Tag: Rugby

All Blacks Issue World Cup Warning

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The 2015 World Cup final will be held at Twickenham on the 31st of October in front of close to 90,000 people.  If the weekend’s matchup was a test run, the All Blacks passed with distinction; the English faltered.

Despite a fast start, a one man advantage mid way through the second half, and the benefit of a dubious penalty try, the English were clearly second best.  They have done little to suggest they have improved since their mid year trip to New Zealand;  the gap between the sides remains, and in actual fact is larger than the three point winning margin suggests.

England’s unsettled midfield combination and their inability to find points in the second half was a telling difference between the two sides in the difficult Autumn rain.  Ultimately the side with 400 more test caps than the other utilised their superior skills to take the spoils.

The All Blacks who had woes of their own, namely their goal-kicking, once again showed just how difficult they are to beat.  Led by the heroic Richie McCaw the All Blacks have an uncanny knack of staying calm even under the most intense pressure, and still escaping with victories.  Knowing how to win, is jut as important at not knowing how to lose; the All Blacks are quite simply better than any other International rugby team (probably in history) at it.

The win did not always appear to be on course.  Johnny May streaked past Conrad Smith and Israel Dagg in rather embarrassing (for the All Blacks pair anyway) fashion to give England the perfect start.  With Owen Farrell also contributing points with the boot, the English took a surprising lead to the break and the Twickenham vocal chords were in full, hopeful voice.

The second half was a different story.  The All Blacks gave England next to no ball and ran in tries to captain McAwesome and Charlie Famine.  At 24-14 there was only ever going to be one winner.  England late penalty try was merely consolation.

McCaw was New Zealand’s best player, followed by Kieran Read, Jerome Kaino, Sam Whitlock and Aaron Smith.  While, Cruden’s and Barrett’s kicking yips should see Daniel Carter start next week against Scotland, along with a number of other rotation policy changes.

England’s coach Stuart Lancaster remained optimistic about his side’s World Cup chances.  He can rightly take heart in the work of his teams line-out and scrum.

The 2015 World Cup form guide will again be getting a workout with Internationals that pit England against South Africa, and New Zealand against Scotland.  Time is running out for teams to build confidence, and send warning shots, especially to the All Blacks.

Wallabies End Hellish Week With Bledisloe Cup Defeat

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After a week of disruptive media attention and allegations of a divisive leadership group, the Wallabies almost pulled off the unthinkable against the All Blacks in Brisbane.  As it transpired, Colin Slade’s last minute conversion (atoning for an earlier error in failing to find touch) was enough to separate the teams after a fast paced Bledisloe Cup classic.

The Houdini act was enough to prevent the AB’s from losing two tests in a row for the first time since 2011, but it doesn’t paint the full picture of last nights action, or in reality the deserving winner.  The Wallabies played with energy, endeavour and a collective spirit that wasn’t inherently obvious leading into the game.  The finish was cruel and scant reward for the Wallabies who are struggling to close out games after recent second half losses to the Pumas and Springboks too.  They did however prove they will be a threat at next years World Cup by implementing a more ambitious game plan.  The game plan involved keeping hold of possession for long passages of play, and adding plenty of width to their play when given the chance.  Much like the Springboks did against NZ in Johannesburg, the Wallabies played at pace, refused shots at goal, and attacked the breakdown with plenty of assertiveness.

The game appeared to be headed in the expected direction when Cory Jane and Dane Coles tries cancelled out Nick Phipps’ opening effort.  However the Wallabies pressed hard before halftime to take a small lead into the second half and accelerated immediately after.  Adam Ashley-Cooper capped off his 100th game by scoring an easy try that up to five Australians were in a position to score, and at that point it appeared the All Blacks’ lack of attacking ingenuity would ultimately prove their downfall.

