England arrive home empty-handed whilst the Boks take care of their new trophy ...

The South Africans have arrived home in Jo'burg with the cup, whilst the English landed back in Blighty after a night on the tiles drowning their sorrows.

Ol' JW looks positively chipper!

What's worse than losing a RWC Quarter-Final?

Losing the Final :-)

The English media provide some interesting perspectives on the RWC Final, but I'm glad The Times has reported support given to Australian video referee Stuart Dickinson by the IRB international referees manager.

From timesonline.co.uk:

The international refereeing chief said last night that the television match official had made an “absolutely brilliant decision” in disallowing England wing Mark Cueto’s second-half “try” in the World Cup final.

Stuart Dickinson, the Australian television match official, consulted replays for about three minutes before ruling that the touchdown by Cueto at the start of the second half should not stand because he had put a foot in touch. South Africa were leading 9-3 at the time.

Paddy O’Brien, the referees manager for the International Rugby Board, said: “It was an absolutely brilliant decision by the television match official, and there is a great photo of his [Cueto’s] foot just on the line prior to grounding the ball. There is no issue, there is no doubt. People may criticise officials for taking time, but it is better that it is correct.”

Cueto reckons he scored it and is quoted as saying he will declare it to all and sundry a legitimate try. You do that Mark! The English fans are crying foul and I have to say I love it :-D. To all those English fans who carried on about the All Blacks' supporters after the French try-creating forward pass can suck it up, just like the Kiwis had to :-D

And the 2007 World Champions are ... South Africa!

The Springboks have emerged victorious after a try-less match against England.

The match came down to a penalty-kicking battle between Percy Montgomery and Jonny Wilkinson, with the former coming off the better. JW also made two unsuccessful attempts at drop goals -(the scourge of rugby union :-)).

A try to England's Mark Cueto was disallowed by the Australian video referee when Cueto was judged to have been in touch when the ball went down. I wonder how the English fans will respond to this, especially after the grief they gave unhappy All Blacks' fans over the truly forward pass in their match against the French :-D ? There was much defending of the referee etc etc ... I bet the same defence is not given to the Australian ref (who is undoubtedly right anyway :-D).

How did South Africa do it? They had fewer injuries throughout the competition, kept key players rested during the Tri Nations (to which they sent an arguably 2nd-string team), played consistently well, and tightened up their discipline when it counted. They had a dream run through the knockout rounds once the All Blacks bit the dust against the French. They deserved to win, being a better team both on paper and on the field.

So, congratulations South Africa and thank you for bringing the cup back down south (where it belongs ;-D).

Commiserations England - we Australians know what it feels like - but look forward to 2011 in New Zealand.

RSA 15 - Eng 6

The big event is almost upon us ... the Final of the Rugby World Cup 2007

The pinnacle of all this rugger playing is finally here - the Final between South Africa and England.

The Springboks will need to be tightly drilled and very disciplined - their captain Smit admitted it himself today in the international media. The English try to stop their opponents playing rugby. They like to see them make errors so JW can score penalties. The Boks will need to play the most disciplined game of their lives to win. Once JW gets the ball his kicking boot takes over.

May the best team win.

The Argies win the bronze!

The Argentinians have defeated the French in a spirited match at Parc des Princes in Paris. The scored 5 tries to France's one, and showed they are as good in the backs as they are in the forwards.

This is the best ever result for the South American side - well done! I vote that the Argies be allowed to join an expanded Tri Nations competition.

Ole!

Arg 34 - Fra 10

Lining up for the bronze medal round: France v Argentina

The teams have been announced; all that's left is the match.

Can the French salvage their pride with a win at Parc des Princes on Friday, or will the Argentinians finish on a high with their best ever performance at the RWC?

I'm a bit torn on this one as I like both teams. So, I shall simply enjoy seeing the match unfold and the result created. Viva Rugby!

The Bokke carry the hopes of the Southern Hemisphere ...

The Springboks did what was expected - crushed the spirits of a spirited Argentinian side in the 2nd Semi Final. Well done Argentina - it'd be great to see you in a Four Nations competition very soon!

I was at my Pilates class last night and one of my pals laughingly suggested inciting the fans at the Final into some biffo. He also wants to see an all-in brawl on the pitch! With the bitey Boks and the fat English forwards it could be on :-D

I want the Boks to win (go Southern Hemisphere), however I suspect the English will do it off the back of JW kicking penalties - the Boks are not the most disciplined of teams and their forwards are notorious for their biffo. The South Africans need to be tight and well drilled, and not get carried away into putting the boot in. I predict a couple of send-offs!

