Well, that was quite the weekend, wasn’t it? A really interesting final round of Women’s Rugby World Cup Pool action set the stage for the Quarter Finals, and although there were very few if any surprises in the results, there was plenty for us to learn about the teams now at the business end of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Rugby Championship was enthralling, and the big ticket item of New Zealand vs. South Africa at Eden Park lived up to its billing and then some. Across the Tasman in Australia, the Wallabies and the Pumas treated us to an exquisite demonstration of running rugby in the Townsville sunshine. In short, it was a pretty epic weekend for us rugby fans.
We’ll have to keep this one shorter than usual as our resident scribe is now out of the country locked into an annual recurrent training exercise for the next week, so we haven’t really had an opportunity to kick our rugby thoughts around. As a result, this brief distillation of our collective opinions will have to do.
Canada are comfortably through to the Quarter Finals, but the hard work now begins in earnest, and there is still plenty of room for improvement
Canada will feel pleased that once again, they got a stern Test from Scotland in their final game of the Pool stages and preparation for the all-important knockout stages, which now begin in earnest this weekend. However, it’s time to hunker down and really address some issues that the Scotland game exposed. Canada will be aware that their potential Semi-Final opponents, England, New Zealand and France all put big scores on their opponents in the final round of Pool action, making Canada’s 42-19 scoreline against Scotland appear not quite so shiny. Don’t get us wrong, it was a fine win, and Scotland were brave and highly challenging opponents who made life genuinely difficult and testing at times for Canada. However, considering that Canada’s potential Semi-Final opponents, New Zealand, managed to clinch top honors in their pool with a 40-0 win over a strong but ultimately outclassed Irish side, Canada’s Women know that they will need to analyse every last second of the videos of their three Pool games and hammer out the kinks on the training pitch this week.
On the plus side, we still feel that this side are perhaps better than any other at taking valuable lessons learned and correcting any deficiencies that are exposed as a result. So what were the deficiencies we hear you ask? Despite ending up with an emphatic win, there were periods in this game, just like against Wales, where Canada struggled to assert their authority. For a good twenty minutes of the first half, despite taking an early lead, Canada simply couldn’t put a fiesty Scottish side on the ropes, and some shaky defense saw Scotland cross in the corner. Given the Black Ferns’ exploits at the weekend out wide, they will have noticed Canada’s defensive lapses with relish. For the final 30 minutes of the match, Canada improved and steadily exerted a stranglehold over proceedings, but the reality is that they should have had Scotland in a stranglehold much sooner.
It’s the defensive weaknesses that Scotland exposed that concerned us. Up to now, Canada has been pretty solid on defense, but the Scots showed up an area that the incisive Black Ferns’ runners, especially teenage sensation Braxton
Sorensen-McGee will be keen to exploit. Scotland made almost as many metres as Canada did, but their tackle success rate was considerably higher. The Scots beat 29 defenders, whereas Canada were only able to beat 14. Canada made 173 tackles compared to Scotland’s 164, but whereas the Scots missed 14 tackles, Canada missed 29. In short, that’s uncomfortable reading. While such a statistic is unlikely to be a banana skin against Australia, when up against Canada’s likely Semi-Final opponents New Zealand, it could be an Achilles Heel that could end their World Cup aspirations. Canada’s lineout also wasn’t as good as it has been up till now in the tournament, and at ruck time, there were periods of the match where Scotland were more effective at getting turnover ball.
Don’t get us wrong. None of this is being said in any disrespect to our fabulous Canadian Women. Any regular reader of this blog knows we are some of their biggest fans. However, given our vested interest in this team, it would be inappropriate to paper over the cracks in an otherwise fine win. Coach Kevin Rouet and the team will know what they are and that from now on, Canada are going to have up their game considerably. In short, the glass is only three quarters full right now, and if Canada are to end up at Twickenham on September 27th, then they know they have some considerable work to do this week.
As we’ve said all along however, this team has consistently shown that when it comes to the big moments, they perhaps learn faster than any other team in the Women’s game with an ability to adapt and improve that is second to none. While there were some aspects of the Pool stages that concerned us, we are confident that those three games were simply dress rehearsals for the real business now at hand. Australia will pose another stern examination, which we’re confident Canada can pass in order to set themselves up for a Semi Final encounter with a Black Ferns side that just gets better with every outing.
