In many ways there are unlikely to be too many surprises tomorrow in Florence or Twickenham, but the subplot running through tomorrow’s fixtures is enormous. What subplot you may ask? Italy and Georgia will both be on show tomorrow, and the Autumn Nations Cup is probably the biggest opportunity to date to lay to rest once and for all the debate about Italy’s place in the Six Nations, and Georgia’s chance to take it from them. Unfortunately we feel that it is Georgia who has been dealt a poor hand in this regard. Italy have to face France, Fiji and Scotland whilst the hapless Georgians have to take on Wales, Ireland and current Six Nations Champions England. Ireland could have won the Six Nations and although they may be going through a lean patch, let’s not forget Wales were Six Nations Grand Slam Champions last year. In short, Italy are likely to emerge looking much healthier in terms of their ability to compete than Georgia when the Autumn Nations Cup draws to a close.
Italy vs Scotland – Saturday, November 14th – Florence
Scotland come into this match feeling rather confident despite their injury list in the fly half department. A positive Six Nations with the crowning achievement being overturning this year’s tournament darlings France is something they can look back on with pride. Scotland may be frustratingly inconsistent at times, but there is no denying they are a team who is playing some very respectable rugby these days. Italy on the other hand remain International Rugby’s perpetual underachievers – with the slogan being “surely this is the year” – but sadly we’re all still waiting. However, there were some sparks in their recent defeat to England in the final round of the Six Nations. This tournament will determine whether or not Italy remain a flash in the pan or under new Coach Franco Smith may be finally turning a corner.
Scotland look tight in the front five but we can’t say the same about Italy
In Scotland’s most recent outings we’ve really liked Scotland’s reliable and solid approach to chores in the tight five. They just look steady and well drilled with everyone having an exceptionally good understanding of their roles. The front row with Stuart McInally, Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson have been outstanding with some solid support from the bench in the shape of WP Nel and new kid on the block Oliver Kebble. Italy’s unit on the other hand just doesn’t look the part. There have been some improvements in the second row but overall it is not something you feel the Azurri can depend on. Scotland have proved rather adept at using their efficiency in the tight five to create opportunities for rampaging loose forwards like Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson and a set of backs running on high octane fuel. Italy on the other hand struggle to create those linkages, consequently we expect to see Scotland dominate set piece and phase play from the get go tomorrow.
Italy’s back row though need offer no excuses
It may be a unit that Italy is struggling to integrate into its overall game plan – but a classy unit it is nonetheless. Jake Polledri is clearly England’s loss and we were impressed with the work rates of his colleagues Sebastian Negri and Braam Steyn against England in the final round of the Six Nations a fortnight ago. Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson are not two individuals we’d enjoy testing our mettle against in the Test Arena, but Italy can at least feel assured that they have a unit that can compete here. This undoubtedly will be the best aspect of Italy’s play tomorrow – so keep your eye on it.
Duncan Weir – we think Scotland may have missed you more than they care to admit
We allowed ourselves a wry smile to see who we think is one of Scotland’s most underrated players of the last five years be on the starting list for tomorrow’s game. Unfortunately Weir has had to live in the shadow of Scotland’s dynamic flyhalf duo Finn Russell and Adam Hastings – but make no mistake this guy is a VERY handy number 10. Remember this moment?
Consequently we were thrilled to see him back in Scotland’s starting lineup, albeit as a result of injuries to Hastings and Russell. The guy is a pocket rocket and a man with a keen eye for opportunity. Although he hasn’t worn a Scottish jersey since 2017, which we find really hard to believe, we feel Scotland could well suddenly realize tomorrow that overlooking Mr. Weir was a mistake. He is clearly enjoying his rugby with English side Worcester Warriors, and we certainly hope that his return to Test rugby will meet with similar success. The clash between him and impressive Italian debutant Paolo Garbisi should be a highly entertaining contest.
Another name Scotland will be glad to welcome back is Sam Johnson
Scotland see center Sam Johnson return to the fold, and we feel this is yet another bundle of excitement Coach Gregor Townsend brings to a world class set of backs. Although his performances this year haven’t quite caught the imagination like his debut year in 2019, the Australian import oozes potential. Back to his best and alongside Scottish firecrackers like wingers Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and the legendary Scottish fullback Stuart Hogg expect to see some exquisite running rugby tomorrow, and this unit to genuinely trouble the smoking gun in Scotland’s group – France.
It should be a great contest and we feel that Italy are likely to be much more competitive than we’ve seen so far this year, with Six Nations aspirants Georgia showcasing their talents in the same tournament breathing down their necks. Scotland should still comfortably take the win, but Italy are unlikely to be the whipping boys they were when the two met earlier in the year during the Six Nations.
England vs Georgia – Saturday, November 14th – Twickenham
Georgia will run out on the pitch at Twickenham with big aspirations but we really do fear that, given the squad English Coach Eddie Jones has assembled for this match, Europe’s best Tier 2 team will be brought down to earth with a resounding thump. Their remaining two matches in the Autumn Nations Cup are certainly not going to provide any relief to soften the landing.
England are clearly setting out their stall right from the get go, and we were surprised that for this, arguably the easiest fixture in their group, Eddie Jones has refrained for the most part from blooding new talent, which many feel he should have done. Sure he has made some positional tweaks, but has chosen to blood only 1 new cap in his starting 15, the exceptional Wasps back rower Jack Willis . Perhaps more concerning for English supporters is his seeming reluctance to blood new talent in his halfback selections, as he casts an eye to France and 2023.
Lambs to the slaughter?
Although we have the utmost respect for Georgia we just can’t see them being even remotely competitive against a Six Nations powerhouse trio. Their opener against England is likely to be an exercise in pain management, followed up by Wales who are likely to use the match to once and for all put a stop to the rot that has caused Welsh fans to wonder if rugby is still a national sport. Lastly they have a date with Ireland who are bursting at the seams with emerging talent. Apart from exposure to top level competition, this tournament is not going to be a particularly uplifting advertisement for Georgian rugby, and sadly make a mockery of the argument that they are ready for the Six Nations at Italy’s expense.
Italy are likely to fare much better than their rivals from the Caucasus. Scotland are a known commodity and are nursing a few key injuries, so that Italy’s opening encounter in Florence could well be a positive experience in terms of a respectable scoreline, even though we doubt that a Scottish side humming with talent and enthusiasm will let them have too much to say. With Fiji’s participation thrown into doubt due to COVID-19, Italy may then only have to face France. While the likelihood of them losing to Scotland and France is high, and they therefore will be desperately hoping that their encounter with Fiji does go ahead, they still would emerge from the tournament as more of the underdog than lambs to the slaughter – which sadly could be Georgia’s experience. If Italy are competitive and even manage to sneak a win against Scotland, then the argument about their place in the Six Nations is likely to be put to bed once and for all – sadly at Georgia’s expense.
We sincerely hope that our concerns about this emerging subplot and Georgia’s possible humiliation in this tournament do not come to fruition. We’ll be cheering them on as hard as we can, but the stars do not look like they have lined up well for the Georgians in this tournament. They will play with pride and passion, but as we saw against Scotland last month it simply isn’t enough to compete with Six Nations squads who are sadly light years away from them in terms of their development. A poor showing in this tournament could simply end up consigning Georgia to the wilderness of Test rugby for another decade, as they desperately seek regular participation in a tournament that is both meaningful and provides platforms in which to build and develop their confidence and skill levels. There is likely to be a revival of the Pacific Nations Cup for the Pacific Island countries and Japan, an increasingly competitive Americas Rugby Championship for North and South America – but for Georgia and the other Tier 2 European nations there is little to look forward to that can take them to where they need to be in terms of the next stage in their development in International Rugby. It is our sincere hope that whatever the outcome of the next four weeks, something is done to give Georgia the much needed shot in the arm it craves and deserves in the long-term.
If things are going well early for England – Jones really has no excuse to not bring the bench halfback pairing into play sooner rather than later
England need to develop a future halfback pairing for France 2023. Quite frankly we were left scratching our heads when we saw the team sheet, and saw the same old regulars starting in the 9 and 10 shirt. There is no denying Farrell’s ability, despite some of our reservations about his Captaincy, and Ben Youngs had a glorious 100th cap performance against Italy in the final round of the Six Nations. Georgia will be an awkward opponent but one that England as a unit should have no trouble suppressing. Hence we cannot understand why such prime candidates as Dan Robson and Max Malins don’t get the starting nod at scrum and fly half berths, instead of waiting it out on the bench. If they wobble then you can always bring on Youngs and Farrell to steady the ship, but surely asking them to simply keep the Georgian rout going rather than organize its onset is not how you develop future talent. Enough said, we’re armchair warriors and Jones is the professional Coach but he continues to befuddle us with his selection policies.
Georgia can ultimately hope that England, as they often do, walk into a match like this which on paper they should win blindfolded and proceed to fluff their lines. They’ve done it before and once they get rattled start to unravel rather quickly. However, against lesser sides it is usually rectified by half time. Georgia needs several variables to work in their favor such as Youngs having one of his shockers which appeared with alarming regularity in the run up to the World Cup, Owen Farrell to once more regard wild swinging arm chop tackles above the shoulder as legitimate and England generally to start questioning every decision referee Nigel Owens makes, in order for the men from the Caucasus to at least remain competitive tomorrow. They will wear their hearts on their sleeves and once more we’ll marvel at their bravery and good old fashioned rugby grit, but sadly we fear England will just prove to be too much of a mountain to climb tomorrow for them to emerge with any credibility on the scoreboard. Still on the plus side there’s always Wales next weekend, and they way the Men in Red are going these days maybe they could join the Six Nations relegation debate alongside Italy and Georgia.
We won’t be posting anything on the France vs Fiji match which was supposed to take place on Sunday, as it has now been cancelled due to a COVID-19 outbreak in the Fijian camp. We hope it’s not permanent and sorry for the tardiness in getting this post out, but the day job got the better of me at the end of this week. Enjoy some great rugby this weekend and here’s looking forward to musing over this weekend’s events leading into Round 2!
While all eyes have been on Australia for the last four weeks, in their ongoing battle with New Zealand for the Bledisloe Cup, which now firmly rests with the All Blacks, it was easy to forget that the final two rounds were also part of the Tri Nations. Normally this would be referred to as the Rugby Championship, but with World Champions South Africa electing not to compete this year, it left only three of the usual four participants.
Argentina arrive in Australia with the added disadvantage of having had no Super Rugby since March, unlike their Australian and New Zealand rivals. However, Argentina in light of the global pandemic has relaxed its restrictions on foreign based players, so at least the Pumas will benefit from players plying their trade with top flight European clubs. Argentina also have spent the last two weekends playing invitational Australian sides, winning both matches and the last one in particular by a very healthy margin. Nevertheless as your first proper Test since the World Cup, the All Blacks pose a significant challenge, especially a side smarting from a loss to the Wallabies last weekend. New Zealand simply didn’t play well last Saturday, and although the Wallabies didn’t exactly blow them off the park, one of the main reasons they won was due to the fact that they were particularly effective at getting under the All Blacks’ skin. New Zealand were clearly rattled in Brisbane, and their discipline went out the window as a result. The Pumas are well known for their own set of powder keg emotions, so whatever the result expect a feisty contest.
So looking at the team sheets, here’s what got us talking about Saturday’s encounter in Parramatta just west of Sydney.
New Zealand vs Argentina – Saturday, October 14th – Paramatta
New Zealand weren’t exactly at their best last weekend against the Wallabies. Although Australia played considerably better than they did a fortnight ago in the Sydney slaughterhouse, they also profited from the fact that the All Blacks suffered from a serious and uncharacteristic lack of composure. Perhaps more concerning was the disciplinary lapses that this caused and were not held in check by Captain Sam Cane. Cane himself was guilty of throwing himself into the fray on numerous occasions and clearly letting the Australians get under his skin. While every player wants to see their Captain stand his ground for the team, there is also the expectation that he will lead from the front and not allow himself to be drawn into handbags at dawn type contests. Unfortunately Cane was all too willing to argue his case with his fists, something the officials were quick to recognize, and the penalty count against New Zealand suffered as a result.
However, all that aside let’s not lose sight of the fact that New Zealand only lost by two points to the Wallabies and had their discipline been better, they probably could have won it. Rattled they may have been, but to be honest that’s as far as it goes. Unfortunately for Argentina New Zealand are unlikely to make the same set of mistakes twice. You only have to look at the All Black lineup for Saturday, and it’s blatantly obvious that New Zealand intend taking no prisoners whatsoever, and a focus on the task at hand will clearly be the order of the day.
Look who’s back!!!
They’re back and Argentina need them more than ever! It’s been the subject of much debate in Argentina for a few years now, but there is little doubt that as a result of COVID-19 and the lack of regular game time the Pumas were going to struggle to be competitive with only locally based players. Europe has long been a lure for quality Argentinian players, both financially and professionally. European clubs have profited from their presence, while at the same time the players benefit from the exposure to top flight club rugby on a weekly basis. It’s a win win situation for both sides, and the Pumas now benefit from a core of players that form the spine of a competitive team based on the kind of experience and exposure that they would have otherwise got through Super Rugby.
As a result, some of Argentina’s best players return to the fold such as Captain and back rower Pablo Matera, dynamic second row duo of Guido Petti and Matias Alemanno, fly half Nicolas Sanchez and center Matias Orlando, alongside wingers Juan Imhoff and Santiago Cordero. Add to that some genuine up and coming talent, and this is a quality looking Pumas side. A slightly irritated All Black side with a point to prove may not be their ideal choice for a Test opener, but expect them to still make a fair fist of it on Saturday. In short, they will be no pushover and as always worthy opponents deserving the utmost respect.
Hooker Wars
No it’s not the title of some sleazy X-rated movie, but Saturday’s contest between two of the most prolific try scorers in the number two jersey. What makes the match up between the two so interesting is the contrast in styles. New Zealand’s Dane Coles clearly wants to be a winger in his next life, while Argentina’s Julian Montoya typifies the skills of every great hooker to find that tiny ray of light in a sea of writhing forwards to jot the ball down. Coles abilities and pace with ball in hand is at times outrageous, and in any match if you watch the highlights you’ll see he spends a significant proportion of his time loitering as an extra utility back out wide. Montoya meanwhile will be found consistently burrowing his way through massive forward pile ups, or wheeling off the back of yet another bruising Argentinian rolling maul.
Two of Test rugby’s most reliable assets – but their approach to their duties could not be more different, yet always entertaining to watch.
He was just warming up
One of New Zealand’s most dangerous players in our opinion is number 8 Ardie Savea. He seemed to start slowly in the opening Bledisloe rounds, but despite the loss last weekend we felt that Savea was starting to get back to his best again. The man is a writhing ball of energy that is both devastatingly destructive and almost impossible to contain. All of this does not bode well for Rodrigo Bruni his opposite number in the Pumas, and that entire Argentinian back row for that matter. Savea is such a handful that containing him can invariably take up the attentions of several players. Watch any replay and notice how Savea literally flails himself out of the clutches of the opposition – he looks borderline demented. Despite the exceptional skill set of Marcos Kremer and Pablo Matera (who has similar tendencies) they are going to have a hard time of it containing the All Black wrecking ball.
Raging Bull
Argentine Captain Pablo Matera is well known for his similarities with Robert de Niro in the film of the same name, but All Black Captain Sam Cane is not. Consequently the New Zealand skipper has come under a lot of heat from the New Zealand press for his reaction to Australia last weekend. They clearly got under his skin and Mr. Cane was a very angry man for much of the scrappy 80 minute contest. It did not sit well with him or his team and their resulting performance. He will clearly need to contain it this weekend, and Pablo Matera who has temper issues of his own will be looking to exploit that weakness. Unfortunately, we think it’s likely to be Matera who will fall foul of the referee’s whistle more often than Cane as outstanding a player as the Puma is, but Argentina will certainly be looking to press some buttons on Saturday.
Beauty and the Beast
Yes sorry it’s our last film analogy we promise. But Saturday’s contest does see a clash that we are eagerly anticipating between New Zealand’s Caleb Clarke and Argentina’s Bautista Delguy. The Puma brings all the grace, flair and speed that one associates with South American football, while Clarke displays all the qualities that made individuals such as Jonah Lomu such legends in their time. We are trying very hard to resist the temptation to draw analogies between Clarke and the great man, but there is no doubt that the All Blacks latest find in a sea of seemingly endless talent is a force of nature to be reckoned with. For the Pumas, Delguy has a truly dazzling turn of pace and some extraordinary footballing skills. He may not have the brute force and dam busting skills of his All Black counterpart on Saturday, but he is still a strong and competent ball carrier. Nevertheless his defensive abilities are going to be put to the ultimate test on Saturday. Get through it with honor and he can file it away proudly in his lifetime achievements cabinet – but it’s definitely going to be a tall order. By the same token however, we haven’t really seen what Caleb Clarke’s defensive skills are like yet, and the young Puma is certainly going to put the All Black wonder weapon to the test if he gets the opportunity.