On another note, the young English fans on sites such as Facebook have become ugly in their online behaviour. It makes me laugh that public schoolboys from Harrow and Rugby Schools etc are so proficient in profanity. I'm sure their parents are paying for a different type of education ;-D I taught in a boys' school many years ago and I know what teenage boys can be like; however, some of these boys on Facebook are just plain toffy-nosed gits.

By all means be proud of your team's accomplishments, and engage in cheerful, teasing banter to irritate your South African pals at work etc, but be a supporter not a foul-mouthed, dim-witted hooligan.

That's what soccer (sorry, football) is for.

Drat those French ... NOW who am I going to go for?

I can't bring myself to barrack for JW and the English in the Final. I'm sorry English readers, as a die-hard Wallaby supporter, with a thing for a certain All Black, I'm left with South Africa as my Southern Hemisphere team - aaagggh! It feels so unnatural!

The silly Frogs got themselves beat by JW and his damned kicking boot. I HATE DROP GOALS! Bloody Jonny should join the English soccer team. The French were winning 9 - 8 with 5 minutes to go, and then JW kicked a penalty and a drop goal with virtually seconds to spare.

William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it all those years ago. This is how he invented rugby!

What does a rugby fan do when she has no teams left to support in the RWC? Get her beauty sleep!

Refereeing at the Rugby World Cup

The IRB has come out with a statement today in support of the referees appointed to oversee the knockout stages of the RWC. This is in response to criticism of Wayne Barnes' refereeing of the France v NZ match, notably the missed forward pass that lead to a French try in the 2nd half.

I happen to think he wasn't that bad - I've certainly seen worse reffing over the years. Certainly, if I was a Kiwi I'd be cheesed about that forward pass, and I'm not sure why the video ref didn't disallow the points given he can access replays during the game ....

Anyway, the IRB aren't backing down and the Frogs are in the Semis ... nice for TV ratings en France!

Hmmm.

Fiji take it to the Springboks, and Argentina defeat Scotland to secure their semi place.

Fiji played with dash and flair in their match against South Africa. Despite the 37 - 20 scoreline the Fijians really took it to the South Africans and had them rattled. The Fijians scored two tries whilst one of their players was in the sin-bin - how's that for determination?

Some ill-discipline worked against them, especially in the 2nd half; however, this 2nd tier rugby nation showed they could match it with a rugby giant. Well done little islander brothers!

Argentina defeated an inexperienced Scottish team 19 - 13 in a closely faught match. The Scottish team is young but shows potential - watch them with interest in the next Six Nations tournament. Argentina will play South Africa in the second semi-final.

I'm barracking for France and for Argentina :-)

Out go the ANZACs, defeated by Poms and Frogs ... aaaggh!

This morning (or should I call it afternoon? Given I got up for the second time at 1.30pm today after watching both quarter-finals, it feels like morning to me) I am both frustrated and speechless: frustrated by the Wallabies and rendered speechless by the All Blacks. What an event is this Rugby World Cup!

The English deserved to win their match against Australia (there, I've said it): the Wallabies were ill-disciplined and flabby against an urgent and attacking English side. The scrums were a travesty on both sides (how many scrum re-sets did we have to endure, huh? Set the bloody thing and don't collapse it, bozos!) and the Australians' ball-handling skills were flawed and careless. So many dropped balls out wide. Lote's try was a thrill; however, too many penalties allowed JW to put the points on the board and Sterling's missed kicks at goal sealed the deal. The Australians lost the match because of poor play and that's really really annoying!

Full credit to the English - they obviously wanted it more and played like a team out to show their critics they were up to defending their crown. They lifted over the last week and played like a well-drilled machine. I still can't stand Jonny Wilkinson though - lay the egg and get on with it!

The All Blacks' match against the French is another story: why do the New Zealanders choke in the World Cup?? They don't choke in the Bledisloe or the Tri Nations ... why in this competition? Why? Why?

This was their event for the winning. The best team in the world and a flawless run through the pool rounds. Their first half was immaculate. They played tight, disciplined, fearsome rugby and made several attacks on the French line. Their ball-handling was perfect and they moved the ball around quickly and precisely. At half-time they seemed unbeatable at 13 - 3.