Canada vs Australia – Saturday, September 13th – 11:00 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Meanwhile, the other three horsewomen of the Apocalapyse, England, France, and New Zealand, all showed Canada that they will need to find another few gears by the time they meet any of them in the Semi-Finals
So the Pools are over, and this Tournament gets down to the real do or die stuff and really showpiece the four top teams and their exciting brands of rugby. Sadly, this weekend is likely to produce a few more slightly lopsided results in favor of the three big sides in the tournament in addition to Canada. England and New Zealand will have what should be relatively straightforward warmup games for their Semi-Final dates against Scotland and South Africa, respectively. However, France and Ireland should on paper be a bit more of a nerve-wracking affair. Well, that was until France suddenly found a sixth gear and utterly blitzed past a capable but ultimately outclassed South African side in their final game of the Pool rounds.
If anything, that’s what has struck us the most. Both France and New Zealand have produced consistently and dramatically improved performances from their opening games in the Tournament’s Pool stages. Meanwhile, England and Canada have comfortably got the job done in the Pool stages but have at times towards the latter stages shown some weaknesses and cracks that France and Ireland will have taken copious notes on. Remember that in the recent Six Nations, France only lost to England at Twickenham by a point, and in their last meeting, Canada could only manage a draw with the Black Ferns. Are we suggesting a France/New Zealand Final we hear you say? At this stage, we certainly don’t think it’s beyond the realms of possibility.
As for this weekend, we simply can not see Scotland despite the skill and bravery they showed at times against Canada last weekend, tripping up England. Likewise, although South Africa have ended up being the feel good story of the tournament, it’s hard to see Saturday’s fixture against New Zealand as anything but a spirited swansong to the Springboks’ fantastic World Cup campaign. Like we say, though, it’s that France and Ireland matchup on Sunday, that is the one real variable. Despite New Zealand putting Ireland to the sword 40-0 last weekend, Ireland simply weren’t that bad, and if France have a bad day at the office, which they are often prone to, then Ireland could find themselves alive for one more round. However, this French outfit appears to be quietly building a momentum that if it continues, it could become unstoppable.
In short, all the talk up to now has been about England and New Zealand, and based on the evidence, it’s totally justified. Canada have the potential to spoil both teams’ World Cup parties, but based on what we’ve seen so far it’s the French that we feel have the strongest dark horse tag heading into the knockout rounds and the side that all teams may have the hardest time of building a game plan against.
Every game this weekend, regardless of scorelines or which teams emerge victorious, will be worth watching. There has been some fantastic rugby on display by all sides concerned, and the spirit of the tournament has showcased both how far the Women’s game has come and how it has captured the rugby public’s imagination. You won’t want to miss a minute of it!
New Zealand vs South Africa – Saturday, September 13th – 7:42 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
France vs Ireland – Sunday, September 14th – 7:42 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
England vs Scotland – Sunday, September 14th – 10:42 AM (Eastern) – TSN 3 and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
The hype was justified as New Zealand seem to be getting a better handle on their learning curve than South Africa
We had all hoped for a traditional lung busting, big, and bruising Springboks/All Blacks clash at Eden Park, and that was exactly what we got. There would have been some genuinely sore bodies heading into the respective changing rooms at the full-time whistle, as a gladiatorial clash ended with the All Blacks having the clear edge. To be honest there wasn’t much in it between the sides, but New Zealand were simply that much better at the basics when it mattered most and their transition from the old to new guard looks to be progressing on a much sounder footing than South Africa’s similar journey.
South Africa did claw their way back into the match as the Springboks bench managed to make the last quarter a genuinely nerve wracking affair, with the All Blacks no doubt breathing a huge sigh of relief when referee Karl Dickson blew the whistle after 81 and half minutes of intense hand to hand combat. The All Blacks’ incredible record of 51 back to back wins at the sacred turf of Auckland’s Eden Park remains intact. To sum up, it’s a fact – you clearly can’t beat the All Blacks at Eden Park! No wonder the All Blacks have chosen it as their venue to defend their Bledisloe Cup title against Australia in a few weeks’ time.