Some are writing off the Pumas chances already, and we think that is slightly unfair. There is no denying that it’s an absolute powerhouse All Black lineup that runs out on Saturday, and lays down a very clear statement of intent. Furthermore unlike the Pumas they are fresh off the back of four Test matches, even if one of them was a bit of a Sunday stroll in Sydney.
As mentioned in previous posts we would be absolutely gutted if the isolation now imposed on the Pumas as a result of the global pandemic causes their exciting brand of rugby to take a step backwards. We hope and think it won’t as there is the core of a talented and skilled team here, especially now that the use of foreign based players has once again been approved. New Zealand should ultimately pull away comfortably in the second half, but we expect them to walk away knowing that the Pumas are still a feisty and challenging opponent. For Argentina, they can hopefully use this match to prepare for an encounter with a Wallaby side still struggling to find its groove. New Zealand may ultimately prove to be in league of their own this Tri-Nations, but Argentina and Australia may well find themselves in the same class this year.
Perhaps the best news we’ve had all week is the fact that here in Canada we will be able to watch the whole tournament directly through DAZN, instead of having to test our Internet skills. It promises to be an entertaining and intriguing competition, and is the first regular run of Test rugby the participating teams will have had since COVID-19 made such a dramatic stamp on the global game back in March.
It replaces the traditional fall tours by Southern Hemisphere sides, and as a result of the travel restrictions currently in place, it has a distinctive Six Nations flavor with all participants in the Northern Hemisphere’s premier competition taking part. However, to add some spice to the mix, Georgia and Fiji are joining the party. The first match sees traditional Celtic rivals Ireland and Wales take to the field in Dublin on Friday night, and both sides have plenty to prove and as a result this competition is a vital cog in their rebuilding plans since the last World Cup.We’ll be having a look at Saturday and Sunday’s matches in separate pieces.
Ireland vs Wales – Dublin – Friday, November 13th
If any team is suffering from Friday the 13th demons it’s most likely Wales. There is plenty going on in the Welsh camp since Coach Wayne Pivac took over from Wayne Gatland after the last World Cup. In an attempt to assert his own style on the team after his successor guided Wales through one of their most successful periods in recent memory, Pivac has wrought the changes particularly in the Coaching team, and it would appear that some of these adjustments have ruffled more than a few feathers amongst players and fans alike. Unfortunately Pivac’s arguments have not been helped as Wales find themselves coming into this match off the back of a five game losing streak, something the Men in Red are simply not used to.
Ireland have also experienced a Coaching transition, and while their results have been more encouraging than Wales, the jury is still very much out on how effective Andy Farrell has been in taking over from Joe Schmidt who made Ireland a team to be genuinely feared. Ireland are faced with the problem that many of the players who played such a big part in making Ireland so successful in the last World Cup cycle are starting to lose some of their luster, and there is no clear view as to who and and how they are to be replaced.
So here are the points that got us talking about the lineups for tomorrow’s fixture.
Wales have to be competitive in the set pieces up front – especially at scrum time
We’re genuinely worried about Wales here as their front row seems to lack any kind of traction at the moment, as well as suffering from constant discipline breakdowns. With Ireland fielding an aggressive and capable front row featuring centurion Cian Healy as part of an all Leinster trio, Wales really need to develop some confidence here, and we can’t help feeling they are going to really struggle up front. Ireland are still without the services of Tadgh Furlong, but they seem to be coping relatively well without him. Aggressive and with Andrew Porter able to generate the kind of bruising niggle that can unhinge teams in the tight exchanges up front, we expect to see Ireland comfortably have the upper hand here. What Wales need to do is keep their cool and turn the tables on Ireland and target the fiery nature of Porter and Healy, so that it’s the Irishmen finding themselves on the wrong side of referee Mathieu Raynal’s whistle and not the Welsh. It’s going to be all about composure and technique for Wales on Friday night and if they manage both then it will be the first positive step on the road to recovery.
Wales eagerly await the return of Thor and Superman
We just haven’t seen them of late and Wales need them more than ever in the next few weeks, yes you know who we’re talking about Justin Tipuric and Alun Wyn-Jones. AWJ aka Superman, recently became the World’s most capped Test rugby player, and we sincerely hope the accolade doesn’t mean that this legendary second rower and Captain is on the back curve of the contributions he can make to the Welsh jersey. He is such a vital cog in developing genuine Welsh momentum, and can single handedly turn a match around. A player who up till now has seemed impervious to both injury and fatigue, is sadly perhaps suffering slightly from the latter. In the last few matches his towering presence and leadership qualities have seemed absent at times. In short the mighty warrior looks tired. We certainly don’t think he’s done just yet, and Wales definitely need him to be at his best over the coming weeks to firmly stop the rot that seems to be setting into the national side.
As for Thor, aka Justin Tipuric, as regular readers of this blog know, he has genuine superhero status here at the Lineout. In our opinion, initially one of the most underrated players to ever don a Welsh jersey, he has put in some truly monumental performances over the last few years. The back rower is so key to Wales being successful, that we simply cannot imagine a team sheet without his name on it. Like his Captain, he seems both tireless and immune to physical injury. However, he too has been strangely quiet the last few matches, and it has shown in Wales diminishing returns in terms of results in their last five outings. Both himself and Wyn-Jones are such quality players, we sincerely hope that at the end of 80 minutes tomorrow night, both these gentlemen will have been referred to by match commentators continuously throughout the game. If they do then Ireland are going to have their work cut out for them.
What works for Leinster may not necessarily work for Ireland
Of the 15 players starting for Ireland tomorrow night, 11 of them are from Leinster. Yes we understand why, given that Leinster are such a powerhouse of Irish rugby at the moment and are essentially sweeping all before them. However, Irish supporters must surely feel a little concerned that Coach Andy Farrell is literally putting all his eggs in one basket. Furthermore fly half Jonathan Sexton is starting to look past his prime, at Test level at least. Lastly Farrell choosing to draft in a raft of Leinster players who have only just become eligible for Irish colors at the expense of some genuine local talent from other provincial sides, has caused rather heated debate amongst Irish fans.
We like many have no issue with foreign players taking up the jersey of the country they end up playing their club rugby in. South African back rower CJ Stander has been immense for Ireland, and is a player who has enormous pride in donning the green for Ireland. However, it does raise the question of how this negatively affects the careers of up and coming local players. We don’t really see a problem with James Lowe’s inclusion on the wing tomorrow night, though between him and Jacob Stockdale there are some worrying defensive concerns at the back. However, Ireland’s depth out wide still needs further examination so Lowe’s inclusion is a useful exercise in this respect.
Where we do take issue however, is the inclusion of New Zealand scrum half Jamison Gibson-Park over up and coming Ulster number nine John Cooney. In our opinion Gibson-Park gets a good press because he plays in a team, Leinster, that essentially can make anyone look good. Cooney on the other hand has made Ulster look good. Furthermore, we very much doubt that Gibson-Park, will still be the flavor of the month come the World Cup. Ireland desperately need to develop successors to both Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray at scrum half, and in the case of the latter we just don’t believe Gibson-Park is the answer, even if he is sporting perhaps the most impressive beard in Test Rugby.
It will be interesting to see how Ireland fare on Friday with what is essentially a Leinster side, and whether or not Farrell’s bias towards the Dublin men will change as the tournament unfolds.
On the subject of conspicuous absences, we can’t remember the last time we saw Wales own the centre channels.
Watch a rerun of the Scottish game last weekend, or the French friendly a fortnight ago, and let us know if you can spot Wales doing anything constructive up the middle of the park. Wales’ key strength here if anything appears to be defensive lapses and unforced errors. It’s something we’ve battled to understand as in Jonathan Davies at least Wales have a quality strike threat.
By contrast Ireland have looked good here, and Robbie Henshaw had a game last weekend that clearly left us with egg on our face after we had critiqued what we felt was a lack of imagination in attack. His try last weekend against France put that criticism to bed in no uncertain terms. Add to that Chris Farrell’s bruising ball carrying ability, and unless the Welsh duo have a second coming on Friday night, Wales could hurt very badly here indeed.
For the definition of pressure cooker – refer to Ireland’s Jacob Stockdale
From being the baby faced try seeking missile of 2018 to public enemy number one in 2020, is how Stockdale’s career seems to have progressed in the last two years. Consequently the eyes of a nation will be bearing down on the Ulster fullback on Friday night, as his defensive abilities or the complete lack thereof were a major source of concern against France a fortnight ago in Paris. He has been more successful in the role at Ulster but as mentioned above there is a big difference between Test and provincial rugby. Wales are likely to put Stockdale under a continuous aerial bombardment and keep him as exposed as possible. Add to that the fact that his tackling is suspect to say the least, and another bad outing in the green jersey is likely to heighten the calls to put him back on the wing where he is known for doing things like this:
Our take on it is that Stockdale is a fine player and one that Ireland absolutely have to continue to develop. However, we are just not convinced he’s a Test fullback and at times has appeared both lazy and careless in the position, which would indicate to us that perhaps he himself doesn’t want to be there in the first place. If the experiment proves a disaster once again tomorrow night, then surely something needs to change and Ireland need to reexamine their options here. Stick Stockdale back on the wing, though continue to work on his defensive skills, but find a credible fifteen and stick with it. There is no denying that Stockdale’s lanky figure does offer an impressive boot as a bonus which tends to reinforce the argument for making the 15 jersey his. However, Ireland need to develop some alternates here, as they were often found wanting at 15 in the past and so far it shows no sign of being resolved. Our heart does go out to him on Friday night as the pressure he is now under is certainly not going to help his nerves.
We can’t wait for this tournament to get underway, and it should provide us with some solid rugby entertainment over the next month. Our money is on Ireland to add to Wales’ continuing woes on Friday night in Dublin, but we’re expecting a strong performance from Wales as they try to give their passionate supporters something to cheer about after an uncharacteristic drought in the land of the red dragon.
Last weekend’s climax to one of the most drawn out Six Nations campaigns in living memory provided us with much to talk about. There was the rebirth, genuine this time, of French rugby. England as expected showed that while perhaps not as flash as everyone else there are few teams that have such an effective workman like ethic to getting the job done. Scotland demonstrated that they are a force (albeit inconsistent) to be reckoned with. Ireland showed lots of promise in their new talent, but an old guard that is rapidly starting to lose its shine. Wales fell from the dizzying heights of Grand Slam champions last year to competing with Italy to avoid holding the wooden spoon. Lastly Italy, twenty years into the competition, failed to really show much progress yet again and lifted the wooden spoon for the fifteenth time, and fifth year in a row – causing the debate about whether or not they deserve their place in the competition to raise its ugly head once more.
Meanwhile in a land down under the Wallabies imploded on home soil in a rather spectacular fashion, as the brave new dawn we saw for them in Wellington at the start of the Bledisloe rapidly turned into the onset of a long, dark and gloomy winter. New Zealand meanwhile tuned up their engine another few notches and made an absolute mockery of claims made post the World Cup that they were losing their edge, as they completely outplayed and outclassed a Wallaby side that simply didn’t know what had hit them. In the process the All Blacks have identified the new spine of a team that looks set to make everyone else continue to challenge them for world domination.The Webb Ellis trophy may currently have taken up residence in South Africa, but a certain group of individuals in black jerseys clearly want it back.
Six Nations 2020
It only took four times as long to complete this year as a result of COVID 19, but as our first proper look at the Northern Hemisphere teams since the World Cup, it certainly provided lots of insight on progress made and progress lost. England look set to carry on from a positive World Cup experience despite their major hiccough at the last hurdle. France have at long last risen from the ashes of some very lean years. Wales have gone backwards at a rate of knots since their heady successes of 2019 and a Coaching change. Ireland have also experienced a Coaching update but so far the jury is still out on whether it’s a success or not as Ireland seem to have more questions than answers at the moment. Scotland look set to be everyone’s dark horse for the next four years, but rarely consistent and at a clear disadvantage once injuries set in in terms of depth which will continuously hold them back. Lastly Italy’s head is once more on the chopping block in terms of global respect as they sift through the ashes of yet another disastrous Six Nations campaign.
England
England’s dismantling of Italy last weekend in Rome, 34-5, was a solid if unspectacular performance. England are effective make no mistake, and have emerged from this Six Nations as both deserved Champions and a side that is clearly building on the momentum built at the last World Cup despite the disappointment of a serious schooling by South Africa in the final. England in this Six Nations have shown that they have a wealth of exceptional talent, much of which has a good two World Cup cycles ahead of them.
Our overall impression of England is of a team that has a workmanlike approach to what they are trying to do through a well thought out game plan. However we didn’t get a real understanding of England’s creativity, especially when their game plan simply doesn’t go according to plan, or the opposition figures them out. Under Coach Eddie Jones’ tenure, our feeling is that England is brutally effective at executing the game plan they develop during the week leading up to a Test, but should the opposition figure it out during the course of a match and start undoing it, England still seem to lack the ability to adapt said game plans to changing circumstances on the field. As a result they look great with a rehearsed script and know their lines probably better than any team out there at the moment, but the minute that script no longer fits the plot, their improvisation skills seem somewhat lacking.
Before the match we said that we thought that England would be unhappy with anything less than a haul of 50 points. The fact they were only able to score 34, against a spirited but often ineffective Italian side should set alarm bells ringing. You can’t really blame it on the away factor, as sure it was in Rome, but no teams at the moment are benefitting from home advantages and supporting crowds. Empty stadiums are the norm for rugby in the Northern Hemisphere and players could be playing anywhere and not really know the difference until they actually walk out of the grounds after the final whistle.
Ireland the weekend before were able to get 50 points on the Italians, and Ireland at the moment lack the cohesion or effectiveness of England. In short, England did enough in Rome but failed to impress in a match which given their quality they should have simply run away with. Ben Youngs should feel relatively pleased with his 100th cap, especially as he bagged England’s first try and would start the second half with another. However, he won’t feel so happy with his defensive lapses that resulted in Italy’s one and only try ten minutes later. England’s defensive structures in broken play still look a bit suspect in our opinion. The Men in White look great with ball in hand and defensively in their own 22, but in broken play outside of the 22 England often look vulnerable and unable to reset themselves as quickly as countries like France or New Zealand. If England get wrong footed in this part of the park, then it’s a fairly sage bet that the opposition will be crossing the whitewash.
While England got the job done, there were only three players who really made us sit up and take notice. Ben Youngs at scrum half was outstanding and has clearly silenced his critics (ourselves included), who felt that heading into the World Cup, the Leicester man was well past his sell by date and England desperately needed to find an effective replacement – which Willi Heinz was not. Our concerns still hold that England do need to develop their resources at nine and the next 12 months will be critical in this regard, but during this next World Cup cycle they couldn’t ask for a better mentor than Youngs.
Powerful back rower Tom Curry once more demonstrated what a vital cog he is to England’s ambitions over the next four years. It may not have been his best game but his one try once again highlighted what a powerful player he is with ball in hand. Throughout the match his work in defense and generally making life difficult for Italy in the set pieces and the loose showed what a valuable player he is to England’s cause and a core part of the team’s spine.
Alongside Curry is England’s second row menace in the shape of Maro Itoje. A player who puts in a huge shift every match, and whether you like it or not gets completely under the skin of every team he’s up against. Itoje just rattles the opposition plain and simple and throws them off their stride at every opportunity. It’s an old forward tactic, and often skirts around the edges of the laws, but Itoje has clearly mastered it and England benefit as a result.
As for the great Owen Farrell Captaincy debate – we’re still not convinced. Not convinced he is the right man for the job but unsure of who you’d put in his place. Fortunately he wasn’t required to tackle much in the game against Italy, so at least England didn’t have to wonder if he’s managed ot get to grips with his technique in that department. Itoje is a possible option, but in many ways as the team’s chief enforcer he may not be best suited to the role. Tom Curry in our opinion would be a solid bet leading into the World Cup, but not just yet. Consequently, it’s likely that Farrell will remain steering the England ship for at least the next year or two, but England do need to look with an eye to the long term at his replacement both in terms of leadership and his position on the field.
As for the rest of the England Six Nations squad, it’s an impressive unit make no mistake but as creative as say France or New Zealand, sadly not. There is some genuine talent in its ranks and it is likely to only get better, but for now it’s a side that gets the job done but rarely captures the imaginaiton. England are wisely perhaps not laying all their cards on the table just yet, and the next twelve months will no doubt see continued refinements and the development of new talent. The Men in White are clearly not the finished product just yet, but there are some pretty impressive blueprints already laid out on the drawing table.
