RWC 2015 - England Under Pressure

9 days have passed since the 2015 Rugby World Cup started and the tournament so far has lived up to all the hype. When I last wrote about action in the tournament, I was talking about last Saturday’s shock win for Japan over South Africa plus the other games that took place on that day. There has been a lot of rugby since then to talk about. I will go through the games in chronological order and give some thoughts on them.

Sunday 20^th September started off with Samoa versus USA – two teams that had played each other in the recent Pacific Nations Cup (with Samoa winning 16-21). The two teams before this contest had played each other 4 times, with Samoa winning all 4 games but by a slim margin (never by more than 7 points I believe). The game was entertaining enough but riddled with errors on both sides. USA looked handy enough at times but it was obvious Samoa were the better team and won 25-16 – their highest winning margin against the USA to date. Wales then kicked off their World Cup campaign against Uruguay. I didn’t give much hope to Uruguay in this one and even when they took an early lead through a couple of penalties, I didn’t see it lasting. Sure enough it didn’t. Wales scored 8 tries in this one-sided victory. I’m sure it could have been more as well. The final game of Sunday was the biggest clash in Pool C, New Zealand v Argentina. The game set a new record for highest attendance for a game at a Rugby World Cup (89,019). I missed some of this game but from what I saw, it looked as though Argentina gave the All Blacks a good game – they even went in at half time in front 12-13. New Zealand won 26-16 though denying Argentina a losing bonus point they arguably deserved. One further point from this game – I heard one of the commentators say that this was the first time New Zealand had failed to get a bonus point win in a pool stage game. Amazing record to have had, but if accurate, it is now over.

There was then a 2 day break where the opening weekend was chewed over a lot before the action resumed. Wednesday 23^rd offered up 3 matches, all of which were very interesting. The day started in Gloucester with Scotland opening up their campaign against the previous weekend’s heroes, Japan. There was some chat before the game about how Japan only had a 4 day turn around between games and whether that would come back to bite them (both physically and mentally). Regardless of this though, after their win against the 2 time world champions, you couldn’t write them off. Japan dominated the first half pretty much, with Scotland on the back foot. When they did attack though, they made it count, with Greg Laidlaw looking very sharp scoring 4 penalties. Japan on the other hand were on the attack a lot but only had one try to show for it. Scotland almost got a try just before half time but a magnificent tackle from a Japanese wing prevented the try from being scored. Half time was 12-7 to Scotland and before the game, Eddie Jones had said if Japan were still in the game, they would come back and win it. With 5 points separating the teams, you had to wonder if this would happen. The first score of the second half went to Japan thanks to a penalty. From this point on though, it was all one way traffic. Scotland waited for their opportunity to strike and took it well. Not long after the Japan penalty, Scotland scored a try. As the half rumbled on, they scored another 4 tries. Japan looked dead on their feet during the second half, proving that they just couldn’t handle the 4 day turnaround between games. Credit where it is due for both teams though, as this was a really good game of rugby. Full time score was 45-10 to Scotland.

The day’s other games were Australia v Fiji and France v Romania. I think deep down I had hoped for an upset in one of these games but realistically knew it wasn’t going to happen (that Japan win has thrown me through a loop with how I think games will end). Due to the timing of the game, I missed the bulk of the first half of Australia/Fiji as I was at work and then travelling home from work. Fiji looked pretty good against the Wallabies, but it was clear who the stronger team were. That said, Fiji did manage to frustrate Australia in the second half. Australia won 28-13 but did not pick up a bonus point win – in Pool A, which could be crucial. Speaking of teams being frustrated, France were by Romania at times. They picked up a bonus point win, which probably doesn’t come as much of a shock, but Romania really caused them problems at times. They also looked pretty solid at the lineout and scrum – a good platform to build off of. I’m not sure if it was Romania tiring or France stepping up a gear (or both), but 3 second half tries confirmed the bonus point for them in a 38-11 win.

