sheet Coach Joe Schmidt has put together to face Argentina in the first of two Tests this Rugby Championship, we have to admit he has the right to feel pretty good. Admittedly there is no Will Skelton or even more crucially fullback Tom Wright, but it’s still a good team, the core of which for the most part got the job done in that historic win over the Springboks at Ellis Park.
The good news is that despite some necessary shuffles in the front row, key performers like Taniela Tupou are available. The second row looks strong with Nick Frost and Tom Hooper. However, it’s the back row that should put smiles on every Wallaby supporter’s face. Harry Wilson is back in the Captain’s jersey and number eight. His leadership and ability to rally and organise his troops in the Ellis Park Test was exemplary, and he is an essential cog in this team. Alongside him are two of Australia’s most valuable players, Fraser McReight and Big Rob Valentini. This is a mobile and powerful pack, which should be able to match a powerful Argentinian offering equally capable and dynamic in every aspect.
Nic White continues to be Australia’s most valuable rugby pensioner in the nine jersey, but Saturday’s dustup in Townsville sees the return of fly half Tom Lynagh. We still hold that the young number 10 has a big future ahead of him. He will be a target of Argentina’s monster back row all afternoon, but the bravery Lynagh has already shown under fire is impressive. Having the giant and menacing figures of Pablo Matera, Marcos Kremer and Juan Martin Gonzalez, who collectively would probably be able to tackle a freight train off the rails at speed, running at you all afternoon is the stuff of nightmares for most people, yet Lynagh seems up to the challenge despite the fact he’s not exactly the biggest lad on the park by quite some margin. Apart from the omission of the exceptional Tom Wright at fullback, Australia field a back line and centre pairing that proved highly effective in South Africa.
As for Argentina, there is little change from the side that clicked so well against the All Blacks in Buenos Aires. Due to injury Tomos Albornoz remains out of consideration at fly half, but considering he only played 4 minutes in Buenos Aires before being replaced by Santiago Carreras it’s no huge loss, especially when in our opinion Carreras played arguably the best game we ever seen from him in the 10 jersey. Argentina’s kicking game a fortnight ago was flawless, and they were absolute masters of the high ball. Australia without Tom Wright will be challenged here, but winger Max Jorgensen is proving rather adept at the aerial battles. However, it’s a settled and confident Argentinian team that run out onto the pitch in Townsville with a big win fresh in their collective memory and how they got it done. The connections and linkages are for Argentina already established, while for Australia as a result of the stretcher bearers, there is once more some fine tuning to be done and relationships to be worked out.
Given our concerns about caution potentially being the better part of valor at Eden Park on Saturday, our gut feeling is that in terms of spectacle and excitement this could actually end up being the game that gives us the most entertainment on Saturday. It may not be the game we’re talking about come Monday, but we’re still thoroughly looking forward to devoting two hours of our time and a few refreshments to it on Saturday. In short the best analogy we’ve heard for this weekend’s Rugby Championship is there will be an F1 race in Townsville with lots of overtaking opportunities and a chess match in Auckland played in the manner of a sumo wrestling contest crossed with a 100 metre sprint race! In short a good time should be had by all!
Australia vs Argentina – Saturday, September 6th – 12:30 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, FLO Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Well, that’s it for this week, folks. Enjoy the rugby!
The Lineout 