There were some remarkable performances from the All Blacks, but perhaps none stood out more than back rower Ardie Savea, especially when he got the match winning turnover. We’ve been huge fans of Savea ever since he first donned the famous black jersey back in 2016, and quite frankly regard him as one of New Zealand’s greatest players of the last 50 years. His work rate is simply off the charts, and as a quiet and inspirational leader, he is almost peerless. If you ever wanted a definition of talisman, then look no further than Ardie Savea.
In addition to Savea’s brilliance, scrum half Finlay Christie also deserves some serious praise, especially given the fact that he was only the All Blacks fourth choice number 9 drafted in due to New Zealand’s casualty wards being full of scrum halves. We’ve always thought that Christie has been seriously underrated by the All Black selectors, but we’d argue after last weekend it will be hard to look past his name on the team sheet as New Zealand starts to shape their World Cup plans.
As for South Africa, it’s definitely not all gloom and doom, especially given their final quarter. However, things are clearly not clicking for the Springboks at the moment, forcing them to play catch-up rugby. Something they are more than capable of doing, but it’s clear that selections and combinations are just not clicking. Their set piece work is creaking and causing them problems, especially at the lineout. Defensively at the back, they often look at sixes and sevens, and the decision-making and execution overall is not what it needs to be, as new combinations and tactics are worked on. There were only two players that really stood out for us last Saturday, and it was as always the irrepressible back rower Pieter-Steph du Toit, who can walk amongst greats like New Zealand’s Ardie Savea any day of the week. However, spare a thought for live wire utility forward Kwagga Smith who, when he came off the bench, almost single handedly turned around the Springboks’ fortunes. We’ve always been massive fans of Smith, and he fully justified our conviction that he remains perhaps South Africa’s most underrated player of the last decade.
South Africa perhaps need to take a long, hard look at some of their veterans after last weekend. Is perhaps Siya Kolisi’s legendary time in Springboks colors coming to an end, despite his almost spiritual like value to the South African cause? Although he’s been a fine servant, fullback Willie le Roux’s time is definitely up, and some genuine committment needs to be made to South Africa’s next generation of backline stocks, perhaps starting with promoting winger Ethan Hooker to the starting fifteen. What do they do for the Hooker position? Regular stalwart Malcolm Marx, although still a beast in the contact areas, is making South Africa’s lineout once a staple of Springbok setpiece dominance, a genuine liability.
Heading into Round 4 in Wellington, we feel that New Zealand are answering these types of questions with more confidence than South Africa. It should be another belter, at a venue that the Springboks have felt more comfortable at in recent times. It’s still a Rugby Championship, very much up for grabs for all four teams, so expect the sparks to fly!
New Zealand vs South Africa – Saturday, September 13th – 3:05 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, FLO Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
A good time was had by all in a fabulous display of skill as Argentina and Australia put on a glorious display of free-flowing rugby
We think we can all agree that Saturday’s encounter between Australia and Argentina was genuinely solid rugby entertainment, and it was a terrific way to spend two hours on a Saturday. In short, it was extremely good fun. Two highly talented sides with some exquisite skills went at it hammer and tongs and played some glorious free flowing and and fast paced rugby. Best of all, we were all left in total suspense until the final whistle as to who would emerge the winner. We can’t remember the last time we saw two such evenly matched and highly skilled teams. If that wasn’t a fabulous advertisement for the thrills and spills of International Test Rugby, then we don’t know what is.
Argentina won’t be happy with the fact that they let a game that had it gone to regular time and not 85 minutes, they would have won. At half time, the Pumas had a convincing 21-7 lead, and for all intents and purposes, it looked set to be their party in the second half. However, the one thing we’ve learned about this current Wallabies side is just how dangerous they are in the second half, regardless of the score in the first. Argentina were only able to manage three points in the second half, whereas Australia were able to score three converted tries. It was a barnstormer of a second half in which center Joseph Sua’ali’i lived up to all the hype surrounding him at the start of this season by scoring two of the Wallabies second half tries, with Prop Angus Bell as he so often does, managing to finish the job for the Australia.