Thursday saw New Zealand field a weakened (!) team against Namibia. 1^st in the world vs 20^th – this one was pretty much an open and shut case – the All Blacks would win. Win they did as well, 58-14. I didn’t see the game but I was told Namibia actually did quite well at times and deserved their try. Richie McCaw came on and broke another record, most appearances for an All Black at a Rugby World Cup. It is going to take some player to break the records he has set. Friday saw Pool C opponents Argentina take on Georgia. At half time it was 14-9, and Georgia were looking alright and deserved to be close to Argentina. In the second half however, disaster struck. Their captain and talisman, Mamuka Gorgodze got sent to the sin bin. In the 10 minutes he was off the pitch, Georgia shipped 21 points. When he came back, Georgia were defeated and Argentina had their tails up. They secured a bonus point and won the game 54-9.

It was at this point we arrived at the second weekend of the Rugby World Cup. There were 3 games scheduled for yesterday – Italy versus Canada, South Africa versus Samoa and then the headline act – England versus Wales. Italy against Canada was going to be an interesting one. I suspect neither team will qualify from the pool but both teams would want to win this game as they don’t tend to win many games. Canada held their own throughout the game, and caused Italy a few scares at times. In the end though, it was 2 kicks which separated the two teams on the scoreboard with Italy winning 23-18. South Africa versus Samoa was going to be an interesting clash on the grounds that it really could have gone either way. Pre-tournament, I would have said South Africa without hesitation but after the Japan game, I had to give it some more thought. Samoa would go into this game hoping for a win anyway, but after the result the weekend before, I reckon belief would have soared in the Samoa camp. They however needed to turn up and play their absolute best as South Africa would be looking to strike back with a vengeance. I think it is fair to say that on reflection, Samoa didn’t play their best. I don’t think South Africa did either but I also don’t think they needed to. South Africa won 46-6 and it could have been more if their kicking stats were better. Samoa will be disappointed with this result for sure. They did however set a new first, having 3 brothers from the same family on the pitch at the same time – Ken, George and Tusi Pisi made history at this World Cup.

England versus Wales – what can I possibly say to describe how big this match was. The biggest between the two teams? Arguably. There was a lot of chat in the build-up about team selection. It started with the news that Ben Morgan and Jonathan Joseph were injured and would miss the game. It was obvious that Billy Vunipola would step in at No.8. What wasn’t obvious though was what the centre partnership would be. It was leaked in the week that Farrell would start at 10 ahead of George Ford and the centre partnership would be Burgess at 12, Barritt at 13 – another new centre partnership under Stuart Lancaster for England. I wasn’t happy with this team change – given the options, I would have started with Burgess or Barritt at 12 (probably Barritt), and Slade at 13. I’d also have preferred Ford to Farrell, but I understand why Farrell was picked. Going into the game, I suspected Wales would win. I thought it would be close, but I just didn’t see this England team being good enough to beat Wales. It should go without saying, but despite my opposition to the selection changes, I would still back the team 100%, whatever the result.

I hate being right. The first half was an even affair which I would say England edged. England conceded a few sloppy penalties which Dan Biggar had no trouble punishing England for. Farrell also looked good from the kicking tee and scored a drop goal. England’s only try came in the first half for Jonny May who was on the end of a well worked move. 16-9 and half time, and I found myself believing it was possible that a win would come. I had concerns about the partnership of Burgess and Barritt but up to this point, they had played well (and only been found out once). The second half started and again, England’s discipline was poor. Wales again did not hesitate to punish them. England were 10 points up on two separate occasions, but continued to concede penalties and Wales remained within 7. At one point they were within 4 until Wales conceded a pen and England were back in front by 7. It was 25-18 to England when a defensive lapse occurred (Watson and Barritt the main culprits for England) and Wales scored a try under the posts which was then converted. England then conceded a penalty for not releasing about 50 metres from the posts. Biggar proved that Wales were not missing Halfpenny by slotting the kick and giving Wales the 25-28 lead which would be the final score. It however could have been different but for one decision by Robshaw. Right towards the end of the game, in the Wales 22, England are awarded a penalty by the touch line. Instead of going for posts and hopefully securing a draw, the call is made to kick to the corner. The subsequent lineout is secured but the players could not form a driving maul and instead, Wales put them into touch. At this point, it was game over. It could be said that Wales wanted the win more, but my view of the game is that England generally played well enough to win, as did Wales. England’s biggest fault was they conceded too many penalties and allowed Wales to remain in the game. Of course, questions will be asked of Robshaw for that penalty call. Was he thinking of the Japan game? Did he think any kick would be too difficult to make? Did he think a draw would not be enough? These questions and more will be asked of him. But bigger questions need to be asked of the whole team, especially if they have an early exit in a fortnight. Wales suffered heavily though with this win, with two players stretchered off and another going off with what looked like a dislocated shoulder. You never want to see that and I hope the players all make a quick recovery.