France
England may have won the Championship, but France won the contest for the hearts and minds of spectators by a country mile. They simply played some sublime rugby this tournament. They wouldn’t be France if they didn’t find the odd banana skin to slip on, and Scotland kindly supplied that for them in Edinburgh just before the pandemic lockdown. But apart from that they were the team to watch and then some. The superlatives came thick and fast for this French squad, and although the cliche term “French flair” came back into fashion, this time it was backed up less by luck and more by sound decision making and organisation. Instead of laissez faire loosely structured moments of brilliance, France now look exceptionally well organised with a clear idea of what they are trying to do and how to do it. In short, France are back and it’s no flash in the pan this time. They mean to do business in three years time at their own World Cup and have given themselves the structures and resources to do so. Well coached, well drilled and blessed with some genuine world class talent that is only just starting to hit its stride – France look sharp and very dangerous once more.
Although France’s 35-27 victory over Ireland last weekend destroyed Ireland’s Championship hopes, France may be slightly disappointed that they weren’t able to make the points difference higher, as they were by far the better team on Saturday. Although they had less of the possession and territory than Ireland, in some cases by a considerable margin, the difference was they used it so much more effectively. Some of their attacks were thwarted by Irish defences, but France’s ability to spot the gaps and holes was outstanding, and for the most part once found Les Bleus made them count which translated into points on the board.
There is no denying that a lot of this is down to their brilliant and youthful halfback pairing of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack. These two geniuses barely out of Test Rugby kindergarten are two very special players indeed. We’ll be seeing and talking a lot of and about these two characters over the coming years and rightly so – they have put the zing back into international rugby. If they are this good now imagine how good they’ll be come 2023.
However, it’s not just all about France’s dynamic duo, there are many other aspects of their game that also work incredibly well. They have a competitive front five once more, even if it still could use a bit of tweaking in the discipline stakes. Their back row is simply magnificent. Captain Charles Ollivon leads by example and is an inspirational leader on the pitch. Gregory Aldritt just gets better with every outing in the number eight jersey and his work rate and tackle count was off the charts last weekend in Paris.
France have always had pacy backs, but now allied to a pack that is constantly going forward and creating opportunities from broken play, France’s try scoring abilities out wide look less opportunistic and much more planned. Virimi Vakatawa is a force of nature, even if Ireland managed for the most part to keep him in check last Saturday. Gael Fickou is back to his best and there is no shortage of quality wingers and centres in France these days.
In short, we can’t find too much to critique in the 2020 French vintage. It’s still finding it’s feet and needs to develop some longer legs, but looks likely to mature and age well so that in three years time it could be at its very best!
Ireland
Ireland could have ended last weekend as Six Nations Champions. We never thought they were going to and sadly were proven right. They needed four tries in Paris and try scoring is and hasn’t been Ireland’s strong suit. We rarely see Ireland getting past the three try marker on average in Test matches, hence us thinking the ask of four tries and on the road to boot, was just not something Ireland have much collective knowledge of doing. It’s been one of the weak links in an otherwise very good team for a number of years now, even under the exceptional Joe Schmidt as Coach. If you want a team that knows how to score tries and lots of them, then don’t look at Ireland. Ireland are good at controlling games and chipping away at the scoreline through the boot, but getting the big points is just not their forte. Unfortunately if Ireland really are to progress beyond the quarter finals at a World Cup for the first time then this needs to change. New Coach Andy Farrell seems to want his charges to play a more open and less structured brand of rugby than that favored by his predecessor, but at the end of the day it’s still not bringing in the points.
Ireland has more than enough talent to get to where it needs to be, but seems to lack the Coaching direction to enable it to get there. The ball skills just aren’t there with any degree of consistency, and all too often a promising run of play ends in a messy pile of bodies close to the 22 but with nothing to show for it. In short, plenty of talent but often undercooked in the execution phase and rarely able to turn possession into points. Ireland dominated the territory and possession statistics last weekend in Paris, but their phase play degenerated into attritional assaults on a well organised French defensive setup. Frustration and tempers rose and all too often Ireland found themselves back deep inside their own half, having to start all over again. That’s just exhausting and increases the error count once you get the ball back exponentially.
While there were lots of surprises from France on Saturday there were none from Ireland. Throw into the mix some sloppy defensive work, a seemingly endless run of simple handling errors and a kicking game that was all too predictable and poorly executed at times, and it was inevitable it was only going to end badly for Ireland on Saturday.
One of the big talking points of the weekend was Jacob Stockdale’s performance at fullback. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – he simply isn’t a Test fullback, despite his success in the position at provincial level. He had a shocker of a game on Saturday, and to be brutally honest, his defence at times looked almost lazy to add insult to injury. He may well evolve into the position at Test level, but at the moment he is more than just a few cards short in that deck. Ireland sorely missed Jordan Larmour in the role on Saturday, and despite some of Larmour’s critics, we felt he was gelling very nicely into the job before injury put it on hold.
Captain Jonathan Sexton came under a considerable amount of fire from the press and public after his facial expressions got telecast around the world when he was taken off the pitch, especially as Ireland were showing signs of coming to terms with the enormity of the task ahead of them. As much as he is a leader who wears his heart on his sleeve, there is a time and place for everything and Sexton does at times get carried away with a sense of self-importance inappropriate to the role. As much as we think he is one of Ireland’s greatest players, some of that aura is starting to look like ancient history as some of his more recent appearances have not matched up to it. While he boldly proclaims that he wants to keep playing till he’s 40 – with all due respect Johnny we hope that’s just the Guinness talking. The remarkable Sexton of 2016-2018 is seen less and less often these days, and a replacement simply has to be groomed and fast. As far as we’re concerned the sooner second rower James Ryan gets groomed for the Captaincy role the better. Despite his tender years he’s been Ireland’s one consistent performer in the lean period of the last 18 months and has demonstrated a calm head under pressure that has had a positive influence on his teammates.
Much the same could be said of Sexton’s half back partner Conor Murray. These two were arguably two of the world’s finest from 2016 – 2018 but increasingly have become more and more predictable. Murray had a better game than he has in a while last Saturday, but his trademark box kicking has now become so well read by opposition sides, that much of its effectiveness has been lost. He was slightly quicker off the back of the rucks and scrums last weekend, but was nowhere near the lighting quick reflexes and decision making of his French opposite number. Once again just like Sexton, Ireland need a long-term solution here and we don’t think Kiwi import Jamison Gibson-Park is it.
The jury is still out for us on new Coach Andy Farrell. He certainly seems to favour a more unstructured approach to Ireland’s game plan after the rigidity of the Schmidt era. Unfortunately though it’s execution all too often seems lacking. A lot of the basics needed seem to be missing, perhaps not helped by a raft of newcomers getting a deserved start in Ireland’s two final Six Nations matches. The game time for newer players is something we wholeheartedly applaud and felt Schmidt was far too cautious in this regard. As a result it’s perhaps early days to judge Farrell’s tenure, so we’ll reserve judgement till the end of the year, as Ireland have two matches that will tell us a lot about how the changeover is progressing, as they take on Wales and England.
Despite the question marks surrounding Ireland, there is some promising talent emerging and perhaps the Emerald Isle can consider itself blessed with remarkable stocks in the back row department. These last two matches have seen some excellent shifts from newcomers Caelan Doris and Will Conors. When you consider that Ireland also has at its disposal Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan, Dan Leavy, Max Deegan, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander, it is in ridiculously rude health here heading into 2021.
The front row is capably served though they met their match in France with les Bleus tending to call the shots. The second row while not having as much depth as the back row still looks healthy. The halfback pairing needs some work and development as does cover for the fullback position, though on the wings Ireland does look respectable with a good balance of youth and experience. It’s in the centres where Ireland need some imagination. In their defence we thought Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki had one of their best games in quite a while, so there is nothing to fault here overall. However, Ireland clearly missed the spark and ingenuity of the injured Gary Ringrose in France who offers a great deal more variety and unpredictability in attack in the centre channels than the straight through the middle option preferred by Henshaw, Aki and Chris Farrell.
It’s going to be an interesting six months for Ireland as they seek to carve out a new identity under Farrell, and we await the judgement by results to see whether he and his charges have developed an effective approach to the challenges that lie ahead. We sincerely hope that Ireland is not heading back into a period of lean times after the successes of the last few years – with the talent at its disposal barring some depth issues it would be a tragedy if it did.
Scotland
Despite only finishing fourth, it was a pretty tidy Six Nations for the Scots and in the process they played some captivating rugby. Although falling out of favor with Coach Gregor Townsend, whiz kid fly half Finn Russell was returned to the squad in October for the final round against Wales and immediately made an impact. However, it should also be pointed out that without him Scotland managed to topple the mighty French earlier in the year. Scotland managed a healthy win over Italy and last weekend a much needed away victory against the Welsh – something they hadn’t achieved in 18 years. Their two losses to England and Ireland were only by a seven point margin, so in all Scotland have been contenders this year from start to finish.
During the course of the tournament, back rower stalwart Hamish Watson impressed throughout while his younger cohort Jamie Ritchie was outstanding and must have surely booked a place on the Lions flight to Johannesburg next year. Their front row looked highly reliable and often provided Scotland a stable platform, while Jonny Gray was a consistent performer in the second row.
Scotland will be concerned as they head into the Autumn Nations Cup without the services of either Finn Russell or Adam Hastings at fly half, with Hastings set to miss next year’s Six Nations as well. We just don’t see any depth here for Scotland and the lack of a fly half of Russell or Hastings’ caliber for the remainder of 2020 may undo some otherwise stellar progress made by Scotland this year.
In the backs though Scotland does not appear to be missing either Sean Maitland or Tommy Seymour. Wonder kid Graham Darcy is electric any time he gets his hands on the ball on the wing, fullback Stuart Hogg is a legend in his own time and Blair Kinghorn can easily cover both positions with a very useful boot to contribute to proceedings as well. There is some promising emerging talent to the point where Scotland has become for the most part, like France, a highly entertaining side to watch.
Scotland’s Achilles Heel is depth. They can field a quality match day 23 without question, but the minute the medics appear Scotland suddenly starts to look distinctly lightweight. This Autumn Nations Cup will tell us a great deal about Scotland’s stocks in this department, and we hope for their sake that a dynamic team that shows a high level of skill coupled to some good old fashioned grit can continue to build on what has been a rather promising year so far.
Wales
How the mighty have fallen! From Grand Slam Champions to facing stirring their morning porridge with a Wooden Spoon, Wales will want to brush the memory of 2020 under the carpet as soon as possible. Their only positive this year was thumping Italy at home 42-0. However their final loss to Scotland 14-10 this past weekend at home, for the first time in 18 years, hit hard. Life under new Coach Wayne Pivac, despite the New Zealander’s remarkable success with Welsh provincial side Scarlets, has got off to the worst possible start. Life looks unlikely to get any easier with a tough away trip to Ireland, followed by hosting England in the Autumn Nations Cup. Their only respite may be Georgia, but the feisty Tier 2 nation has a history of causing trouble for their Celtic hosts.
Captain and legendary second rower Alun Wyn-Jones cemented his place in history last weekend against the Scots by becoming the most capped player in Test Rugby. A remarkable acheivement by a remarkable player, but one he no doubt would have chosen to celebrate in a more propitious year for Wales than 2020 has so far turned out to be. Even the great man has often been quieter than expected this year, though more likely because the frustration of leading a side consistently misfiring is getting to him.
However, it hasn’t just been Alun Wyn-Jones who has had a quieter year at the office. Regular Lineout favorites like back rower Justin Tipuric have often failed to make the news in 2020. Welsh scrums and a lot of their set piece work was weak, and more often than not it was the opposition calling the shots. In the midfield Wales look utterly lifeless, while out wide and at fullback, they seem unsure of themselves even with the return to service of aerial master Liam Williams. In short Wales have just looked well off the boil this year, and let’s be honest rather quiet and far removed from their usually boisterous selves.
Does that mean Wales are in decline? We’d argue slightly adrift, but in decline no. There were enough flashes of individual brilliance to reassure us that Wales can still put together a strong squad. The problem is that none of these individual talents are working together as a unit. In five Six Nations performances there were only a few times where we could genuinely get a sense that Wales had some sort of game plan and the players actually knew their lines. We don’t think it’s going to be an easy autumn for the Welsh, but some valuable lessons are likely to be learnt to get them back to the point where they can once more approach a Six Nations Championship with a sense of optimism. In short, more pain is likely in store but hopefully with some long term gain.
Italy
Italy made this year the fifteenth time in twenty years that they held the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations. Like we and everyone else does at the start of every new season for Italy, there was a sense of optimism and a belief that with yet another new Coach this would be the year that Italian rugby would show signs that a third or even higher place finish would help silence their critics. Even more importantly it would be year that would put an end to the cries of those baying for their demotion from the Six Nations in favor or an emerging European nation such as Georgia. At the end of the year we all end up writing the same platitudes – enthusiastic, courageous and some promising talent. Ultimately though the results are depressingly similar year after year and end on the note – ‘there’s always next year’ – as Italy once more fall well short of the mark.
It’s all become sadly too familiar and getting harder and harder to find the positives, let alone answers. Replacing Italy with Georgia won’t necessarily make the Six Nations more competitive. Georgia are likely to get just as much if not more of a hiding than the hapless Italians, so what good demotion for Italy and promotion for Georgia would do either side is debatable, as the rest of the teams simply see them as mere cannon fodder and an easy points haul.
What Italy does have going for them and what England Coach Eddie Jones must be wondering how the England selectors let him get away, is back rower Jake Polledri. In Italy’s 34-5 loss to England, Polledri was inspirational and his outstanding try was just reward for a world class performance. The sad thing is that Polledri is for the most part in a league of his own in the Italian team, and just like his predecessor Sergio Parisse, he is in danger of becoming the sole focal point of Italy’s efforts on the pitch, In desperation a mind set of “just give it to Parisse” and expect him to perform miracles often took hold forcing the legendary Italian Captain to fulfill mutiple roles on the pitch. We fear if not managed quickly Polledri is in danger of heading down the same slippery slope. His talents are there for all to see but the team can’t expect him to continuously operate for the Italian team as a whole – rugby perhaps more than any other is a team sport.
During the course of this Six Nations, as always there were some impressive youngsters bursting onto the scene, perhaps none more so than fly half Paolo Garbisi. Garbisi is a genuine world class talent in the making, however as happens all too often in Italian rugby, a series of crushing defeats could snuff out this bright light sooner rather than later as confidence and morale in the team as a whole spiral downwards. It’s not all bad news. We often liked what we saw in the second row, and Italy has a competent and competitive back row, led by the aforementioned Jake Polledri who could easily get into a Six Nations representative match day 23. Scrum half Marcello Violi has quick if inaccurate hands, and Italy’s backs are not afraid to chance their hand in space but often their execution lets them down. Matteo Minozzi is genuinely world class at fullback but far too injury prone for Italy to be able to bank on his talents with any degree of consistency. The will is there but the skill set coupled to some regular lapses of discipline and technique continue to plague the Italians.
New Coach Franco Smith has his work cut out for him between now and the next World Cup to pull Italy up by their bootstraps and ensure that they can challenge for a mid table in the Six Nations and the ultimate fantasy of a quarter final date at the next World Cup. Lofty but not impossible ambitions, and Italy although failing to impress yet again will require our patience for another three years. We will continue to hope for that moment when the lights finally come on for the Azurri and this time stay on – but sadly have to admit we’re not holding our breath as much as we admire their constant fighting spirit in the face of almost permanent adversity.
If you missed last weekend’s action here are the highlights:
Bledisloe 4 (Tri Nations 2)
Australia is in the casualty ward and it would appear, that after three increasingly punishing dates with New Zealand, the patient may not respond to being revived after tomorrow’s match is done and dusted. The Bledisloe Cup is clearly lost for Australia for yet another year, as is the Tri Nations. All that is left in 2020 is a shot at redemption with Argentina, and given their rather shaky start to the year even that could be at risk.
What has gone wrong after such a hopeful start in the rain in Wellington and ended in such abject failure in Sydney in a brutal 43-5 loss to New Zealand? Yes injuries haven’t helped their cause with both fly half James O’Connor and centre Matt Toomua, with the latter unlikely to see action until next year. However, the problem seems to run deeper than that. Scrum half Nic White’s comments at the half time break raised more than a few eyebrows as he seemed unable to grasp how poorly the Wallabies were playing and how well by comparison New Zealand were. He seemed to think all New Zealand’s opportunities had come from Australian errors as opposed to the All Blacks own game plan. While the All Blacks did seize the day several times off the back of Wallaby errors, they also ran rings around the Wallabies in terms of organization and execution. Australia were beyond poor, even if they were slightly more competitive in the second half.