In the second half it was if the two teams had swapped jerseys. The French regrouped and ground down the All Blacks' resolve. McAlister was sent off for ten minutes for blocking, and the beginnings of what could be called rot set in. A try set up by late ring-in Michalak (passing it on to Jauzion to score) came of what appeared to be a forward pass but it did its job - the French could see the door was open. Dan and Byron came off injured in the second half and the panic set in. Despite a determined effort by the men in black to drive the ball over (the forwards would be knackered - they made several attempts at scrummaging the ball over the line, and did in fact score another try) our little ANZAC brothers couldn't keep the Frogs out. A last minute penalty from the French and Les Bleus secured a spot against England in the Semis.

So my tipping for the Semis is now 50% wrong and we're left with the Frogs and the Poms to fight it out next week - I'm practising my 2nd language even harder now - Vivent Les Bleus! I cannot bear the thought of the English winning the RWC for a 2nd time as they'll bloody beatify them and then eract statues and rename the English counties after each of the players. Yuck. The spectacle of the French side playing in Paris to contest the Final is much more attractive.

Who will they play? God knows! If the next two quarters play out like the first two the Fijians will win by 30 and the Scots by 50! Every Australian should be made to barrack for Fiji this evening - not hard, they're a super team and deserving of their large fan base. Plus, the team I absolutely hate the most are the South Africans. The Argentinians will make it a cinderella story if they make it through to the Finals ... imagine the Falkland Wars II should the English be their foe .....

Bah! Go Fiji! Go Argentina! Go France!

The pool rounds are over ... and now the real fun begins!

Eight teams are through to the Quarter Finals and the real fun of the RWC begins ... the knockout rounds.

Australia have their chance to avenge their loss to England in 2003, the French face the All Black juggernaut, the Fijians have caused the upset of the tournament (to face the Springboks), and Argentina lines up against the Scots.

I'm excited for Fiji; they'll be thrilled with their Quarter Final spot even though they face a seemingly ascendant South Africa. Let's hope they give the 'Boks the same drubbing they gave Wales ;-) [Good luck Greg :-)]

Argentina have presented a very strong case for inclusion in an expanded Tri Nations by finishing top of their pool. I predict a Semi Final spot for them.

After a few weeks of reading the rugby results rather than staying up all night to watch the matches, now I start the alarm-clock setting and sleeping in. Thank goodness I'm on 2 weeks holidays. I have a hen's day to attend on the 6th - perfect reason to stay up even later to watch the Wallabies play the English :-) I'll be at the chic Loft Bar in Sydney, in a posh frock - Chic Rugby to the max :-)

England defeat Tonga and line themselves up against a Wallaby team ready for revenge :-)

The Tongans played very well against the English to go down 36 - 20. The Poms secured their place in the Quarter-Finals with some room to spare, but the Tongans were not disgraced and were praised by their opposition for their strong play and natural ability.

The Australians now have the chance to avenge their defeat against the English in the 2003 World Cup Final. It will be a close game, especially with Jonny "I'm a pain' Wilkinson finding kicking form. Zut alors!

The All Blacks line up against the Romanians shortly, with the Australians versus the Canadians a couple of hours later. By tomorrow morning the 8 teams to play the Quarters will be decided and then the really tough stuff begins :-)

Go Australia!

Looking into a crystal ball … who will play in the RWC Final?

Chic Rugby has been trying to predict who will play in the RWC Final. Here’s how things stand with the upcoming knock-out rounds:

Australia will play either Tonga or England in QF 1 – I’d like it to be Tonga but I think it will be England.

New Zealand will probably play France in QF 2 (unless the Argentineans lose against the Irish this weekend).

South Africa will play Wales or Fiji in QF 3 – will probably be Wales (go Fiji!).

Argentina (unless they lose against the Irish) will play Scotland or Italy (most likely Scotland?) in QF 4.

When we get to this level it’s a little harder to pick winners than it is in the pool rounds. However, based on how they’ve played to date I’m predicting that the Irishmen and the Italians will lose in their matches this weekend, leaving us with 4 Southern Hemisphere teams playing 4 Northern Hemisphere teams (gee I’d love the Tongans and the Fijians to win – make it 6 Southern Hemisphere teams in the Quarters …).