What is the state of play then, just over a week in?

Pool A – Australia are top, having just beat Uruguay 65-3. They are on 9 points. . Wales are currently second on 9 points. England are third on 6, Fiji and Uruguay fill up the bottom spots, each with 0 points. England, to remain in the tournament, have to beat Australia. Wales need to avoid a slip up against Fiji and at least get a LBP against Australia. As for Australia, they have their two hardest games left, and they need to make sure they get something out of them both. This pool is far from decided, but the pressure is on England to remain in the tournament.

Pool B – South Africa went to the top of the pool with their big win over Samoa, and are currently on 7 points. Scotland are second with 5. Samoa and Japan are 3^rd and 4^th respectively, both with 4. The USA currently have no points. Scotland versus the USA is the next game after Australia v Uruguay concludes. I imagine Scotland will win, get a bonus point again and open up a 3 point lead at the top of the pool. They then however play both Samoa and South Africa. If they can beat Samoa, they will qualify. If they win both, they will of course top the pool.

Pool C – New Zealand top with 9 points. Argentina second with 5. Georgia 3^rd with 4. Tonga are 4^th with 1 and Namibia are bottom with 0. Tonga versus Namibia is the next game that will take place in Pool C.

Pool D – France are top with 9 points. Ireland are second on 5 (but have only played one game). Italy are 3^rd on 4. Canada are 4^th on 1, and Romania are bottom with 0. I expect Ireland, when they play Romania today will get a bonus point win and sit atop of Pool D.

Exciting times have happened, and there is still plenty more to get excited about. England have everything to do in order to progress in this World Cup. There will be some big questions to be asked this week, and potentially some even bigger ones to be asked next week. 

RWC 2015 - The Opening Day

 Friday 18^th September was a big day in the world of Rugby Union. The 8^th installment of the Rugby World Cup was starting on this day. This was a big day for me personally as well as I was going to my first RWC game. When I woke up on Friday, I was up very early in the morning, almost like a child on Christmas Day. I often get excited when going to Twickenham to watch England (or Bath). The atmosphere at Twickenham is just something special and if you could bottle it and sell it, you would be a very rich person.

I was going to the game with a friend, and we had decided long before the start of the tournament that we wanted to guarantee going to at least one game at the RWC. By at least game, I mean one game that is geographically sensible and a match that we both wanted to see. I put in for 9 games when it came time to enter the ballot and got nothing (which on reflection, I wish I’d put in for any ticket to be in the stadium for South Africa v Japan yesterday – hindsight remains 20/20). So the best way we thought to guarantee a ticket for a game we both wanted to go to would be to go via the England Rugby Travel Agent. You pay significantly over the odds for the ticket but it can also include travel or a hotel depending on the package you opt for. Considering they offered a day return coach package for the game at the reasonable price of £280pp (!), we opted for that. The ticket you get in that package would have cost £75, so the rest of the deal cost £205. I resolved it was probably best not to think about that and just enjoy what was going to be an ace day.

The journey up to Twickenham was fairly uneventful aside from one unfortunate incident when we made a stop at a service station. I didn’t see what occurred but when leaving the station, there was an older woman sat in a chair, bleeding from her nose (I think) and a significant pool of blood on the floor. It turns out she had gone to stand up on her crutches, slipped and fell face first onto the concrete. She was being well tended to and am ambulance was being called as I left. I didn’t do anything but at the point I arrived, there was nothing to be done. We pulled onto the A316 and made our approach to Twickenham when we started to see coaches parked on the sides of the road. We were yet to see the stadium and I found myself wondering if this was going to be the coach park. I seem to recall on previous visits there were coaches parked by the west stand, so to see them here surprised me. We drove further down the A316 until we could see Twickenham. It was at this point that we turned around and drove nearly 2 miles back down the road where the coach parked. I will admit, having paid so much for the package, I was a bit miffed that the coach had parked so far away from the stadium.