There were two different games going on in Sydney last Saturday. One in which a polished coherent unit in black jerseys with a finely tuned balance of youth and experience tried out a variety of game plans and practiced and honed basic techniques. In the other match a group of individuals in green jerseys undertook an intensive endurance training session. In the first game the players ended on a high and hardly looked out of breath. In the second a team left the field exhausted, confused, clearly humiliated and grappling with the basic concept that one of the key objectives of any sporting contest is to try and put points on the board. In the Coaching box Dave Rennie and his assistants looked in a state of shock at what they were witnessing, and Rennie must surely now be wondering if all the rumors that the Wallaby Coaching job really is the most thankless job in Test Rugby are true.
New Zealand simply built on the momentum gained in Bledisloe 2 and looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves unlike their opponents. In Australia’s defense they did manage to keep the All Blacks’ latest portable tactical nuclear device, Caleb Clarke, relatively in check, but fly half Richie Mo’unga exploded back onto the Test Rugby scene in one of his best performances to date. New Zealand’s forwards completely dominated the Wallabies pack, while the backs simply ran riot through a defense that seemingly only had eyes for Caleb Clarke. New Zealand are now humming at full throttle and this weekend they look to blood some more terrifying new talent. Without the benefit of trans Tasman competition in Super Rugby this year since March, many of these talents are likely to come as yet another nasty surprise for the Wallabies this Saturday.
Australia’s new bloods while having moments of brilliance simply look wildly out of their depth compared to their All Black counterparts. Your heart had to go out to Wallaby debutant Noah Lolesio, as Richie Mo’unga showed him what a world class fly half looks like, while Wallaby center Ira Simone was left wondering what the role of a center exactly was as New Zealand’s Anton Liennert-Brown and Jack Goodhue alternately weaved and bludgeoned their way through the center channels. Dane Haylett-Petty really had nothing to say at fullback, had a poor kicking game and paled into insignificance as Beauden Barrett placed the ball at will in the Australian half.
Wallaby Captain Michael Hooper, as he always does, attempted to lead from the front but even that seemed ineffective, while Australia’s best prospect of 2020 so far, Harry Wilson in the back row, failed to make an the kind of impact that made us take such notice in Bledisloe 1 and 2. Fellow back rower Ned Hanigan proved to be his usual self as a liability in discipline and execution and the Wallabies incurred penalty after penalty at the breakdowns and in the set pieces.
In short, New Zealand ran the show with almost effortless ease while Australia looked like the marsupials they are named after caught in a road train’s headlights. We struggled to find any positives in this Wallaby performance and it genuinely pains us to say it, and fear that another beating is on the cards this weekend, even if complacency gets the better of New Zealand in the first half. If you’re an Australian supporter you must be beyond frustrated. Australia should not be this woeful and while they may struggle to beat an All Black team clearly gaining a second wind after the World Cup, they should still at least be competitive.
As a result, we imagine that Rennie is likely to focus less on the result and more on the performance of his charges this weekend. Beating New Zealand is unlikely but refining structures and processes that may at least hold their own against a similarly challenged Argentinian side will be the priority on Saturday. The Bledisloe and Tri Nations is a lost cause for Australia in 2020 but two matches to seek redemption against the Pumas is now clearly the end game for this year. If they get their basics right on Saturday, and don’t suffer the same kind of annihilation as they did in Bledisloe 3, then the Wallabies may make the first steps towards a comprehensive rebuild. New Zealand in the meantime will simply show us all that they are still the team to beat, unless their nemesis in blue who are currently rising from the ashes at a rate of knots, decide to once more upset the apple cart in France in 2023.
Enjoy and we’ll be back for the buildup to the Autumn Nations Cup next weekend!
It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here – the 2020 Six Nations Super Saturday. Despite France going into a second lockdown as a result of COVID-19, the French Minister of Sport has confirmed that elite sport will be exempted. As a result the final and all important match of the day in Paris, which will confirm who is going to be lifting the silverware, will be taking place.
Wales and Scotland get us started on Saturday in Llanelli and while neither side is in the hunt for any silverware a win is critical, especially for Wales who are in desperate need of a victory and a halt to four straight defeats. Scotland will look to finish well and settle themselves for the upcoming Autumn Nations Cup in November. England need a massive points haul and a bonus point against Italy, something which a team of their caliber should have no trouble achieving, even if it means travelling to Rome. If England get the job done the silverware is theirs pending the outcome of the France/Ireland game. So ultimately England will have to wait and see if either France or Ireland can secure a bonus point in their struggles. If neither get that elusive bonus point then it’s England’s tournament, but if they do then either Ireland or France will be hoisting the trophy on Saturday night. If you want a tournament that is going to go to the final whistle of the final match, then make sure you are in your own lockdown in front of the TV on Saturday!
Let’s not forget about Bledisloe 3 if all the above excitement is not enough for you. New Zealand travel to Australia to take on a Wallaby side smarting from a comprehensive schooling by the All Blacks at Auckland’s Eden Park two weeks ago. It’s an experimental Wallaby side that will know that home advantage is simply not going to be enough on Saturday. The All Blacks are once again reverting to traditional form. After a slow start, by the time the second half of Bledisloe Cup 2 got underway, New Zealand were operating at full throttle again while still managing to blood some new talent of their own. It should still be a highly entertaining match, but we can’t help feeling a little anxious for the Wallabies given the strength of the visitors lineup, and this will be a definite test to see what tricks new Wallaby Coach Dave Rennie really does have up his sleeve. New All Black Coach Ian Foster after a shaky start in Wellington seems to have taken a firm hand to steering New Zealand’s ship and Saturday’s match will be the litmus test of how well his methods can adapt to life on the road, as the Kiwis take up residence in Australia for the next six weeks for the Rugby Championship.
Six Nations
Wales vs Scotland– Saturday, October 31st – Llanelli
There is no silverware up for grabs for either side on Saturday, but Wales will want to right their ship after four straight defeats. Scotland on the other hand, will be feeling confident after beating title favorites France earlier this year. Furthermore the Scots haven’t exactly been thrashed by their opponents and both their losses in this year’s championships to England and Ireland were only by 7 point margins. The Scots seem to be clicking nicely while Wales look slightly at sea despite some obvious talent.
Wales recent friendly against France last weekend in Paris saw the Welsh eclipsed by 38-21 as France played all the rugby and the Welsh by comparison looked rather flat and lifeless. Even traditional stalwarts like Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric seemed to have alarmingly quiet games by their standards. The French ran rings around Wales in the set pieces and in attack proceeded to make a mockery of the Welsh defenses. Wales did get on the scoreboard first with a nicely worked try from fullback Leigh Halfpenny in the opening minute, but that was about the only time there was any genuine spark or flow to the Welsh attack, apart from a gritty well worked forwards try in the final ten minutes. France on the other hand were all flair and excitement after that initial wake up call from Wales. Add to that some exceptionally well organized defenses and there was no denying that this is a very well put together and thought out French team.
Scotland had Georgia as their warm up last weekend and fared considerably better in their contest, demolishing a brave but ultimately seriously undercooked Georgian side 48-7 at Murrayfield. Scotland’s favourite problem child Finn Russell returned to the fold and immediately set about proving why Scotland simply can’t do without his services when he came off the bench. Meanwhile an aggressive and quick forward pack negated the traditional physical threat posed by the Georgians. Scotland’s pacy backline showed they will need to be watched with caution next month in the Autumn Nations Cup. Scotland look like a side able to provide us with plenty of entertainment in November and we look forward to seeing them in some very tasty encounters in the Autumn Nations Cup.
This weekend’s Six Nations encounter sees Scotland make relatively few changes to the side that made life such a misery for the Georgians last Friday. The injured Matt Fagerson is replaced by Blade Thomson at number eight and in the second row Jonny Gray returns. Finn Russell gets a deserved start at fly half and in the backs Scotland welcome back Stuart Hogg after the fullback returns from a string of competitive successes with English club Exeter. As we saw last weekend, it’s a Scottish side that oozes quality. Their front row proved steady under fire from Georgia in the set pieces. Scotland’s second row, especially with Jonny Gray in the mix will be highly competitive come lineout time. At the breakdowns that back row has generated a healthy respect from opponents throughout the Six Nations with Hamish Watson and Jamie Ritchie in particular proving to be the bedrock of Scotland’s ability to really mix things up in the loose. Lastly that set of backs is class through and through and winger Darcy Graham didn’t disappoint last week. Expect more of the same this week, made more potent by the addition of Stuart Hogg.
Wales are a conundrum, after the highs of the latter Gatland years, they definitely seem to be trending downward. We don’t think it’s permanent, there is too much talent in this team for that to be the case, but they are clearly struggling to adapt to new Coach Wayne Pivac’s style or he to them. For this match Pivac makes some wholesale changes and we would argue that after last week they are merited. We still feel that Wales are going to get bossed around in the front row and there are relatively few changes for Saturday’s match, as they struggled with France last week whereas Scotland contained Georgia’s supposed scrummaging prowess. What will be interesting to see is the second row partnership betweeen Will Rowlands and Alun Wyn-Jones. Wyn-Jones is a known commodity even if he had a relatively quiet game by his standards last weekend, but Rowlands has been an outstanding performer for English premiership side Wasps. The Welsh back row needs to make much more of a statement than they did against France. Justin Tipuric and Taulupe Faletau did put in a shift but somehow it just didn’t match up to the power being generated by their French opponents. They are not going to get much more of a break from Scotland’s Watson and Ritchie.
In the backs, Rhys Webb misses out at scrum half due to injury in favor of Gareth Davies, but in our opinion this is to Wales’ benefit. Wales looked more energetic and organised when Davies came on in the French game, and for us is the better option. We’re still not convinced that fullback Leigh Halfpenny is as comfortable under the high ball as he used to be, but Saturday’s match sees the return of Liam Williams to the wing opposite Josh Adams, and this back three could spell trouble for Scotland. Williams ability to create opportunities and handle whatever kind of aerial assault Scotland will fire at Wales is something the Men in Red have lacked of late. Lastly that center pairing in Wales really needs to be counted as last weekend it clearly wasn’t, with both Jonathan Davies and Nick Tompkins struggling to find any sort of cohesion. With Owen Watkin replacing Tompkins this weekend Wales really need to click here.
It should be a good match for spectators with a lively Scottish side wanting to build on some positive momentum and a Welsh team desperately seeking something to cheer about on home soil. For us though it’s the more dynamic and opportunistic Scots who the scoreboard will likely favor most.
Italy vs England – Saturday, October 31st – Rome
After watching Italy get dismantled yet again in the Six Nations, it’s hard 20 years on from Italy’s initial entry into the tournament to still find positive things to write about them. Sure there is lots of individual talent in Italy but none of it seems to get harnessed into a cohesive plan for really putting Italy on the map in terms of International Rugby. Instead, the other Six Nations sadly view matches with Italy as points haul opportunities. This is certainly the case with England this weekend as they travel to Rome looking to get maximum points on the board including a bonus point, whilst hoping at the same time that neither Ireland or France are able to do the same, and thus allow England to claim the title. You’d have to argue the odds are in their favor, and the defensive slip ups that caused Ireland to throw away seven points in the overall points difference between them and England, are unlikely to be present in the English camp on Saturday. You’d think – but then we thought that about the World Cup final.
However, Italy are not South Africa, even if they are being coached by one. They bring a slightly punchier side to this encounter, with the big ticket item being the inclusion of Wasps all star fullback and try scoring machine Matteo Minozzi. The Italian back is world class and to be fair so are some of his teammates. Despite being on the back end of an Irish hiding last weekend, fly half Paolo Garbisi’s try at the death, that could end up being Ireland’s undoing in the points race this weekend, was absolutely top flight. In short, this guy is good and could be the spark that really lets Italy create some special moments. Considering that was his first outing in an Italian jersey, that’s a pretty impressive debut. Italy has a solid back row even if they failed to make much of an impression against a very impressive Irish trio last weekend. However, we anticipate them struggling in the set pieces and apart from Minozzi, there just isn’t the pedigree in their backs to be able to compete with the likes of England’s offerings, especially Jonny May.
As for England, given the strength of their star studded match day 23 it’s really hard to find any weaknesses and see anything other than Italy being completely and utterly steamrollered into submission. The only possible weak links being George Furbank at fullback, who may be Coach Eddie Jones’ wonder child but so far has singularly failed to impress at Test Level in an English jersey, and Owen Farrell’s difficulties with tackling technique. Apart from that though we just can’t see any chinks in England’s armor other than possibly scrum half Ben Youngs having one of his increasingly frequent off days or Billy Vunipola discovering yet another part of his physique that is an injury liability.
It’s really difficult to see a scoreline that doesn’t have England sitting on at least 55-60 points, most of which could well be unanswered. Expect at least six tries by the Men in White securing the much needed bonus point, and a points difference that will have both France and Ireland sweating bullets heading into the last game of the tournament on Saturday night in Paris.
France vs Ireland – Saturday, October 31st – Paris
Super Saturday will reach its nailbiting finish for fans in Paris. France and Ireland will know what they need to do after watching England and Italy. Consequently the pressure will be on as English, French and Irish fans huddle nervously around their television screens. Fortunately the match is going ahead despite the nationwide lockdown in France, and thank heavens, as after the most protracted and unusual Six Nations campaign in history, we doubt most of us could handle any more suspense.
Both sides make very few changes to the lineups that worked so well for them last weekend, and for the most part where those changes do take place they are enforced due to injury. Ireland bring in prop Cian Healy to the front row for his 100th cap, while France keep the same unit that bossed Wales around. We’re backing France on this one as they just seem slightly steadier in the discipline stakes compared to the Irish. The second rows stay the same for both sides, but for us Ireland have got this hands down, especially in terms of keeping on the right side of referee Wayne Barnes’ whistle. French second rower Bernard le Roux must surely consider himself lucky to be running out on the pitch Saturday after trying to rearrange Welsh Captain Alun Wyn-Jones face last weekend. Le Roux’s colleague Willemse is also not known for his disciplinary reliability.
The match up of the weekend surely has to be the battle of the back rows. Ireland’s CJ Stander as the undisputed veteran shepherds his two young charges Caelan Doris and Will Connors with the green trio being devastatingly effective last weekend against Italy. By the same token the French trio led by Captain Charles Ollivon, a role he appears to be excelling at, were also taking no prisoners last weekend against Wales and clearly got the better of some notable Welsh talent.
The huge smoking gun on the field is the great contest of young versus the old in the halfbacks. France’s dynamic duo are truly world class, and in our opinion are already outshining their Irish counterparts who were until very recently considered one of the world’s most dangerous pairings. Ireland’s Murray and Sexton still take some beating, but there is no question that they are not nearly as shiny as the two young French mavericks who have set Six Nations pitches alight this year. At the moment Murray simply cannot match France’s Antoine Dupont’s lightning fast reflexes and decision making, and Ntamack’s ability to control the ebb and flow of a game coupled to a very useful boot is perhaps more consistent than Ireland’s legendary Sexton. However, the Irish pair have a wealth of Test experience between them and on such a big occasion as Saturday’s encounter, it will be interesting to see how much of a difference this makes when the chips are down for both sides.
The contest between France’s Virimi Vakatawa and Ireland’s Bundee Aki on Saturday is one we can’t wait to see unfold. The dynamic French centre is a handful to bring down, but provided Aki can read his dance moves he certainly packs the punch to stop a freight train dead in its tracks. The loss of Ireland’s Garry Ringrose to injury is a genuine blow for the Irish as his inventiveness and speed in the centre channels creates far more opportunity than the rather predictable smash and grab up the middle routine favored by Aki and Henshaw.
Hugo Keenan had a dream debut for Ireland on the wing against Italy scoring two fine tries, but his defensive capabilities were rarely tested by the Azurri. Jacob Stockdale at fullback continues to be a worry in that department as evidenced by fly half Paolo Garbisi completely wrong footing him for a try that may be critical if matters are to be decided on points differences alone. Andrew Conway had a good run of it last weekend, but sadly although featuring heavily in the run of play was unlucky not to cross the whitewash for Ireland and is a player who we feel is one of the Men in Green’s most underrated talents. However, that French back three is a potent unit in its own right and Ireland can simply not allow their guard down for a second.
