Author Archives: Neil Olsen

While for many there will be disappointment that this semi-final weekend sees no participants from the Northern Hemisphere, few can deny that the two match-ups on offer have set the stage for an epic showdown between the four dominant powers of Southern Hemisphere rugby.  A clash between South Africa’s Springboks and New Zealand’s All BlacksContinue reading “Rugby World Cup 2015’s Semi-Finals see a clash of Southern Hemisphere Titans”

Yes I know, for regular readers of this blog the first question is what happened to the last week of the pool stages?  A million apologies but between a family holiday and travelling to Cardiff for the Quarter Finals yours truly just simply didn’t get around to covering it hence the silence of the lastContinue reading “The Pain and Glory of Rugby World Cup’s 2015 Quarter Finals”

There’s been so much rugby during the course of this third week of Rugby World Cup 2015, that we are going to have to try and condense it all into a slightly briefer version of our daily report card just to keep up as we head into week four and the final round of theContinue reading “The Lineout’s Rugby World Cup 2015 Report Card for Days 9- 13”

There were few if any surprises on Day Eight, especially after the high drama of the previous day and headline stealing showdown between England and Wales.  Australia put a brave but ineffectual Uruguayan side to the sword, while despite struggling at times, Scotland ultimately finished with a clinical display against the United States.  Meanwhile, asContinue reading “The Lineout’s Rugby World Cup 2015 Day Eight Report Card”

For me this was probably the best day of the World Cup to date.  Canada put in a fantastic performance against Italy which sadly still saw them walk away with a narrow loss.  South Africa upped their game significantly to eclipse a Samoan side that for me really didn’t pose much of a threat, butContinue reading “The Lineout’s 2015 Rugby World Cup Day Seven Report Card”

Two days and two matches that for many provided very few surprises.  New Zealand and Argentina calmly and efficiently cemented their hold on the top two positions in Pool C as they took on brave challenges from Namibia and Georgia.  We already knew the class New Zealand has to offer but Argentina were a real revelation onContinue reading “The Lineout’s 2015 Rugby World Cup Report Card for Days Five and Six”

Day Four saw two keenly anticipated matches as both Scotland and Australia got their World Cup Campaigns underway.  Scotland took on the heroes of the tournament so far Japan, but the big question is could the Japanese after only four days repeat the miracle of their victory over South Africa?  Meanwhile, Australia would take onContinue reading “The Lineout’s 2015 Rugby World Cup Day Four Report Card”

While it was hard to top the excitement and surprises of Day Two, the third day of this year’s Rugby World Cup provided plenty of drama. Argentina and New Zealand put on a high-octane display to determine who would top Pool C barring any major surprises in front of a record-breaking crowd for a rugbyContinue reading “The Lineout’s 2015 Rugby World Cup Day Three Report Card”

As we all catch our breath from the talking point of the day after Japan’s historic triumph over South Africa, we continue our look at how the teams doing battle on an action packed Day Two fared.  Day Two saw four matches which provided plenty of ecitement and which proved just how competitive this World CupContinue reading “The Lineout’s Rugby World Cup 2015 Day Two Report Card”

And so it’s finally here! After much anticipation, the most competitive World Cup in the history of the tournament got underway on Friday night in Twickenham in front of an enthralled audience as England got proceedings started against Fiji.  With all the rugby coming at us in the next few weeks as we work our wayContinue reading “The Lineout’s Rugby World Cup 2015 Day One Report Card”