We arrived just before 5pm and after the walk to get back close to the stadium, it was too early to be in the stadium. So in order to avoid paying stadium prices for beer, the next location was a nearby off licence for a few drinks (and a samosa) before heading into the ground. The atmosphere already was buzzing and I was quite surprised seeing fans of many different nations walking towards the ground. After a few cans of Lech (free plug), we headed into the stadium in order to take our place for the opening ceremony and the game. My seat was in the west stand, but very close to the corner of the north stand. As a result, we had a rear view of the opening ceremony which looked like it was going to be quite good. There was a giant, old school looking rugby ball sticking out the middle of the pitch with raised turf all around it. All in all, I would have to say for the time allowed, I think the opening ceremony was as good as it could have been. There was a serious moment of awkwardness before the ceremony started. Sat in the row in front of me, 2 seats to my right was a black man wearing what looked to be an old Fiji shirt (white jersey with 2 thin blue hoops going round). The people next to us for reasons unknown had a Fiji flag in its wrapping, and got the guys attention and gave him the flag, thinking he was a Fiji fan. After looking confused for a bit, one of the party turned to me and said “I hope he is from Fiji, otherwise this gesture could be considered casual racism”. Sure enough, the white shirt the guy was wearing was an RAF rugby shirt, and the guy sounded as though he was from the Birmingham area (I think) with no links to Fiji whatsoever. The party who handed the guy the flag all looked terribly embarrassed at this point but the guy laughed it off and made jokes about it throughout the match. Very awkward indeed, but it really could have been a lot worse!

The game itself was very enjoyable at times, and very frustrating at other times. We played well in the first half with a few errors creeping in, but we had two tries on the board and seemed as though if we continued to build, a bonus point try would be coming soon. The second half was a tougher watch from an England perspective as we started to struggle to build a platform. This was noticed by the block next to ours, full of French people who started singing songs about France and cheering on Fiji. The game turned back in England’s favour after the replacements came on, and England got their bonus point try, although it came right at the very end of the gamer. It was not the best England performance you will ever see, but if the target objective was to come away from this game unscathed injury wise and get 5 points, then job done. Mike Brown was definitely deserving of his MOTM nod.

The game finished just before 10pm and we had just over an hour to get back to the coach. Instead of messing around, we headed straight back there (via a food stand for a bottle of water). We arrived back at the coach for 10.35pm and relaxed a bit then, knowing we had made good time. Unfortunately, even though we were due to leave at 11pm, we didn’t. People arrived back at the coach late and held us up. On reflection, I was annoyed, but even though we left at 11.30pm, we still got back to Portsmouth nearly 30mins earlier than we were scheduled to, which is nice.

And so that is the opening day of the Rugby World Cup from where I was sitting. It was a great day out. I’m now going to be looking forward to more rugby as it comes on. The RWC takes a two day break now, but there are 3 games on Wednesday, with Scotland and Australia in action for the first time. I remain hopeful there will be more magic like we witnessed on Saturday with Japan upsetting the Springboks. What a game that was and what a tournament we have had so far. Hopefully, it will only get better, 

RWC 2015 - Japan Stun RSA

I had intended to write a blog about my experience of going to the opening day of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and that post is what I will be doing. However, we are five games into the tournament and it would almost be wrong to discuss the tournament without mentioning yesterday’s games. The Ireland/Canada and France/Italy games ended up the way I suspect most people thought they would. Yoann Huget picked up an injury and the France winger will likely miss the rest of the tournament. In my last post, I said I want to see the best players play on the sport’s biggest stage. That opinion has not changed, but I can’t help but feel no sorrow for Huget as I am firmly of the belief he should not be playing the sport anymore. For those who haven’t seen, in a game against Bordeaux Beagles, Huget stamped on the head of Bordeaux lock Andre Marais. If you want to watch, and I warn you now – it is unpleasant – then click here. I do not wish for any player to be injured, but this is a man who ought to have faced criminal charges for this attack, not be representing France on the biggest stage in rugby union. I am not sorry to hear he will miss the rest of the tournament as he should not have been in it in the first place. Georgia picked up their first opening game win at a Rugby World Cup but I think this was their biggest win (in that they beat Tonga, not in score line). I didn’t watch the whole game but I watched a good chunk of it and it was a cracking conclusion to the game. I really thought Tonga were going to draw level at the end but I was pleased for Georgia when they held on. That was one prediction I got wrong. Speaking of predictions I got wrong though - South Africa versus Japan – wow!