Both sides pack quality benches and ultimately this match is set to be a barnstormer in the making with the weather favoring an exciting running game – something France in particular just love to do at the moment. We have to admit to being slightly surprised at the pundits voting so heavily in favor for Ireland on this one. Consequently we’re going to play devil’s advocate and say that we think Ireland are going to have their work cut out against a French side that, apart from that hiccough on the road against Scotland, have looked the most exciting and dangerous side in the tournament by a country mile. To make these qualities all the more convincing the French finally look like they have systems in place that can utilize some rather extraordinary talent to its fullest potential. The Irish are an impressive and equally talented unit, but when it comes to the unexpected and how to capitalize on it, we’d argue that quality has a distinctly French flavor to it this year. In a country heading into another dark couple of weeks, France perhaps more than Ireland need something to cheer about, and we feel that a certain group of men in blue jerseys might just have the motivation and skill set to give it to them on Saturday night in Paris!
Bledisloe 3
Australia vs New Zealand – Saturday, October 31st – Sydney
Australia have to win this one – plain and simple. If they don’t then that’s it for the Bledisloe Cup for another year in the All Blacks favor, and also puts New Zealand well on the way to sweeping all before them in the Rugby Championship over the next six weeks. Australia take the bold move of blooding some very impressive but untested talent at this level, and you have to wonder if results this year are less important than the first tentative steps of building a new team and vision for the 2023 World Cup. While we’re sure that’s a large part of it, we don’t doubt for a moment, that a key priority of new Wallaby Coach Dave Rennie’s first year is a win over Australia’s biggest rivals.
New Zealand also bring some untried talent to the table, but much less so than Australia, and there are fewer changes to the side that so effectively dismantled Australia in the second half of Bledisloe 2. Hoskins Sotutu gets a start at number eight, in place of Ardie Savea who is on family leave this weekend, after having a game where he was back to his manic writhing best. Sotutu caught a lot of attention with the Auckland Blues in this years Super Rugby Aotearoa competition, and his debut for the All Blacks has been eagerly anticipated. Sam Whitelock returns to the second row, and his experience and work rate will be of enormous benefit ahead of a tough six weeks on the road. Jack Goodhue returned to his best a fortnight ago and expect more of the same now he has adjusted to his new hairstyle. We couldn’t say enough good things about winger Caleb Clarke’s debut in Bledisloe 2 and as impressive as Filipo Daugunu’s debut has been for the Wallabies he simply could not contain the All Blacks newest wrecking ball, causing him to probably need a stiff drink before bed this entire week.
For us this encounter’s most interesting aspect is a chance to really get a look at some of Australia’s emerging new talent under the most intense pressure. There has been a great deal of hype about fly half Noah Lolesio, scrum half Tate McDermott and Irae Simone at centre with all three being standout performers in this year’s Super Rugby AU. The trio get their chance to prove their worth on Saturday, with Lolesio and Simone in particular getting starting berths.
Australia’s biggest weakness still seems to be in terms of discipline and in Bledisloe 2 it continued to put them on the back foot. Back rower Ned Hanigan, despite our reservations about him in this department, did put in a solid performance at key moments in Bledisloe 2 but you have to temper that with the fact that for every positive thing he did he would follow it up with a costly mistake. One gentleman who continues to prove his worth for Australia in his first campaign in a Wallaby jersey is Harry Wilson at number eight. A genuine find for Australia and in the two matches we’ve seen him play in for the Wallabies he hasn’t put a foot wrong – a genuine talent that is destined to be one of the greats. Saturday’s match also sees the return of Dane Haylett-Petty who on a good day can be one of Australia’s most dynamic players, it’s just that he hasn’t had too many of those good days recently – here’s hoping Saturday sees him back to his best.
It’s an outstanding All Black lineup against a relatively unproven but talented Australian team. The pressure on Dave Rennie’s predominantly young charges will be massive on Saturday, and it may be just a bit too soon for them to be handle the pitfalls of such a big stage and at home to boot. New Zealand still know how to win, regardless of the change in management and as a group have tasted victory more often than defeat. The World Cup is no doubt a distant memory and a team that is still better at reinventing itself than any other will take some beating on Saturday in Sydney. Beaten they can be but probably not by a Wallaby side packing plenty of energy but still lacking the cohesion needed for the big occasions under pressure.
Enjoy what should be the kind of weekend that perhaps some of us thought would be the stuff of fantasy only this year. Our hearts go out to everyone in France this weekend as they face a gloomy autumn under lockdown – let’s hope that whatever the outcomes this Saturday, it’s one everyone will remember for a long time to come as time well spent!
In case you missed the two friendlies last week here are the highlights with the Ireland/Italy game highlights over on the TV/Internet listings page along with the Bledisloe story so far.
If you’ve caught your breath after one of the most memorable Heineken Cup Finals we can remember for a while, you’ll be pleased to know that the fun has just begun. The Bledisloe Cup is in full swing soon to be followed by the Rugby Championship, although no action there this weekend. However, for Six Nations fans there is a lot to be excited about this weekend. Italy and Ireland’s postponed Round 4 match finally takes place in Dublin, while in preparation for the Autumn Nations Cup and next weekend’s full round of final Six Nations matches, Scotland take on an always boisterous Georgia and France and Wales get to know each other again in Paris.If that’s not enough for you, the new European Kings Exeter Chiefs see if they can do the double in the English Premiership as well as some exciting PRO14 matchups.
For us though all eyes are on Edinburgh, Dublin and Paris this weekend as the groundwork gets laid for an exciting few weeks of Test Rugby ahead. Scotland field an exceptionally strong team against Georgia tomorrow, which is clearly intended to lay down a marker for their final Six Nations clash with Wales the following weekend. Meanwhile Ireland host Italy in Dublin with an equally strong lineup in preparation for what should be a titanic struggle with France the following Saturday. Lastly, a daunting looking Welsh side meet a rather capable looking French squad in Paris.
Lots to look forward to and lots to look back on from last weekend.
First up quick recap of last weekend’s excitement and then a look ahead to this weekend’s action.
Bledisloe 2
Australia after a promising start reverted back to form, and that form is definitely not positive. Sure they held their own in the first half, but once centre Matt Toomua left the field due to injury towards the end of the half, Australia rapidly started to lose composure and structure particularly in the key pivot between 10 and 12. Meanwhile New Zealand clearly started to shake off the cobwebs from their previous encounter and unleashed some terrifying new talent in the process – be afraid of Caleb Clarke (VERY AFRAID!!!).
Sadly though we were to be disappointed as we were hoping for an even contest. In the second half New Zealand reverted to type and came out of the blocks at breakneck speed. When the All Blacks score in the opening 2 minutes of a second half the writing is usually on the wall for the opposition and last Sunday in Auckland was no exception. Australia sadly reverted to their form of old under the Cheika era and started to panic. They proceeded to chuck the ball around wildly with little sense of purpose or control and their discipline went out the window. New Zealand went on a try scoring blitz for the first 13 minutes of the second half and effectively sealed the lid on an inevitable Wallaby defeat. The All Blacks dominated proceedings even though the final quarter of the match saw no further points for either side. There was a spirited if at times shambolic fightback from Australia, but New Zealand had rattled Australia so badly in the opening stanzas of the second half, that they could afford to take their foot off the pedal for the remainder of the match and simply shore up their defenses. The Wallabies made several hopeless charges over the top but the All Blacks were content to man their trenches and let the Australians run around to no avail in no-man’s land.
As depressingly familiar as Australia’s performance was last Sunday and as clinical as the All Blacks were in comparison, we’d still argue that there is life in this new Wallaby outfit under Coach Dave Rennie. The next two matches on home soil for Australia will need to be approached with caution by New Zealand. There is the potential for a great Wallaby side here if managed and coached properly, something they have lacked with any degree of consistency for the last ten years. New Zealand have set out their stall and despite some question marks about new Coach Ian Foster, he certainly delivered on the hallowed ground of Eden Park (if he hadn’t he might be out of a job right now). He is blessed with some extraordinary raw talent and some very wise heads to guide the ship – Sam Cane has effortlessly stepped into the shoes of the likes of Kieran Reid and Ritchie McCaw. The All Blacks proved last Sunday that any talk of New Zealand losing their edge is complete and utter nonsense, and when you’ve got a guy like this your argument is pretty convincing.
Heineken Cup Final
As mentioned above, we revelled in what was one of the best Heineken Cup finals we can remember in a long time on Saturday.
Exeter capped off a dream run of ten years and in the process showed us just what hard work and graft in our sport can still produce. Racing 92 probably had the worst opening 15 minutes of many a season – but what a comeback to keep the game balanced on a knife edge until the very last whistle. As finals rugby goes it’s going to be hard to beat!
However, all credit has to go to Exeter who showed us what a remarkable squad they have become. That final ten minutes which saw them reduced to fourteen men, was the stuff of legends. Racing proceeded to launch a constant assault on the Exeter defenses which required every player to put their body on the line to a man. It was heroic in no uncertain terms and had all of us on the edge of our seats for nine very long minutes. Their superhuman efforts were rewarded by them being able to work the ball back downfield at the death, and earn a penalty as an exhausted Racing side finally realized that there was just no way of containing a side that seemed to be a walking advertisement for Red Bull. The Frenchmen’s discipline slipped and calm as you may, Exeter slotted the penalty kick, we remembered how to breathe and another epic chapter in the Heineken Cup finals saga was written.
We wish Exeter all the best for their Premiership final exploits this weekend against Wasps and have a hunch they are going to make it the double. Our hearts go out to Racing who in their third Heineken Cup final were once again denied the ultimate prize. How different it could have been if that opening 15 minutes hadn’t been such a shambles for them and from scrum half Teddy Iribaren in particular. Although Finn Russell had a blinder of a game at times, even he committed some schoolboy mistakes which left us dumbfounded – one in particular that led to a superb intercept from Jack Nowell and a try for Exeter. Exeter had clearly done their homework on Russell’s wild card factor, and more often than not knew when he was likely to try something outrageous and were there to take advantage and pressure him into silly errors of judgement.
In short it was riveting stuff and in case you missed it, here it is in a nutshell.
Scotland vs Georgia – Friday, October 23rd – Edinburgh
Either Scotland is suffering from a depth crisis or Coach Gregor Townsend intends to make a statement with a bang in Scotland’s first return to action since COVID-19 brought things to a premature halt. We would have thought that he would have blooded some lesser known talent for this one and saved the really big guns for the Six Nations showdown with Wales next weekend. Instead he has decided to get match fit the team he clearly hopes will give the Men in Red something to think about in Llanelli next weekend. All things considered you can’t really argue with his logic.
As for Georgia, what you see is what you get, a seasoned brutal bunch of forwards, many of whom have last names that would qualify them as extras for the latest Godzilla film, with plenty of game time in France’s top league under their belts. Couple that to a group of mercurial backs who have been known to do remarkable things – ask any Canadian player who may not remember this guy so fondly, and it is safe to say that Georgia as the undisputed kings of Tier 2 European rugby are no pushover. Their exposure to the forthcoming Autumn Nations Cup is something that will do their squad development no end of good. Consequently they will be wanting to make their own statement on Friday and then some.
In short, we don’t know what to expect from this encounter, but interesting is certainly an adjective that comes to mind. We sadly don’t know enough about the current Georgian squad to offer any kind of informed opinion, but suffice to say they have been craving the big stage for a long time now and must be delighted as we are for them about the prospect of the next six weeks, and will put maximum effort into making it count.
As for Scotland, it’s a good squad plain and simple. The biggest talking point is obviously the return to the fold of fly half Finn Russell after the drama of he and Coach Gregor Townsend’s spat during the Six Nations earlier this year. Politics and emotions aside, Scotland know they have a remarkable talent in Russell. Put aside the poorly executed downright recklessness he is prone to at times, and as seen in the recent Heineken Cup final. However, revisit that match and behold some of his brazen audacity and ability to turn a game completely upside down for the opposition in the blink of an eye, and he suddenly becomes every Coach’s favorite problem child. In short, a genuine talent that simply needs to be further refined. Whether Townsend is the man to tame this wild child for the benefit of the Scottish jersey remains to be seen, but Scottish fans will be delighted to see him back in the mix, even if he starts on the bench tomorrow.
As for the rest of the Scottish lineup, there are so many Lineout favorites in there it’s just our fantasy league Scottish 15. In particular, expect that Scottish back row to be one of Georgia’s worst nightmares tomorrow. Hamish Watson is in our current world XV, and Jamie Ritchie and Matt Fagerson are such rapidly rising Scottish stars, expect them to be boarding a flight to South Africa next year with the Lions. It’s a solid and exceptionally workmanlike front five and linking them to the backs is a quick and talented half back pairing in Adam Hastings and Ali Price. South African Duhan van der Merwe gets his first Scottish jersey after impressing the selectors with his performances with Edinburgh. Shoring everything up at the back is Mr. Excitement on the wing Graham Darcy and the always reliable and pacy Blair Kinghorn. In short a formidable starting XV with plenty of X-factor on the bench. Scotland should ultimately win comfortably but if you’re interested in the Autumn Nations Cup then this foretaste is something you won’t want to miss.
Ireland vs Italy – Saturday, October 24th – Dublin
Like Scotland, Ireland field a powerhouse side to hopefully dispatch Italy with ease and come away with a healthy points haul to at least give them some breathing room to compete for a strong finish in the last round of the Six Nations – made more challenging by a trip to Paris next weekend. However, don’t ask us about the exclusion of John Cooney from Ireland’s plans. We are still scratching our heads about the Ulster scrum half’s omission from Ireland’s squad by Coach Andy Farrell. Cooney has been setting pitches alight in Europe, much more so than the increasingly pedestrian Conor Murray. Jamison Gibson-Park who although part of the Leinster power machine, has yet to impress in an Irish jersey and makes his debut Saturday at Cooney’s expense. However, in Farrell’s defence, he has included some very exciting youngsters such as the Leinster power trio of winger Hugo Keenan and back rowers Caelan Doris and Will Connors. We would argue that he has chosen to be a bit Leinster heavy, but in fairness you might as well keep a unit that works together.
Italy also bring a solid squad to Dublin, but we have to confess to being surprised at the omission of Zebre’s Frederico Ruzza from the back row, even if it was from the bench. Instead the Zebre man sees duty tomorrow against Leinster in the PRO14. We haven’t seen enough of Italy since the COVID-19 lockdown, so it’s hard to judge where they really are at. Despite Ruzza’s exclusion it’s an impressive Italian back row with the likes of Jake Polledri, Bram Steyn and Sebastian Negri – a unit not to be taken lightly. Italy’s backs, while not as flash or solid in defense as their Irish counterparts, can still lay on some flair when needed. In short, it’s not a bad Italian team, but one that ultimately Ireland should comfortably get the measure of.
A big question mark for us, is the shift of Jacob Stockdale from the wing to fullback in the absence of the injured Jordan Larmour for Ireland. We are just not convinced by Stockdale’s defensive capabilities whatsoever, add to that the fact that he seems to have taken his foot right off the pedal in terms of his try scoring ability and if we were in Andy Farrell’s shoes we’d be feeling more than a little concerned. Italy bring with them some potent strike threats that could easily throw an out of position Stockdale off his game.
Ireland need to come away with maximum points on Saturday in order to ensure a strong finish to this year’s Six Nations campaign, and go well above and beyond a mere bonus point. However, against Italy they have a bad habit of underestimating their opponents and coming away with the bare minimum – something which just won’t do on Saturday. They simply have to be targeting 50 points plus as their starting point, and we say that in no disrespect to Italy, and the Azurri are more than capable of spoiling Ireland’s designs in that respect. In last year’s campaign, Ireland had the same goal, but instead left Rome with a mere 26 points and at times were made to work especially hard for them as well as fluffing their lines on numerous occasions, which the Italians made sure they paid for and that was with the legendary Joe Schmidt in charge of the Men in Green.
Ireland should do well by a comfortable margin on Saturday, but often they have a bad habit of looking one game beyond them at the expense of what’s in front of them. Italy will surely be hoping that the Men in Green are assuming that Saturday’s encounter is a mere warmup for the big event in Paris a week later. If Ireland do so then Italy could ensure that it will be another Six Nations that the four proud provinces would rather consign to the dustbin of memories.
France vs Wales – Saturday, October 24th – Paris
I was lucky enough to watch the Six Nations clash between these two back in February on the French side of St.Martin in the Caribbean with an exceptionally enthusiastic group of French supporters. The thriller in Cardiff was well worth the price of admission, and Wales will be travelling to Paris with a score or two to settle. France hadn’t won in Cardiff since 2010, and the manner in which they did so in February proved that this is a French team once more on the rise and just in time for the World Cup they will be hosting in three years time. It was an even contest in February and expect more of the same. In case you missed it, here’s a quick refresher course.
The crowds may be absent but we doubt that it will detract from the intensity these two sides are likely to bring to this encounter. Of the two though France have more to lose, with the risk of injury potentially scuppering their front row grid race with England for Six Nations glory a week later. Consequently, France may hold a bit more back than Wales on Saturday, as a loss in this match is not exactly the end of the world, given that their eyes will be clearly on the main prize showdown with Ireland in Paris a week later.