Now, should things go the way they seemingly ought, Semi-Final 2 will be played between South Africa and Argentina. If the Wallabies win against England/Tonga this will pitch us against the All Blacks in Semi-Final 1. This will mean a Southern Hemisphere Semi-Final round and a Southern Hemisphere Final.

Now, we’ve been in this place before. Many times Australia and NZ end up clashing in the Semis … the smart money seems to be on the All Blacks to keep it together this time and not bottle out as they’re wont to do. So, should they win against the Australians, they’ll play South Africa in the Final …. except I’d love it if it were Argentina :-)

And, then it’s obvious for whom one should barrack. As an Australian I will cheer for our ANZAC buddies the All Blacks over the South Africans … can’t stand the Springboks and I love Dan Carter. Easy!

Go the Wallabies (and Tonga)!

A mixed bag of results ... and Chic Rugby is coming 2nd in her tipping group - still.

Who'd have thought the Canadians would tie with the Japanese?

Not Chic Rugby and hence her performance in her Facebook tipping competition isn't so hot this week. I'm 6 points behind my pal Reece, because I didn't pick a 12-all tie between the Canucks and the Cherry Blossoms. Grrr.

In other games the Samoans beat the USA for their first win of the RWC, the Georgians thrashed Namibia 30 nil and the Romanians just beat the Portuguese (picked that one - phew!).

The next match of interest will be the Poms against the Tongans. I've picked the English to win but not by much (less than 12 points). We'll see.

Not much longer now - 7 matches - til the knock-out rounds begin. Australia will most likely play England in the Quarters, unless the Tongans beat them, and then we'll play the Tongans instead!

Go Tonga!

Wales and France victorious, and the poor Irish and Japanese vanquished.

The men in green went down to the French 25 - 3 in Saint-Denis. Apparently the Irish played a dispirited and disjointed game and conceded 11 penalties, 5 of which the French successfully converted into points. Les Bleus will be relieved and their passage now through to the quarters is assured with their last match to be against the Georgians on the 26th.

The Welsh crushed my minnow faves the Cherry Blossoms 72 -18. The Dragons enjoyed the home-ground advantage playing in Cardiff; however, the Japanese made an impressive 138 tackles, so they didn't go down without a fight. In fact, at half-time, they only trailed 29 - 11. I love the Cherry Blossoms - they know they're not in the big leagues but they play with heart and passion. They're cute too :-)

Their match against Canada will be the last chance we'll have to see them play in the Cup. Go Japan!

Australia wins, the French find form again, and the English look like their days are numbered ...

Lots has happened at the RWC since ChicRugby's last post. Apologies to readers but CR's been busy at work.

The Australians defeated the Welsh in a spirited game. Alas, I only caught the highlights (I fell asleep ... damn this time difference), but from what I saw the Australians played well with scope for further improvement. Stephen Larkham thinks he'll be fit to play in the semis, so let's hope the quarters are kind to the Wallabies so we can enjoy him back on the pitch. Berrick Barnes, the baby of the Australians, played a fantastic game, with a lightening fast pass to Matt Giteau to score under the goal-posts. He also nicely emulated Jonny Wilkinson by kicking a field-goal. I'd love it if we met them in the quarters and he did the same thing to win. Karma can be sweet!

Australia 32 - Wales 20

The English met the Springboks and quivered in their presence. By some accounts, even though JW looks set to return for their match against Samoa, the English are all over the place. It will be a tough game for the English as the Samoans are very physical players. Expect to see more Poms taken off on stretchers.

Other results in games are:

Fiji 29 - Can 16 in Cardiff
Samoa 15 - Tonga 19 in Montpellier
France 87 - Namibia 10 in Toulouse (thanks for coming Namibia - ouch!)
Scotland 42 - Romania 0 in Edinburgh (another poor little minnow)

The French seem to have found form again, this time against Namibia. Easy beats but very physical. The French next play Ireland in what will be a fantastic game. The Irish played very well in the 6 Nations - however, they have been known to bottle when they play away from Lansdowne Road in Dublin. Nevertheless, I'm barracking for the men in green.

So much rugby! So little time to read and watch and report on it all.

Gotta do some work now.

South Africa dominate the English ... and Australia really needs to beat Wales!

The Springboks have kept the English from scoring in a match that saw the World Cup champions lose several key players through injury. I've not seen the 'Boks play as well in quite a while; their defences were rock solid and their attack formidable.