“No disrespect to the other four teams in this pool, but South Africa will win this pool. I don’t see them being tested by USA or Japan.”

Well, I got that one just a little bit wrong. The final score was 34-32 to Japan in arguably the biggest upset in Rugby World Cup history. This wasn’t a snatch and grab by Japan though – they were pretty damn good for the whole match (excusing a couple of defensive lapses which allowed South Africa to score). South Africa had flashes of brilliance but it has to be said, they were few and far between and they weren’t at their best for most of the game. This game had all the ingredients that a classic test match needs, with the added bonus of the upset. Right at the death, with the score at 32-29, Japan were awarded a penalty and South Africa were reduced to 14 men. They could have gone for 3 points and secured a famous draw (let’s face it, had they done this and got the draw, we all would have still been talking about the result as a shock). However, having led at several points of this game, Japan did not want to settle for a draw. They kicked for the corner securing a line out, and if it went to plan a chance to drive again at South Africa’s try line. It almost went exactly to plan but their 12 man driving maul was ruled to have been held up as it crossed the line (no possible way to tell from the video replays if a try had been scored or not). Japan then had a 5m scrum which was last chance saloon. They spread the ball out to the right, recycled it and spread it back and in the 83^rd minute, Hesketh dotted down and the winning score was confirmed. The whole game was a fantastic watch and a perfect advert for the Rugby World Cup. This will be a result that will be talked about for years to come.

What does this mean for Pool B? Well, Japan now have a win which I never imagined they would get, and I think they have put the other teams on notice. I’m not sure if they will beat Scotland, purely because a 4 day turnaround against a fresh team could be too much for them (that said, I did say they wouldn’t even test South Africa, so I could be very wrong). I see no reason now why they couldn’t take the game to Samoa and perhaps get another big win. They didn’t play each other at the recent Pacific Nations Cup but Japan did play (and lose) to USA there. So really, this could be a one off or they could use this as a platform to build on towards potentially qualifying for the last eight. What I know for sure is that if any team were privately underestimating them, they won’t now. As for South Africa? Well, they got 2 points out of the game which could prove to be vital when it comes to qualifying time. Could this result destabilise their whole campaign? It is quite possible. Could you imagine South Africa not qualifying out of a pool where they would have been expected to win it? What a prospect. I think getting 2 points out of this game plus picking up a couple more victories will see them into the last eight, but it just made Pool B significantly more interesting. Samoa and Scotland will now look towards their game against South Africa and see it as a completely winnable game. Samoa v USA is on today. When they played in the Pacific Nations Cup, Samoa won but only by 5 points, so this will be a tight one for sure. Exciting times are ahead, that much is for sure. Today sees Wales take on Uruguay. As much as I’d love to see another upset, I suspect Wales will secure a bonus point win in this one. The final game of today is New Zealand versus Argentina. This is by far the box office clash of Pool C, and will likely be watched by the biggest live crowd at a Rugby World Cup, which is pretty cool. 

Rugby World Cup 2015 Predictions

Today is the day that Rugby fans have long been looking forward to. It is the opening day of the 2015 installment of the Rugby World Cup. Living in the host country, there has been a lot of hype for this tournament. On a personal level, I would say I am more excited about this World Cup than I have been previous tournaments. In 2011, I was still pretty new to the game - I had attended a couple of games and would occasionally watch England on TV. I would also keep an eye on the Bath results. In the 2010-11 domestic season, I made the switch from football being the main sport I follow to rugby union. By the time the 2011 World Cup rolled around, I was a fan but I still had a lot to learn about the game (hell I’m still learning). This time around, I’ve been a supporter for several years. I try to keep up with the game as much as possible and as such, have been caught up in the hype of this tournament for some time. The opening game is today, and I’ll be heading to Twickenham soon to be there. The point of this post is to not just talk about my excitement about the tournament and how it has finally arrived, but to post my predictions for the tournament. I’ve not opted for any major surprises in this prediction I don’t think (although if the quarter finals pan out the way I think they will, there will be a couple very interesting contests). Anyway, onto the predictions! For the pool stages, I won’t be predicting each game but rather putting up the way I think the pool will finish.