Wales bring a team to Paris that can give France a world of hurt both physically and mentally. The only potential weak link we can see in Welsh armor could be their front row. Otherwise from 4-15 this is not a group of Welsh lads that you would want to meet in a dark alley in Swansea late on a Saturday night. Thor and Superman are represented in the second and back rows by Alun Wyn-Jones and Justin Tipuric respectively. In the backs it’s all pace, power and out and out reliability under pressure with Dan Biggar being the kind of number ten Wales have missed for so long. We thought that fullback Leigh Halfpenny is not quite at his best these days, and seemed to struggle against France last time out, so expect to see France’s Romain Ntamack make sure that the Welsh 15 is under constant pressure on Saturday. Wales have a handy bench, and perhaps with nothing at stake for the Welshmen in this one, it may give rapidly rising new talent, winger Louis Rees-Zammitt, a chance to translate the form that has turned heads at club level into a world class performance.
France, ever since Fabien Galthie took over as Coach, have finally started to look like those glorious French sides of the 90s and early 2000s – hardly surprising since he was one of the players that made those teams so special. French flair is finally back with a vengeance, and as an added bonus is often allied to a clearly defined plan of attack. French defense has continued to improve, and the addition of a certain Welshman by the name of Shaun Edwards has only reinforced it. Ally all of this to a halfback pairing that is barely off its training wheels in terms of age, but is already world class and then some. In short, France is veritably humming right now. If they can build on and carry this momentum all the way to 2023, then defeating them at their own World Cup is going to be problematic to say the least. France finally look like a team again, as opposed to an eclectic group of outlandishly talented but ultimately disorganized individuals.
However, we can’t help feeling that with a significant portion of French minds on next Saturday and potential Six Nations glory, they may not bring their A game to the Stade de France this Saturday. We don’t doubt they will entertain, but may be less focused on the win and more on avoiding injuries and refining structures for the big show with the Irish. Wales on the other hand will be under no such pressure, other than injuries possibly being at the back of their mind ahead of a challenging Autumn Nations Cup fixture list, and a considerably thinner depth pool in terms of talent than some of their counterparts.
If we were to have a bet on this one we’d give it to Wales, even with the Paris factor. France may miss the crowd, but Wales will no doubt be relieved that there aren’t 80,000 Frenchmen having something to say about their every move, allowing them a freedom and confidence they rarely get in the Paris cauldron. Either way make sure you catch the action as it will tell us all a great deal about what to expect about next weekend’s final round of the Six Nations.
Enjoy the weekend everyone, and here’s hoping for some stellar oval ball entertainment!
Test Rugby is finally back after far too long and what a treat we were given as Australia and New Zealand provided us with a thrilling albeit rain soaked encounter in Wellington’s “cake tin”. After being less than slightly inspired by Super Rugby Australia, we were riveted by a Wallaby team that turned up in New Zealand wanting to play, and what’s more play with style. In short what a difference a Coach makes. Unlike the Michael Cheika era, this looked like a cohesive bunch of enthusiastic and talented players who had a pretty good idea of what they were trying to achieve despite the elements and the best efforts of the All Blacks. The proof of the pudding will be at Eden Park this weekend, but for Australian supporters it must have been truly refreshing, and for the rest of us made Australia/New Zealand contests worth watching again!
The long awaited conclusion to the 2019/20 Champions Cup season finally takes place this Saturday as England’s favorite upstart team Exeter have their first shot at lifting the Heineken Cup. Meanwhile France’s Racing 92 make their way to their third final, hoping that “third time’s a charm” really does ring true for them this weekend.
Today we learnt that South Africa will NOT be participating in this year’s rescheduled Rugby Championship. It didn’t exactly come as a surprise but is still regrettable, especially as many of the reasons being cited for it, could also apply to Argentina who still are participating in the tournament.However, we don’t think as some are surmising that it is a further sign that South Africa may be moving North of the Equator to the Six Nations, even if its provincial sides are now joining European competitions instead of Super Rugby.
So with lots to talk about, here are our thoughts on a weekend you are not going to want to miss!
Heineken Cup Final – Racing 92 vs Exeter – Saturday, October 17th – Ashton Gate – Bristol
The weekend kicks off in style with a Heineken Cup final – what more could you ask for? This one should be a cracker. Two very inventive sides meet in Bristol for what should be a highly entertaining match, with plenty of flair from both sides. Two Scottish legends face off against each other in Racing 92’s Finn Russell and Exeter’s Stuart Hogg. The Championship’s top try scorer Exeter’s Sam Simmonds will be on hand to weave his own magic tied to some impressive brute force. England fans will be looking to see Exeter centre Henry Slade continue his run of form, while Racing’s back line has the potential to score tries from anywhere in the park, especially once centre Virimi Vakatawa develops a head of steam.
Racing 92 have been here before but somehow have yet to lift any silverware. Exeter on the other hand are the new kids on the block. Dominating the English Premiership in the last few years, the team’s meteoric rise through the ranks has been impressive to watch. Coupled to some big name signings, this is now a team to be reckoned with and then some. Despite Racing’s lack of success at the Heineken Cup’s final hurdle, they must surely arrive full of confidence after their demolition of a very gritty Saracens side. Will the experience of being at the Heineken’s big show favor Racing or will mavericks Exeter continue to turn heads as they have done all season, and currently remain the only undefeated team in the Championship.
We think up front Exeter should be able to boss the Frenchmen around, though Racing’s Hooker Camille Chat caused all sorts of problems for Saracens in the semi-finals. However, Exeter just looks the more complete unit from 1-8, with better control in the set pieces. With the likes of Jonny Gray and Sam Simmonds in the mix, Racing will really need to keep their composure in the discipline stakes on Saturday.
However, we can’t help feeling that what will really set these two teams apart is the half back combinations, and here we are handing the ball back to Racing. At 9 and 10, Racing have so much pace and imagination in Teddy Iribaren and Finn Russell that they are likely to keep Exeter guessing all afternoon and deny them the kind of platform where the English side’s mastery of the set pieces could prove vital. Racing should be able to force Exeter to constantly have to reset their defensive structures, if Russell and Iribaren are allowed space in which to operate. Given the fact that both have an eye for even the slightest of gaps, Exeter will need to be sharp in covering these two mischief makers on Saturday.
We’d argue the back lines are evenly matched. Whatever Exeter’s Stuart Hogg, Jack Nowell and Henry Slade can do, well Racing’s Vakatawa, Imhoff and Zebo can do too. Nowell and Hogg may be quicker out of the blocks than their French counterparts, but once either Imhoff or Vakatawa have built up a head of steam they are almost impossible to stop, especially the French Fijian who has the potential to carve off huge chunks of Exeter’s midfield defence. If Exeter don’t dominate possession and the set pieces which we’d argue they are well placed to do, then this could end up being a very free flowing game but our money is on the Frenchmen causing the most damage allied to their pair of tricksters in the halfback department.
Two very exciting and evenly matched teams should make for a highly entertaining final on Saturday, and hopefully not the kind of slugfest that finals can often degenerate into. The weather looks set to favor a running game, and the teams boast a host of characters able to provide just that. Impossible to call, but somehow we feel that Racing 92 might just find that at long last – third time around really is lucky!
Bledisloe Cup 2– New Zealand vs Australia – Saturday, October 17th – Eden Park – Auckland
What a truly remarkable game of Test Rugby last weekend, capped off by an epic final seven minutes! If you’re like us, we were so thrilled that the return of International Test Rugby provided us with such a memorable match.
First off though I think it’s fair to say we owe Australia an apology. We had in many ways written them off before the opening whistle, but they arrived in Wellington determined to play, and one could argue that in many ways they were the better team on Saturday. If Rieko Ioane’s blatant foot in touch in the opening stanzas of New Zealand’s first try had been caught by Australian referee Angus Gardner, then Australia would be travelling to Eden Park tomorrow with a few fingertips already resting lightly on the treasured Trans Tasman Cup.
What really struck us though was what a difference a Coach makes. We make no apologies for harboring a distinct dislike of former Wallaby Coach Michael Cheika whose Trumpesque style of coaching Australia clearly wrought havoc on their fortunes in the Test arena. New Coach New Zealander Dave Rennie, so far seems to be a breath of fresh air. Australia finally looked like they had a game plan, an idea as to how to execute it and a team working as one – qualities which were blatantly absent during the Cheika years. We have been rather puzzled by Australia’s decline, and although we perhaps have not been too flattering about the Wallabies exploits on the field in the last few years, we genuinely miss the class Wallaby sides of the 90s. Let’s face it John Eales still has cult status here at the Lineout as one of the finest the game has ever seen. Consequently, we really liked what we saw last Saturday, and some of Australia’s inventiveness and speed with ball in hand was a joy to watch and long overdue.
However, one swallow doesn’t make a summer as the saying goes. Both sides were clearly rusty and the All Blacks got off to their traditionally slow start, but in terms of both teams fielding new Coaches, you’d have to favor Rennie over the All Blacks Ian Foster. Admittedly anyone would look good after Cheika, but former All Blacks Coach Steve Hansen leaves behind a legacy that many doubt Foster will be able to uphold. Nevertheless, the All Blacks are rarely poor twice and never at Eden Park the site of tomorrow’s encounter.
The weather will be a lot more favorable tomorrow than it was in Wellington and New Zealand are likely to look a lot sharper than they did last weekend. They got bossed around by Australia in the set pieces except at lineout time, where they failed to assert their traditional dominance, had far less possession than Australia and their backs rarely looked assured – and don’t even get us started on Rieko Ioane’s ridiculous showboating which ultimately sees him relegated to the bench for tomorrow’s match. In short, it was a stodgy All Blacks performance, and when was the last time you’ve heard a New Zealand effort described in those terms?
This week though sees the return of key playmaker Beauden Barrett to the fullback position after Damian McKenzie ran around a lot last weekend but actually achieved very little. Rieko Ioane sits this one out on the bench, but to be honest we are not sure he is centre material and it will be interesting to see if, when he does come on, he replaces the out of position Jordie Barrett on the right wing. We are pleased to see Anton Liennert-Brown get a start at center as in our opinion he has been one of New Zealand’s most consistently under rated talents of the last five years. All that aside though New Zealand really need to lead from the front, and the only person who really put in a consistent and admirable showing last weekend was flanker and Captain Sam Cane. Everyone else had flashes of brilliance but the end result was still a disjointed and at times lackluster display. Even New Zealand’s one man version of Hurricane Irma, Ardie Savea, was struggling to make the headlines last weekend.
Australia ring a few changes, and we have to be honest and say that the choice of Ned Hanigan for Pete Samu who did seem to be a weak link in an otherwise impressive Wallaby back row last weekend, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence. However, with Michael Hooper at his absolute best last weekend on the occassion of his 100th cap and Harry Wilson being the Wallaby find of the year, then all is not lost though expect to see New Zealand’s Ardie Savea take it up a few notches this weekend.
Nic White had a blinder of a game last weekend at scrum half for Australia, and fly half James O’Connor has finally come of age. Between the two of them they often made their All Black counterparts Richie Mo’unga and Aaron Smith look irrelevant, despite Smith’s try.
New Zealand’s back line was rarely to be seen last weekend, and centre Jack Goodhue’s new haircut made him almost anonymous, perhaps he needed that mullet after all to be effective? Australia on the other hand were electric in this part of the park. The two wingers newcomer Filipo Daugunu and traditional big gun Marika Koroibete were a nightmare for the Kiwi defences, while the centre pairing of Matt Toomua and Hunter Paisami looked solid. Tom Banks may pale into insignificance against the legendary Beauden Barrett this weekend, but there is definitely some potential in the Wallaby youngster at fullback.
Despite a rather off color performance from New Zealand last weekend, it’s hard to see them coming short two weeks in a row and at the hallowed ground of Eden Park to boot. In short the All Blacks just don’t lose there, and haven’t since 1994 when France managed to catch them off guard. Australia on the other hand haven’t won there in 33 years – 1986 to be precise. This is not a poor All Black team, and let’s face it, one awash with talent. Saturday’s lineup is the kind of fantasy draw for most Coaches. Consequently, Australia need to take the game they played last Saturday and up it by at least another five gears. As impressed as we were by their initial outing last weekend, we sadly fear that a harsh dose of reality is in store for Rennie and his Wallaby charges this Saturday.
Last but not least a special shout out has to go to Reece Hodge for providing the spark for the most remarkable seven minutes of Test rugby we’ve seen in a long time. If ever a rugby player’s facial expressions summed up Australian attitude then Reece Hodge gets the Oscar. The Australian utility back’s boot is the stuff of legend, but that final kick at goal last Saturday in appalling conditions was a tall order and then some. But there’s Hodge who steps up and clearly is thinking “well mate it’s a bit of a long shot, but what the hell let’s have a go!” And what a go he had! The agonizingly near miss off the posts and the resulting seven minutes of frantic rugby it set in motion for both sides will stay in the memory banks for years to come. So in short, well done Reece and any chance of the same again this weekend?
And then there were three – The Rugby Championship
We can’t say we were completely surprised, but we’d be lying if we said we didn’t take the news of South Africa’s withdrawal from this year’s Rugby Championship as a crushing disappointment. Knowing the turmoil, both economic and social that is going on in South Africa at the moment, with COVID-19 as a catalyst, it is probably the right and judicious thing to do, but a Rugby Championship without the Springboks just isn’t the same. Now it’s just the Bledisloe Cup with Argentina on tour in Australia. You could argue that Argentina’s players are facing the same conundrum as South Africa’s squad in terms of game time and exposure to top level rugby, so all the more credit to the South Americans for taking the bold decision to participate. As regular readers of this blog know, we are huge Pumas fans and are really looking forward to seeing them in action again this fall, even if they may not be playing on a level playing field with their Australian and New Zealand counterparts who will be well and truly battle hardened by the time of the Pumas first match with the All Blacks on November 14th.
As for talk of this being the first step in the Springboks ultimate departure from the Rugby Championship in favor of the Six Nations, we think that is simply hot air. Annual fixtures between South Africa and New Zealand are one of the pillars of the global Test calendar, eagerly anticipated and watched by rugby fans around the world. The draw of such matches and the revenue generated is simply too strong to forfeit. South African Super Rugby sides may well now gravitate to European competitions, but South African and New Zealand fans, as well as many neutrals, still regard fixtures between the Springboks and All Blacks as key indicators of who’s who in rugby’s global pecking order. Fans in both countries ultimately judge where their teams are at on the basis of such encounters. In short, we may not get to see it this year, but expect to see South Africa back with a vengeance for the 2021 Rugby Championship unless the Six Nations governing bodies are willing to bankroll the costs of Springbok rugby from now till the next World Cup – which we somewhat doubt.
So everyone have an absolutely outstanding rugby day tomorrow, details on how to watch are all over on the TV listings page. Once again a big shout out to everyone who wrote in to TSN and DAZN last week to remind them that there are a few rather important events happening over the next few weekends in relation to the oval ball. If our so called leading sports networks want to call themselves broadcasters of top flight international sporting competitions (Korean domestic baseball aside) then they have a bit of work to do.
COVID-19 has sadly thrown a massive spanner into all aspects of our lives in 2020, and we are clearly a long way from being out of the woods yet. We don’t for a second deny the gravity of the situation, but by the same token are longing for some sense of normality to return. The effects of the pandemic on our beloved sport have been no less severe albeit for all the right safety reasons. However, the Unions themselves are likely to look back on this period as one of bungling and incompetence in maintaining the sport’s global presence. We the fans are left to sort through the wreckage, while players face an uncertain future and a game that seems to have become rather rudderless in terms of its global direction. In short the State of Rugby Union for the forseeable future is messy to say the leastand much of the progress made towards establishing it as a world game in the last ten years could well be lost.
In this our first post since lockdown put rugby on hold back in March, we take a wander around the world and express our concerns as to where the game finds itself.
Europe
It’s still the sport’s biggest market, yet in terms of the international aspect of the game it’s a disaster. The pandemic has seen the already simmering war between the Unions and clubs reach new heights of ferocity. Meanwhile broadcasting rights have become so convoluted that many fans in a time of deep personal financial insecurity are faced with the choice of putting food on the table or taking out a raft of paid subscriptions to watch the game they love. This may be a short term cash fix for clubs and Unions, but to us it smacks of desperation and a complete lack of marketing sense. Bury the game behind a multitude of different paywalls and ultimately the fans disappear.