What impressed us the most about Australia was their willingness to take the game to Argentina, and rather than take an easy three points on offer on numerous occassions, they repeatedly chose to press their physical advantage in the second half and kick for the corner. Against a big, powerful Pumas side that is some pretty gutsy decision making, but it also showed how much belief after some very lean years there now is in this Wallaby team. In Harry Wilson, as we’ve said on numerous occasions over the last year, Australia have found a real leader, and his influence on the team simply can not be underestimated. The highly mobile and skilled back rower leads by example, and as Australia ramped up their second half intensity, Wilson’s red scrum cap could always be found at the forefront of the action. The comparisons with the legendary John Eales are already starting to be made. No matter what the scoreline, Wilson, somehow, through his quiet but confident leadership, inspires his charges on to greater heights.
As for Argentina, they will be frustrated at how Australia got themselves back into the game, even though trawling through the post match statistics, there is very little to separate the sides. It was definitely a game of two halves, and while Argentina still looked strong in the second, the Wallabies had more of a clinical edge to them in how they went about proceedings. As Australia increased the tempo in the second half, the Pumas defence started to crack under the relentless onslaught, and as a result their missed tackle count allowed the Wallabies opportunities they simply weren’t getting in the second half. The Pumas scrum continued to creak, and their discipline tripped them up at key times in a desperate attempt to keep an Australian side growing in confidence at bay.
The good news is we get to do it all over again this Saturday in Sydney, in what should be an equally entertaining affair. Spare a thought for the Wallabies luckless Tom Lynagh, who sadly picked up another knock in last week’s encounter and instead is replaced at fly half by Tane Edmed. The Brumbies fly half gets his first start in a Wallaby jersey and his inclusion will serve to showcase the increasingly impressive young talent that the Wallabies are starting to cultivate and which could peak at just the right time for the World Cup in two years. Meanwhile, Argentina will have studied the tapes, and we think it’s safe to say will be ready for more while having cleaned up the mistakes of last Saturday. It looks to be another fast track in Sydney this Saturday as the weather gods look set to keep things dry. So strap yourselves and ready yourselves for Round 2 of the Australian/Argentinian Grand Prix!
Australia vs Argentina – Saturday, September 13th – 12:00 AM (Eastern) – TSN+, FLO Rugby, Premier Sports Asia and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Canada have qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, as have their Pacific Nations Cup opponents this weekend Fiji
Whatever happens this weekend in the Pacific Nations Cup Semi-Final between Canada and Fiji in Denver, Canada’s Men can rest safe in the knowledge that after 6 long years of heartache, they are finally going to a World Cup again in 2027 in Australia. They won’t be happy with their implosion against Japan a fortnight ago, but we still hold that there is at long last a positive change taking place under the new Coaching regime of Steve Meehan. Canada looks more polished, and there is a cohesion in the team that has been woefully absent in the last few years.
Against Fiji this weekend, Canada are really going to have to work on their defense as give the Fijians any hint of space, and Canada will end up with a very long and frustrating day at the office. A lot of the polish and organisation that we saw in Canada’s set piece play and execution against the USA will need to be rediscovered. Fiji simply thrive in open play and against sides who lack structure in their defensive systems they are master opportunists. While Fiji may not have the tactical ability of Japan, the amount of chaos they can create in the blink of an eye will punish any team that can not remain organized for the full eighty minutes. That final quarter of big games still remains an Achilles Heel for Canada, and it will be fascinating to see if they can master it in Denver.
Despite the loss and rather alarming scoreline in Japan a fortnight ago, it still needs to be emphasised that for the first 55 minutes of that match, Canada were very much in contention. As we’ve just mentioned above, fix that final quarter and, although Fiji will be this new look Canada’s sternest test to date, the scoreline should still at least be respectable even if it may be a tall order for Canada to come away with a win at this stage in their redevelopment. Hopefully, the Men will be spurred on by a strong Quarter Final win by Canada’s Women in the World Cup this Saturday, and Sunday in Denver will mark another encouraging milestone in the Canadian Men’s journey to Australia in 2027.
Fiji vs Canada – Sunday, September 14th – 8:35 PM (Eastern) – TSN 2, TSN+ and Stan Sport Australia (live and on demand)
Like we say, slightly shorter on our musings this week as we haven’t really had the time to have a decent banter about rugby with some of us being away, which looks set to be a common theme for much of this month, but we’ll do our best. Enjoy what should be a fantastic weekend of rugby and regarding the Women’s World Cup – GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!!!
The Lineout 