Pool A

England
Australia
Wales
Fiji
Uruguay

What a tough pool! It seems to get worse the more I look at it. 4 of the top 10 teams in the world in one group – quite something really. It is also a bit frustrating when you look at other pools but never mind. I think England will come out on top of this pool. I think home advantage will give them the edge over Wales and Australia. I’m not sure they will go through the pool stage undefeated, but I can see them doing enough to win it. I would have predicted Wales to finish 3^rd in the pool 3 weeks ago. Now they have lost Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb? I know they are just two men in a 31 man squad, but they are two massive names to lose right before the tournament. I think that will be their undoing this time around which I am sad about. One thing I love about the World Cup is watching the world’s best players play on the biggest stage. Injuries can happen at any time, but them happening right before the world cup just seems cruel. I think Fiji won’t be anyone’s pushover, but I don’t see them beating England, Australia or Wales. As for Uruguay…at least they qualified!

Pool B

South Africa
Samoa
Scotland
Japan
USA

No disrespect to the other four teams in this pool, but South Africa will win this pool. I don’t see them being tested by USA or Japan. Samoa and Scotland might throw up a bit of a challenge, but I think they will be able to see them off. The big battle for me will be between Scotland and Samoa. I think Samoa will win the match between the two of them and see themselves through to the last eight. There are a lot of positive noises coming out of the Japan and USA camps, but I think at this world cup, they will finish in 4^th and 5^th place respectively. I think Japan will beat USA and use that as a platform to build on for when they host the world cup in 2019 (by the way, has a host ever gone out at the group stage?)

Pool C

New Zealand
Argentina
Tonga
Georgia
Namibia

No disrespect to the other four teams in this pool (wait a minute…) but New Zealand will win this pool. Their main challenge will be Argentina and they are undefeated against them (21 matches, 20 wins and 1 draw). I think Argentina have been looking fairly good as of late though (especially that win away against South Africa) and I think they will get the better of the other teams in the pool. I have guessed Tonga will finish 3^rd. I think they will better Georgia and Namibia. As for Georgia v Namibia…I mean I’m pretty confident that I’ll watch it. It could be the game I’m looking forward to least in this tournament to be honest (possibly tied with Canada v Romania from Pool D). Speaking of…

Pool D

Ireland
France
Italy
Canada
Romania

Italy will make some noise in this pool, but for me it will be between Ireland and France, and I think Ireland will finish top. It really could go either way between these two though. I predict it will finish this way, but I also hope it will finish this way for reasons that will become clear when discussing the quarter finals. The only way I see Italy making the last eight is if they pull off an unlikely victory over France. They have done that a couple of times recently so it could happen. Canada and Romania will unlikely get a win against the top 3 teams in this pool and will scrap it out to not go home having lost all four games.

Quarter Finals

South Africa v Australia
New Zealand v France
Ireland v Argentina
England v Samoa

South Africa against Australia will be an epic encounter. I reckon Australia will win this as they have looked pretty good in recent months but this is one that could go either way. New Zealand v France at the Rugby World Cup – if only there was some history to refer back to…! I think New Zealand would win this rematch of the 2011 final, but France have a bit of a habit when it isn’t the final of sticking it to the All Blacks in the knockout stages so who knows? I think Ireland will be given a tough match against Argentina, but I see them winning that one. I think it will be a similar story between England and Samoa to be honest. At this stage in the tournament, no game is a sure thing, but if I were a betting man, I’d say England will win this one.

Semi Finals

Australia v New Zealand
Ireland v England

Australia against New Zealand have had so many fantastic matches between them. The most recent of these clashes saw both teams each grab a win. I appreciate that I’ve said this a lot so far, but this one could go either way. I am calling a New Zealand win, but I would not be surprised to see Australia get the win. Before the tournament, I thought this is where England would bow out. However, the performance against Ireland a few weeks ago really encouraged me. I think if England go into this game and don’t underestimate Ireland’s game, they could come out victorious in this one. This game being at Twickenham could be a huge advantage as well.

Bronze Medal Match

Australia v Ireland

I have a ticket for this game, so I’d love to see Ireland win it. I think they would stand a good chance of it as well.