The comeback was eventually sparked by lock Patrick Tuipulotu’s sin-binning.  The AB’s gained confidence and momentum to firstly close the gap thanks to Aaron Smith’s quick thinking try, and later put themselves in a position to win on the back of a 80 minute Fekitoa try.

The win again proves the self-belief within the All Blacks set-up; they just don’t know how to lose.  For the Bledisloe Cup holders, Aaron Smith was tremendous even with his forward pack going backwards; Brodie Retallick was industrious; and Richie McCaw his thieving self in a below par All Blacks performance.  As a team they fell off too many tackles, coughed up too much ball, and generally lacked attacking intent.  One positive, was the opportunity to to give members of their squad some important game time in a pressure situation.

The much-improved Wallabies will take heart from the defeat.  They were the better team for most of the game.  Individually, Bernard Foley was solid, James Slipper overcame some scrum woes to be ever-present around the park, and Falou and Kuridrani dangerous every time they touched the ball.  They won’t, however, take a coach away from the defeat; coach Ewen McKenzie quit on the morning of the game.

International Rugby Preview

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Self-imploding Wallaby teams are nothing new. Quade Cooper has previously done his best to unsettle the national team; James O’Connor in the past too has brought it on himself to provide tabloid fuel.  This time though the train-wreck driver is the insidious Kurtley Beale. Beale’s recent indiscretions (and not so recent txts’s) have made the Wallabies task on Saturday night, when International Rugby returns with the third Bledisloe Cup match against the All Blacks, that much harder.

The All Blacks are not without their own challenges however. Aaron Cruden’s sleep-in continues to stop him from taking up his usual place at first five-eighth, and the side lost their last outing in Johannesburg. We don’t get many chances to watch the All Blacks respond to losing so Brisbane’s test, despite being a dead rubber, should still make for gripping viewing.

The All Blacks followed through on their promise to tinker with their line up; making five changes to the side that lost the final match of the Rugby Championship.   Liam Messam, Brodie Retallick, Wyatt Crockett and Dane Coles return to starting roles with Patrick Tuipulotu on the bench. Cory Jane is the only new face in the backline, replacing the rested Ben Smith.   Of the changes, Liam Messam’s elevation is the most exciting; the team lacked speed and aggression in South Africa, and Messam’s presence and awareness could exploit the Wallabies. Jane’s inclusion is an opportunity for the aging wing to prove he is still a viable wing option; many would argue otherwise.

The Wallabies will use Adam Ashley-Cooper’s 100th game as motivation for toppling the AB’s. The long serving outside back will become just the 6th player to reach the milestone. Ashley-Coopers uncomplicated game will serve the Wallabies well in Brisbane allowing flair players such as Israel Folau and Tevita Kuridrani to thrive.

On form the All Blacks will expect to win. Experimentation aside, it’s difficult to find any reason to back Australia. A dry Brisbane track suits NZ’s (and Julian Savea’s) running game, and the Wallabies will have exhausted a lot of energy in dealing with the media so extensively this week.

All Blacks by 20.

The Teams

WALLABIES TEAM: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Christian Leali’ifano, Joe Tomane, Bernard Foley, Nick Phipps; Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper (capt), Scott Fardy, Rob Simmons, Sekope Kepu, Saia Fainga’a, James Slipper.

Reserves: Josh Mann-Rae, Benn Robinson, Ben Alexander, James Horwill, Matt Hodgson, Nic White, Quade Cooper, Rob Horne.

ALL BLACKS: Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Malakai Fekitoa, Julian Savea, Beauden Barrett, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (c), Liam Messam, Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick, Owen Franks, Dane Coles, Wyatt Crockett.

Reserves: Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks, Charlie Faumuina, Patrick Tuipulotu, Sam Cane, TJ Perenara, Colin Slade, Charles Piutau 

Top Picks

New Zealand by 21-25 – $11 – Tom Waterhouse

First Scoring Play a NZ Try – $4.50 – Sportsbet

First Try Scorer Julian Savea – $7.50 – TAB