In France and England, the clubs are at their usual loggerheads with the Unions in terms of player access and schedules. The players themselves are in danger of becoming mere commodities to be used and abused, till ultimately the player base dries up as prospective players come to the conclusion that a short term career riddled with life changing injury risks and mediocre earnings is just not worth it. The average professional player in England or France is likely to be completely burnt out by an insane club and country schedule in the course of a mere five years.
In the Celtic leagues, the situation seems a bit better in terms of player management, but with the Scottish, Irish and Welsh Unions teetering on the brink of insoluble bankruptcy you wonder how long they can hold out to the financial pressures and considerations that are driving their French and English counterparts. As for Italian rugby well it would appear they may be the best placed to survive as the game has been in permanent crisis in the country since 2000, and as a result if they’ve survived this long well how’s another messed up year any different?
For the smaller countries though such as Georgia, Romania, Spain and Portugal the next twelve months could well undo all the progress made in the last few years in terms of getting themselves on the international map. Spain and Romania already had serious issues with the sport’s governing bodies prior to the pandemic for breaking player eligibility rules and both nations could well face a further slide into oblivion. Georgia at least gets a much need shot of exposure in the forthcoming Autumn Nations Cup, and a good performance here could solidify the progress they’ve made over the last few years, even if it may not address the overall cash crisis that World Rugby is facing and therefore the limited pot with which to help emerging nations like Georgia.
Add to the mix an unholy battle for broadcasting rights, and your average viewer now has to have a bare minimum of at least three paid up subscriptions to catch this fall’s action. Meanwhile said broadcasters all have put geoblocks on their content for viewers like us in Canada where there are no agreements on broadcasting rights, leaving us with even less options to catch the action than our European friends. As the game gets hidden behind a myriad of paywalls in Europe, the sports global audience looks set to shrink even further.
SANZAAR(South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina)
If you thought Europe was messy the picture is not much clearer South of the Equator, and in Argentina’s case rather alarming to say the least.
SANZAAR managed to get Super Rugby in Australia and New Zealand back underway over the summer, but limited it to only domestic competitions. Still it was a start and while the Australian competition was nowhere near the quality of its New Zealand counterpart, rugby fans did finally get to see some rugby of a relatively high standard once again.
South Africa unfortunately suffered the most dramatic effects of any of the four countries when it came to the pandemic. The country already in an economic crisis before COVID-19 really took hold, was brought to a standstill by the virus. Rugby found itself very much on the backburner in terms of the country’s list of priorities. Add in the fact that the pandemic made the long distance travel required to South Africa completely out of the question, and suddenly South African rugby franchises found themselves very much out in the cold. Even when Super Rugby resumes in its new format for 2021, South African franchises will have no part in it. Instead, South Africa’s Super Rugby sides will be plying their trade in Europe’s PRO 14 from now on. While the travel times are still significant, at least they won’t have time changes to deal with. The other positive is that the PRO 14 will benefit from the addition of some quality sides like the Sharks, Stormers and Bulls. The injection of two Super Rugby castoffs the Cheetahs and Southern Kings have added little to the PRO 14 in the last two years, but at least with the new teams there is some scope here to make the PRO 14 a genuinely competitive international league.
However, we have our doubts that either South Africa or Argentina are likely to set the world alight at this year’s rescheduled Rugby Championship, now to be held in Australia in November and December. Given the respective turmoil in both countries and lack of playing time for players compared to their Australian and New Zealand counterparts, and the generally poor quality of Australian rugby in general this year’s rescheduled Rugby Championship looks likely to be a very one sided affair in favor of men wearing black jerseys.
In the case of Argentina, the picture is particularly bleak. After only two short years in Super Rugby, Argentina now finds itself and its players with little opportunity to play the game at home, as the Jaguares no longer have a Super Rugby berth. For us perhaps more than anything else this has been the most bitter pill to swallow as a result of all the changes brought about by COVID 19. Argentina’s progress through the ranks in the last ten years has been nothing short of remarkable as they have welded themselves into a potent International Test force feared by the world’s best. However, this has all come about by the increased exposure that Argentinian based players have had to first the Rugby Championship and then in the last two years Super Rugby. Sadly now though all that progress looks like it is going to be lost. Sure there are a lot of very talented Argentinian players in Europe and overseas and increasingly here in North America in the MLR, but the exposure they were getting at the Super Rugby level was proving invaluable to the development of a national squad as well as giving people in Argentina something to really get behind in terms of local professional rugby. We would be absolutely gutted to see Argentina lose their status as an international side to be reckoned with as a result of all of this, and with it all the hard work of the last ten years by players be undone in a matter of months.
Just like in Europe the broadcasting rights for the forthcoming Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup series are a veritable minefield, and once again for us here in Canada we are in danger of missing it all. World Rugby really needs some leverage here to ensure that coverage of the global game is both accessible and affordable to fans around the world, and not slip back into its stereotyped image of a rich man’s sport.
Asia/Pacific
Once again the picture looks remarkably bleak with one exception – Fiji. For everyone else though there are more questions than answers.
The darlings and hosts of the last World Cup Japan, look like Argentina to be on the verge of taking some giant steps backwards. With little international exposure for them on the cards over the next year, despite a relatively robust domestic structure, Japan runs the risk of losing all the extraordinary progress made at the last World Cup. Furthermore, despite the developments in their domestic competition it is still foreign player top heavy with many overseas players seeing Japan as a short term cash fix – hardly conducive to the establishment of a strong domestic player base.
In the South Pacific, cash strapped unions in Samoa and Tonga are unlikely to get much help or exposure over the next year, resulting in a further decline in the competitiveness and skill levels of these proud rugby nations. Furthermore allegations of corruption and lack of concern for player welfare plaguing the Samoan Union are even less likely to be resolved in the near future further weakening this rugby nation who in the 90s was more than capable of World Cup upsets – just ask Wales.
The only country that seems to have been thrown a lifeline in all of this is Fiji. Fiji as always were one of the most entertaining sides at the most recent World Cup. A country whose players approach everything they do with their hearts on their sleeves, once more caught the hearts and minds of the global rugby public, and as a result find themselves along with Georgia included in this year’s Autumn Nations Cup in Europe. The exposure to the Six Nations giants over the course of six weeks, is something that Fiji has been craving for at least the last decade. The potential boost this will provide to an already highly talented squad will be fascinating to watch and bodes well for their future development. One of the few positives in an otherwise rather bleak autumn.
North America
Ironically, despite being unable to watch much of this fall’s action on TV here in Canada, our Southern neighbors are much better served through NBC Gold, there have been some recent positive developments here in the frozen North when it comes to rugby.
Although the MLR season was cancelled for 2020, 2021’s offering is shaping up to be a good one. Some big name signings have come to the MLR over the summer, former England Captain Chris Robshaw joins San Diego Legion, while our own Toronto Arrows announced the signing of all star Pumas fullback Joaquin Tuculet from Argentina and the appointment of former Wales Coach Rob Howley to the Coaching team. It could well be a cracking season next year, and let’s face it the Arrows were looking pretty sharp before this year’s season got cut short. So even if we won’t get to watch the big boys play out on our TV screens this fall/winter at the International level there is plenty to look forward to once the Arrows get back to work in February. As rugby in the big traditional markets continues to be in flux, the relatively stable climate in North America may contribute to some significant growth in professional rugby’s newest market, provided the continued level of investment and interest continue to expand.
In the meantime we’re hoping we’ll get to catch some of this weekend’s action in some shape or form, and will be returning to provide our more regular analysis of what we think were the talking points of the big games coming up. Take care everyone and let’s all stay positive and hope that the broadcasters in this country come to their senses!!!!!
WELL DONE EVERYONE – PERSERVERANCE PAYS OFF!!!! TSN IS NOW SHOWING THE BLEDISLOE GAMES OVER THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS!!!!!MORE ON THE TV LISTINGS PAGE!!!
Excuse the silence but some of us have been taking some well earned breaks in the sunshine to get away from the Canadian winter. I had the particular privilege of watching France’s outstanding victory over Wales, in a particularly lively bar surrounded by French rugby fans on the island of St. Martin. The Six Nations has been thrown into disarray by the growing Corona virus epidemic, and while we all thoroughly support the precautions being taken, it all seems rather ham fisted and runs the risk of throwing the end result of what has been an otherwise outstanding tournament into disarray.
Super Rugby is really starting to get into its stride, with interestingly enough after five rounds, South Africa’s Stormers sitting atop the table, albeit due to most of the South African conference having a game in hand over most of their main rivals from the New Zealand conference. However, this early on there are no undefeated teams after only five rounds which should mean this year’s festivities could be a tightly contested affair, but much like last year New Zealand teams seem destined to dominate proceedings but with a strong challenge from Argentina’s Jaguares and South Africa’s Sharks and Stormers.
What’s really put a spring in our step these last few weeks is the Toronto Arrows barnstorming start to their MLR season. Along with San Diego, the only undefeated team after the first four rounds, it’s looking good for our home town heroes. If they are this good on the road and the injury gods are kind to them, what a prospect Canadian rugby fans have in store for them once the Arrows return to Toronto in April for the majority of their remaining games!
Six Nations
You knew it was coming, and for good reason, but let’s be honest the Corona virus machinations affecting the final two rounds of the competition have taken some of the shine off what was turning out to be one of the most intriguing Six Nations post a World Cup we can remember in a long time. The calling off of the Ireland/Italy clash due to public health concerns this weekend is understandable, but it is hard to fathom why the game couldn’t be played behind closed doors as is being proposed for the Italy/England clash. That would have kept the tournament’s table intact in determining the ultimate winner. As it stands now with the Ireland/Italy match now postponed indefinitely, with some saying that the most likely date is the November International window, we won’t really know who the Champions are potentially till then. If France go on to beat both Scotland this weekend and Ireland next weekend then such arguments become null and void as they will be the only team who at this stage remain undefeated. Given France’s red hot form at the moment, this is a distinct possibility, but it is still a shame that the tournament officials and their respective unions and governments have been rather ham fisted in their response to the crisis, and no clear unanimity on how to proceed.
On that note if France do remain undefeated in their final two matches, then you could argue that most neutrals would not be overly disheartened, as Les Bleus have certainly endeared themselves to many of us this tournament. France is back with a vengeance and we’d argue have done better than anyone else what all the teams in the Northern Hemisphere desperately need to do – take your youth and embrace it and reward players whose form has merited them a place in the national squad. New Coach Fabien Galthie has brought the breath of fresh air that French rugby has been gasping for for so long – and it is certainly paying dividends. Backed up by a stellar coaching team including the legendary English defence Coach Shaun Edwards, France look mean, efficient and breathtakingly talented. They have easily been the most enjoyable team to watch so far, and France’s investment in its youngsters this Championship has been a model for the other unions to look to. The half back pairing of Antoine Dupont and Emile Ntamack has been the talk of the tournament, while back rower Gregory Aldritt has been one of its most impressive performers. We’ve always thought Captain and openside flanker Charles Ollivon had many of the characteristics of the legendary Olivier Magne, and so far this tournament Ollivon has led from the front and been no stranger to the try line. Throw in a set of backs that can turn and weave on a dime and this is the France of old, and we can’t wait to watch them in their final two outings.
England despite stumbling at their first hurdle in Paris to the French, have improved steadily as the tournament progressed. However, Scotland wasn’t really much of a test and the weather certainly didn’t help either side, though England made better use of the conditions. England simply resorted to the same playbook that saw them decimate Ireland last year and in the World Cup warm ups, something which the Irish for some reason best known to themselves seemed completely taken aback by for the third time in a row. Consequently, how much of a genuine Test England have had other than the French in this tournament is debatable. Of their remaining two fixtures, it’s only Wales that could potentially give them the kind of Test that could give them a benchmark of where England are right now. However Ireland, who England dispatched with ease a fortnight ago, managed to negate Wales’ supposed threats without too much difficulty in Dublin, and the Men in Red just don’t seem to be firing so far this year. England’s final clash with Italy, even if it does go ahead, should be a dead rubber, so as we say it’s difficult to really gauge where England are at post the World Cup. We’re not convinced by Eddie Jones selection choices especially at scrum half, and the jury is still out for us on Owen Farrell’s Captaincy – great when things are going well for England, but prone to unraveling in dramatic fashion when things aren’t – watch the France replay if you’re not convinced along with the World Cup final. England need to take a leaf out of France’s playbook and bring in some of their talented youngsters now and build a winning and youthful but experienced team for the next World Cup. That has to happen now and not two years down the road – and if not England will only have themselves to blame for yet another World Cup that ends in tears.
Last year’s Grand Slam heroes Wales, sadly look out of sorts this year. In many ways in 2020 they look a lot like Ireland post their 2018 successes. Wales had a stellar year in 2019 but much like Ireland in 2018 would appear to have peaked. Like Ireland they have some genuine talent in their youth but the new Coaching regime of Wayne Pivac seems to be struggling to get it to mesh. Their front row looks shambolic, their back row is clearly not gelling as a unit despite some extraordinary individual talent and their backs have lots of potential but it is just not being realized. In short, it’s hard to know what’s not working for Wales as on paper it should and then some. Their contest with England at Twickenham this weekend could be the match that leaves us with more than just a little egg on our faces, but as we put this out, we are not exactly stocking up on paper towels to clean up the mess. Our overriding impression with Wales is that they just look tired and like a team that has perhaps played just a bit too much rugby of late.
Ireland have blown hot and cold so much this tournament, that it’s almost impossible to know what is really going on in the Emerald Isle when it comes to the national team. Leinster continue to dominate the European club scene, but at a national level there is absolutely no consistency whatsoever. Coach Andy “Faz” Farrell may be a great guy to have a chinwag with in the locker and training rooms, but we are simply not convinced that any of that is really producing a plan that gets results on the pitch that would cause too many sleepless nights for the bigger teams. Although Ireland got their campaign off to a good start with a workmanlike win over a shambolic Scotland and a slightly more cohesive performance against a Welsh side that simply let Ireland get on with it, their implosion against an English game plan they had already seen twice in the space of a year was inexcusable. Ireland were utterly hopeless against England and once again looked like deer in the headlights in the face of a rampant and aggressive English onslaught. One they had already seen twice last year to the letter. There would appear to be no learning whatsoever going on in the Irish camp, coupled to the fact that their talented youth are wasted by Farrell’s insistence on sticking to some of his older players who just aren’t showing up. Don’t get us wrong – we’ve loved watching Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray’s exploits in an Irish jersey over the last few years – but even the most ignorant rugby observer could not deny that both of them are simply so far off the mark this year it is laughable. Ireland need to adopt the approach France has taken, as they have an abundance of talented players under 25 who need game time now – not in two years time. It’s highly doubtful that the Sextons and Murrays of this squad will make the next World Cup, so throw caution to the wind, roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty with some serious squad development, even if that means taking a few ugly losses on the chin but learning from them in the process. At the moment we just feel that Ireland are learning absolutely nothing every time they run out onto the pitch and are just hoping that the opposition is a bit more clueless than they are. Given Ireland’s depth of talent that is criminal – plain and simple! Ireland can start to fix this by putting Conor Murray on the bench and starting John Cooney against France at nine – when Cooney came off the bench against England Ireland all of a sudden looked a completely different team.
Scotland’s off pitch soap operas continue, but they need to end and end quickly. Scotland is our underdog favorite here at the Lineout come the Six Nations, and are definitely “the little engine that could”. This is a team that is always capable of a big surprise when you least expect it, but sadly so far this year our belief and expectations have been stretched beyond belief. There is a good team in there somewhere but much like Wales it is just not firing at the moment, and the frustration is there for all to see. We really hope that beating Italy isn’t going to be their only highlight this tournament. Disgraced fly half Finn Russell probably knows Scotland’s French opponents better than anyone after his exploits with Racing 92 this year, and internal politics aside Scotland will miss him this Sunday. France traveled well to Cardiff and there is no reason to suppose they won’t do the same to Murrayfield.
Italy meanwhile, even with the Corona virus mayhem sadly affecting them more than any other Six Nations competitor, continue their traditional campaign for the Six Nations Wooden Spoon. A new Coaching regime hasn’t really done them much good, and after three truly turgid performances they have only managed to put a paltry 22 points on the scoreboard albeit against tournament darlings France. However, getting blanked by both Wales and Scotland is not exactly a convincing argument that Italy is progressing anywhere fast. We don’t really know what the answer is for Italy but in this their 20th year in the Six Nations you have to wonder for how much longer people will bother to continue asking, let alone be interested in a solution.
Super Rugby
Despite the half full stadiums, we have to admit as we always do, that there has been some hellishly entertaining rugby on display at times so far this year. What’s perhaps caught us most by surprise is that after five rounds it’s a South African team at the top of the tables. However, the three front runner teams from the New Zealand conference have only played four games, whereas the Stormers and Sharks who currently sit atop the points tables have five under their belt. In short expect it to all change this weekend, and normal service to resume with New Zealand teams once more asserting their dominance. However, it does look like this year’s competition is going to come down to a six horse race between three New Zealand teams, one Argentinian and two South African.