The English were without Mr 'I can kick field goals' Wilkinson as he is still injured. It's unlikely we'll see him now until the quarters, as they're unlikely to play him in the matches against the Tongans or the Samoans. Those islander bros are very physical players and the last thing he needs is to get belted and taken off!

The pressure is now on the Australians and the Welsh as neither will want to play South Africa in the quarters. The Welsh will have the hometown advantage in Cardiff; all those locals singing their hearts out in one of the most atmospheric stadiums rugby can provide.

With uncertainty now surrounding Stephen Larkham and his knee, our boys have a job ahead of them.

Oh, go Australia!

RSA 36 - Eng 0

Love this article from IHT's Peter Berlin

Here are some snippets - read the full article here.

While "small" teams fight hard in 2007 World Cup, contenders were counting their wounded and missing By Peter Berlin
Thursday, September 13, 2007

PARIS - While the supporting cast enlivened the World Cup with a series of hard-fought midweek encounters, the tournament contenders were counting their wounded and missing as they prepared to return to action.

Indeed, in the two heavyweight clashes of the weekend, winning might not be as important as avoiding further casualties.

South Africa and England, which will meet Friday in Saint-Denis, both started the tournament with injury problems. After one match, both have lost one player to injury and another to suspension.

Australia, which faces Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, has lost one back, Mark Gerrard, who ruptured a knee ligament in the opening game. Even one such injury per match represents a rate of attrition that would cripple any team over the length of the World Cup. But Australia may also be without Adam Ashley-Cooper on Saturday after the winger damaged a toe against Japan.

...

All four will make the last eight if they beat the less established but potentially dangerous teams in their groups. That is why they need to avoid too many more injuries. For Wales ... and Australia that means Fiji. For England ... it is the two other Polynesian teams, Tonga and, particularly, Samoa. For the Springboks ... that is only Tonga.

If they all advance, this quartet of seeds will face each other in the last eight, so all they are doing this weekend is sorting out who plays whom.

The Welsh would probably prefer to win the group and play their quarterfinal in Cardiff. The Wallabies would doubtless like to avoid the Springboks while the English would probably prefer to avoid the Australians. The Springboks are probably indifferent. What makes the equation more complicated for Australia is that if it wins the group it would be seeded to meet New Zealand in the semifinals.

These are ancient adversaries ...

...

England's injuries, meanwhile, seem only to highlight its lack of depth at key positions. Both its specialist flyhalves, Jonny Wilkinson and now Olly Barkley, one of the few successes in the opening game, have suffered training injuries.

...

The weekend schedule does allow other contenders to rest players.

New Zealand, the great black whale, has changed almost its whole team for its encounter with the World Cup plankton, Portugal. France has opted to do the same, even though, after its opening defeat, it desperately needs an emphatic victory over Namibia on Sunday night.

The robust Namibians gave Ireland a torrid time in the opening game. That game was followed by the now traditional stories that Brian O'Driscoll ... had suffered yet another injury. This has been going on so long that there are those who believe that O'Driscoll's first injury came when he pulled a muscle rowing St. Patrick's coracle over from Wales.

The Irish can expect another tough test against the Georgians, whom Marcelo Loffreda, the Argentine coach, repeatedly praised for their hardness after the Pumas beat them on Tuesday.

Georgia and Namibia are both hulking teams and both exploit that fact. They play with the ostentatious disregard for their own well-being that is one of the minnow's few weapons against far better teams. For the leading nations, the collective desire to win can be clouded by individual fears of missing the later rounds injured.

Yet the smaller teams also have an eye on strategic objectives of their own. The Georgians have made it plain that their chief objective this time is to finally win a World Cup game. They are quite open about which one it is: the meeting with Namibia on Sept. 26. That rather begs the question of whether it is wise for Namibians and Georgians to be prepared to leave their limbs strewn all over the field as they lose to France and Ireland.

For all the teams in action this weekend, the injury tally could be as significant as the score.

No big surprises in the latest matches at the RWC.

The Tongans, Fijians and Italians all defeated their oppositions in the latest games in the RWC.

The Fijians faced an especially tough and spirited Japan in their match. A good game for these two minnow nations.

Gotta love the hair on this Tongan player!

	USA	15-25	TGA		Montpellier
	JPN	31-35	FJI		Toulouse
	ITA	24-18	ROM		Marseille