No we are not being dismissive of the Australian contingent in the tournament but so far, apart from the Brumbies, we’ve haven’t seen anything from Australia or Japan (home of the hapless Sunwolves who also are part of the Australian conference) that looks likely to give any of the six aforementioned teams too much to worry about. The Brumbies look the only Australian team likely to trouble the big guns this year and their win on the road against New Zealand’s traditional power house the Chiefs last weekend was a big confidence booster. But sadly for Australian teams this year we feel it’s going to be a case of take your big victories when you can find them but sadly they are likely to be few and far between against teams outside the Australian conference.
As mentioned above, with the three top New Zealand teams only having played four games after five rounds, they find themselves lagging behind their Argentinian and South African counterparts on the points table. However, as usual the Crusaders, Chiefs and Hurricanes all look like serious contenders for this year’s silverware. Nevertheless, all three sides don’t look quite as polished as they have in years gone by. All three should have easy wins this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how they build momentum for some much more challenging encounters at the end of the month.
In the South African conference, the Stormers find themselves at the top of the points table, but for us it is the Sharks and Argentina’s Jaguares who pose the more serious threat in the long run. Both teams are on fire with the Sharks in particular having a truly lethal set of backs. However, the Jaguares also look to be the surprise package again this year that they were in 2019. The loss of a key group of Pumas internationals to European clubs hasn’t seemed to have slowed them down, and of their two defeats so far this season only one was by more than three points. Argentina continues to be a hotbed of rugby talent and they continue to prove that they are very much a Tier 1 nation to be respected and worthy of their place at rugby’s top table.
Major League Rugby
Well how about them Arrows?!!!! What a terrific start it’s been to only their second season in Major League Rugby, and to top it all off they haven’t even played at home yet. If they can keep this form up to their first home game in Toronto on April 4th against the Utah Warriors, then what a season this promises to be.
The only other unbeaten team in the league so far is the San Diego Legion and Toronto will have the added advantage that their only encounter with the Californians prior to the playoffs will be at home in Toronto. There appears to be growing interest in the Arrows in Toronto, with live showings of their games at Hemingways bar in downtown Toronto being packed affairs.
There is no question that Toronto look a tight and well drilled unit this year. Their scrum is arguably the most devastating in the league, their lineout work is vastly improved over last season and they look a threat in the loose. They have a pacy and smart halfback contingent and their backs are just as quick and dangerous out wide as they were last year coupled to a solid centre pairing more than able to make inroads up the middle. In short, if the injury gods remain kind to Toronto for the rest of the season then this could be a very big year for the team. Having already dispatched last year’s Champions the Seattle Seawolves, there’s no reason to think the Arrows couldn’t go all the way this year. The impact of MLR success on Canada’s national team prospects this year and beyond could be very telling.
TV listings are over on the TV page for all this weekend’s Six Nations, Super Rugby and MLR action. Till next week enjoy a very tasty weekend ahead!
If you thought last weekend was pretty epic then this one coming up looks to be even better, with the added bonus of the Toronto Arrows getting their MLR campaign underway.
The Six Nations got off to a thrilling start and, despite the weather forecast for this Saturday, provides us two contests of titanic proportions to look forward to. Super Rugby also got underway and threw up plenty of surprises and we were pleased to see relatively healthy crowds in attendance and some very exciting rugby as always on display. Lastly, closer to home Canada’s first foray into professional rugby union gets into its second season as our own Toronto Arrows get their campaign underway in Texas.
In short LOTS to look forward to and plenty of talking points, so here’s what got us agreeing to disagree this week.
Six Nations
Six Nations post a World Cup have often tended to be slightly flat affairs, and this season threatened the same especially given the raft of wholesale changes going on in most of the squads. In reality however, last weekend was one of the best opening weekends we can remember in a while, and this year’s edition looks set to be a classic in the making.
Wales and Italy got us started and although it was a completely one-sided affair in favor of the Men in Red, it was still an entertaining contest. Although Italy didn’t get any points on the board they rarely looked like they were simply lying down and capitulating especially in the second half, despite the 42-0 scoreline. Wales though looked the business from start to finish and of all the six teams, would appear to be head and shoulders above the rest in terms of the favorites tag. Life under new Coach Wayne Pivac seems to be agreeing with them and some of the creativity we felt Wales have always had was finally allowed to run riot. Dan Biggar was clearly the best number ten in the competition so far, but Wales looked the complete package and a highly dangerous one at that. As regular visitors to these musings know we are MASSIVE fans of open side flanker Justin Tipuric, and he did not disappoint in this match as he put in a monumental shift that showcased his exceptional talents – in short one of the best in the business! Leigh Halfpenny also seemed to experience a second coming at fullback, while winger Josh Adams proceeded to cross the whitewash at will and debutant winger Johnny McNicholl adjusted to life at Test level exceptionally well. Given Ireland’s rather disjointed performance against Scotland, Wayne Pivac’s men must surely fancy their chances in Dublin this weekend. With foul weather promised, they may not be as expansive as they were against Italy, but they have a forward pack that is more than capable of slogging it out in the wet and a solid defense ably marshaled by Dan Biggar who is clearly at the top of his game.
Italy seemed to confirm widely held beliefs that they would once again be clasping the wooden spoon this year. After watching France dismantle a rather over rated England side last weekend, Italy must be feeling more than just a little nervous about their trip to the French capital this Sunday. Italy did have a few moments of promising creativity in the second half, but Wales had done so much damage in the first forty that although Italy entertained us at times, they rarely threatened and the Coaching staff will be concerned they left Cardiff without a point to their name. We’re not convinced that the Carlo Canna experiment worked at center and expect to see him returned to the number ten jersey this weekend albeit from the bench. There is some genuine talent in this Italian squad especially in the back line and the back row, but as mentioned last week, we really hope Coach Franco Smith returns second rower Federico Ruzza to the starting lineup for Italy this weekend, as his prowess in broken play off set pieces is a real asset to Italy’s ability to create opportunity when they need it the most.
The contest in Dublin between Ireland and Scotland was a high octane affair, but both sides still suffer from an ability to score tries, which could ultimately leave them both in the middle to the bottom of the pack this year. Scotland fluffed their lines all too often close to the try line, with Captain and fullback Stuart Hogg clearly having the most frustrating moment of the tournament as he knocked the ball on in what was otherwise a gift of a try. What Scotland did show us though was some truly bruising and intense physicality, which before the weekend was supposed to have been the preserve of England according to their Coach Eddie Jones. In many ways it was the weekend of those chosen to wear the number seven jersey, with the representatives of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France in said shirts all having massive performances. Scotland’s Hamish Watson was once again inspirational to his team as a one man wrecking ball and perhaps one of the hardest working individuals in Test Rugby – if you want intensity it doesn’t get much more intense than Watson with a full head of steam. Scotland didn’t seem to miss the presence of fly half Finn Russell too much as Adam Hastings provided them with plenty of creativity and a calm head to boot. For us though it was that Scottish pack which really stood out, they pushed Ireland around in the scrums and in the loose were an absolute nightmare to defend against, as well as shutting down any ideas Ireland had about scoring tries for the most part. England will need to up their game and then some if they are looking to get past a determined Scottish outfit that seems to have no problem giving as good as they get in the physical stakes department in the Murrayfield citadel in the wind and the rain. If Scotland play like they did in Dublin and cut out the errors and play to the conditions well, England could find themselves being very unhappy tourists.
Ireland need to score tries plain and simple if they are really going to get themselves back to their lofty heights of 2018. While the players have all been singing the praises of new Coach Andy Farrell, we saw very little in Ireland’s performance on Saturday that looked dramatically different from last year. Sure they did seem to be willing to try their hand at a degree of creativity that had perhaps been stifled under Farrell’s predecessor Joe Schmidt, but Ireland still for the most part looked predictable and flat. They have an exceptionally talented back line, but it appeared to be standing in the queue at the unemployment office for large periods of the match. Fullback Jordan Larmour was clearly itching to have a go all match but Ireland were rarely able to capitalize on some scintillating counterattacks from deep from the number 15. Fly half Johnny Sexton produced one of the best moments of the match with a trademark Sexton try, but for the rest of the match put in a relatively average performance. His partner scrum half Conor Murray looked flat for much of the game and produced endless box kicks that the Scots appeared to know were coming weeks in advance. There were some epic individual performances from CJ Stander in the back row, Tadgh Furlong in the front row and James Ryan continued in his role as the most reliable second rower Ireland has had since Paul O’Connell. But were we left with the impression that this was a much needed new look Ireland? In short – NO. If Ireland are going to cope with the red hot smoking gun that is Wales this weekend, then they need to make a massive improvement in terms of performance. The weather may or may not be their friend this weekend, but they need to focus as a unit much more, as they are now a collection of talented individuals unsure of what type of game they want to play.
The big talking point of the weekend though was without a doubt the dust up in the rain in Paris. Hello France, who under new Coach Fabien Galthie look exciting, refreshing and ridiculously capable. That first 55 minutes were simply mesmerizing as they handed England a 24-0 deficit. New Captain Charles Ollivon always had the potential for greatness in our opinion and he certainly didn’t disappoint with two fine tries in this match. Gregory Alldritt at number eight produced the kind of performance usually reserved for Welsh flanker Justin Tipuric while second rower Bernard le Roux made the English eat their words about their supposed physical prowess. Antoine Dupont made the point that he is likely to be the scrum half of the tournament despite a moment of sheer folly in the 79th minute, and France’s set of backs delivered and then some. However, this French team of relative youngsters did display that alarming French tendency to throw away a perfectly good lead by taking their foot off the gas. England came back at them through two one man rescue missions delivered by English winger Jonny May, and the final ten minutes were a fraught affair for French supporters who were suddenly getting an alarming sense of deja vu. France managed to hold it together but know they really need to tighten up the final quarter of their game, something that is a recurring deficiency for them, despite a truly world class opening sixty. They have a relatively easy training session with Italy this Sunday to get that right before a VERY challenging trip to Wales.
It was England though who perhaps provided the biggest talking point of the weekend. To say that it was an inept performance by the English in Paris would be putting it mildly. If it hadn’t been for the Superhero solo efforts of winger Jonny May, England would have limped away from Paris as the laughing stock of the Six Nations. Their cause wasn’t helped by the ridiculous rhetoric being spouted about physicality and putting the French to the sword being made by Head Coach Eddie Jones prior to the match. Yes we know that it’s all part of trying to psyche the opposition out these days but Jones idiotic and arrogant soundbites these days are rapidly becoming an embarrassment to both players and supporters alike. There are clearly those who like him and those who don’t, but we have to confess to falling into the latter camp. We are also not convinced of his coaching credentials, especially after his selection choices for this match which remain beyond baffling. England are clearly in danger of becoming the most over hyped team in Test rugby at the moment, especially when you put their 2019 season into perspective. Sure they made a World Cup final, but there’s no denying they didn’t quite show up for it and were utterly out played by South Africa. Yes they beat a poor New Zealand side in the semi-finals, and for the rest of it had a relatively easy path to that fixture in the pool and quarter-final stages – let’s be honest beating Australia in the quarters wasn’t exactly difficult as most teams could have managed it. To top it off they didn’t win the Six Nations last year and other than putting Ireland to the sword weren’t exactly awe inspiring and narrowly avoided some massive embarrassment courtesy of the Scots in the final game of the tournament.
England have enormous talent, make no mistake and even the team that journeyed to Paris would be the envy of most Coaches, were it managed properly. England have a golden opportunity to build towards the next generation with a new crop of young players, something France has clearly embraced with open arms. England has massive problems at scrum half, with Ben Youngs a consistent weak link in the chain and Willi Heinz likely to be well past his sell by date come the next World Cup. England has an extraordinary talent in Alex Dombrandt for the eight jersey yet for reasons best known to himself Eddie Jones decided to take one of the world’s best up and coming open side flankers in Tom Curry and shift him to number eight. England’s entire second and back row looked so unbalanced on Sunday it was almost laughable and France clearly couldn’t believe their good fortune. Owen Farrell continued to stick his head in the sand like some wounded ostrich as things unraveled for England and leadership went out the window as a result. Manu Tuilagi is too predictable at centre and is simply not long-term Test material due to his unfortunate run of luck with persistent injuries, while debutant fullback George Furbank got thrown in at the deep end and failed to rise to the occassion. England found a bit of their mojo once winger Jonny May decided to take matters into his own hands in the 57th minute, but prior to that we really weren’t quite sure where the “greatest ever rugby team in the making” to quote Jones actually was – not in Paris that’s for sure. Our heart goes out to English players and supporters who know they are far better than this and it remains to be seen if Paris was simply a blip on the radar or the beginning of England’s winter of discontent. We fear that their trip to Murrayfield this Saturday in the driving rain and a howling wind and cauldron of fervent Scottish supporters could well be something they might want to forget in a hurry. Jones has remained stubborn once more in his choices and perhaps he really does know something we all don’t, but we’re beginning to wonder if it’s more in the tea leaves than the playbooks.
Super Rugby
The season got off to an entertaining start last weekend, with some notable surprises. Perhaps the biggest talking points were Japan’s Sunwolves unexpected win over Australia’s Rebels and South Africa’s Stormers thrashing of traditional Super Rugby powerhouse New Zealand’s Hurricanes. Meanwhile New Zealand’s Crusaders and Argentina’s Jaguares got comfortable wins over Australia’s Waratahs and South Africa’s Lions respectively.
In the local derbies in each of the respective conferences, there were few surprises in New Zealand as the Chiefs emerged victorious over the Blues while in Australia the Brumbies got the better of the Reds in a feisty and entertaining match. In South Africa, the traditional rivalry between the Bulls and the Sharks provided a match which saw the Sharks the more accomplished side.
As mentioned the big surprise was the Sunwolves shock defeat of the Rebels, especially since the Sunwolves face their final season in Super Rugby with a very depleted squad and very few if any well known names. The Rebels on the other hand brought a Wallaby studded team to Fukouka but really struggled to get any traction against their Japanese hosts in an error strewn performance. The Rebels did manage a comeback in the second half but it wasn’t enough for a bonus point loss, and the Sunwolves now find themselves in the unique position of sitting atop the Australian conference with a bonus point win. Once again what that says about the actual state of Australian rugby is potentially alarming and it remains to be seen how competitive Australian teams will be this year both at Super Rugby and international level, given the continuing turmoil going on in the game at home.
The Stormers got off to a dream start as they eclipsed the Hurricanes 27-0 with Captain Siya Kolisi and scrum half Herschel Jantjies putting in some very impressive performances. Jantjies in particular is a remarkable player and expect to see the 23 year old Springbok lighting up pitches across the globe between now and the next World Cup. One negative of the game was an injury that will see Kolisi miss much of the Stormers regular season but the Stormers certainly don’t look short on talent this year. Despite some very big names in the Hurricanes squad, it was an exceptionally uncharacteristic error strewn performance from them, and it is rare to see such a quality side so utterly outclassed and outplayed. We doubt it will stay that way for long as there is just too much talent in the Hurricanes lineup, but it will certainly have rattled their confidence ahead of a difficult trip to Buenos Aires this Saturday.
The Stormers annihilation of the Hurricanes, wasn’t good enough to see them top the South African conference in the opening weekend, as that honor went to Argentina’s Jaguares. Despite missing a raft of big international stars who have been snapped up by European clubs the Jaguares exciting blend of youth and experience looked very much the finished product as they dismantled South Africa’s Lions in an almost leisurely fashion. They face a sterner test this weekend in theory against a wounded Hurricanes side, but we have a fairly strong hunch that they look set once again to go deep into the tournament this year which also bodes well for the Pumas once their season gets underway later in the year.
In short, despite some initial reservations we thoroughly enjoyed the opening round of this year’s tournament and look forward to plenty more.
Major League Rugby
It’s back, and promises to be even better than last year with 12 teams and a host of international big names added to some of the squads. The Toronto Arrows get their season underway this weekend against Austin Herd and both times these teams met each other last year Toronto came out on top. We expect more of the same this weekend, barring opening night nerves from both teams, and it should give Toronto some much needed confidence for their encounter with two times MLR defending champions the Seattle Seawolves in two weeks time. Just like last year Toronto will play their first 7 games on the road before returning to Toronto for an extended run of home games to accommodate Toronto’s inclement winter weather in February and March. TSN has the broadcast rights, so coverage of the games will be so much more consistent and better quality than last year, and we can’t wait for it all to get underway.
The Lineout 