Final

England v New Zealand

New Zealand of course would be the favourites going into this match. However, they are not unbeatable. I remember a conversation I had with my Dad the morning of the 1^st December 2012 where I confidently stated that as excited as I was to be seeing the game, England would get battered by New Zealand. I couldn’t have been more wrong and England ran out 38-21 winners. My overall prediction is that New Zealand will win the tournament, and it would be a fitting sign off for Richie McCaw (assuming he does actually retire at the end of the tournament as has been suggested). If it is an England v New Zealand final, I will not be writing England off (I’ve made that mistake once before). I think England making the final would be a fantastic achievement for the team, and it is not beyond the realms of possibility that they go all the way.

So, that is how I see the tournament unfolding over the next 6-7 weeks. Regardless of what happens though, I know I am looking forward to what will hopefully be the best RWC in history thus far. Happy Rugby World Cup Day to all!

England Rugby - And Then There Were 39...

In recent weeks, there has been a lot of chat from fans, pundits and former players as to the composition of the England Rugby World Cup Squad. Initially it was a squad of 50, which then got cut down to 46 (45 travelled to Denver for the training camp, with Nick Easter remaining behind to continue rehabilitation on his injury). On the 7^th August, the squad was cut from 46 to 39, and that is where we find ourselves now. Yesterday, what was essentially an England XV lined up against a France XV for a World Cup warm up match. There were very few names in the squad that I expect to see in the starting XV to face Ireland, but the game in essence was an audition for those players who are in the 39 looking to still be there when the squad is trimmed to 31.

It is very difficult as an outsider to comment with any substance on the cuts that were made to the England squad as we all have no idea (other than what we were told in the media) about how the players were doing in the training camp. Looking back on the first cuts from the squad, I remember being surprised Maro Itoje didn’t make the trip to Denver. He has had a very positive season at Saracens and captained England Saxons – two things which I suspected would give him enough credit in the bank to survive the first cut but apparently not. The other players cut at this stage were Myler, Daly and Slater. The fly-half battle for England has for a while been between Ford and Farrell. When Cipriani re-appeared on the international scene, the writing was almost on the wall for Myler. Now it has been confirmed that Cipriani won’t be charged for allegedly drink driving after the England/Barbarians until after the World Cup, removing Myler at this stage makes sense. It would have been bad if Myler was cut, and then had to be re-called up due to Cipriani facing legal action. As for Daly and Slater, I was surprised to see them both go but then, they have been on the England fringes for a long time now, and I guess after a brief look at them, Stuart Lancaster decided on the fringes is where they will remain for now.

Following the training camp in Denver, a further 7 players were cut. With this cut, Stuart Lancaster revealed his hand for who would fill the wing positions in the squad. Looking back at recent internationals, it wasn’t much of a surprise that the players picked were Anthony Watson, Jonny May and Jack Nowell. Speaking very much from a biased point of view, I was saddened to see Semesa Rokoduguni cut. I feel as though he hasn’t had a fair chance at an England run since being hurt in his debut against New Zealand. Since that injury, it did take him a long time to find the form which got him picked in the first place, which could be why he was initially left out of the England 50 man squad, only called up because David Strettle pulled out to focus on his move to Clermont. The other players cut were Kyle Eastmond, Matt Kvesic, Matt Mullan and Lee Dickson. Again, from a biased perspective, I think the cutting of Eastmond was a mistake. He and Jonathan Joseph make a fantastic centre partnership for Bath behind George Ford, and that could have worked well for England. As for the other 3 players cut there, I thought Kvesic might last longer but the other two cuts did not surprise me. Matt Mullan is a very good player, but hasn’t had much of a look in for England. The same can be said for Lee Dickson.

So, with a squad of 39 in place, England lined up to take on France at Twickenham last night. The match day squad was:

1.       Mako Vunipola

2.       Rob Webber

3.       Kieran Brookes

4.       George Kruis

5.       Geoff Parling

6.       Tom Wood (Captain)

7.       Calum Clark

8.       Ben Morgan

9.       Richard Wigglesworth

10.   Owen Farrell

11.   Jonny May

12.   Sam Burgess

13.   Henry Slade

14.   Anthony Watson

15.   Alex Goode

16.   Luke Cowan-Dickie

17.   Alex Corbisiero

18.   David Wilson

19.   Dave Attwood

20.   James Haskell

21.   Danny Care

22.   Danny Cipriani

23.   Billy Twelvetrees

I was at Twickenham for the game yesterday and am of the opinion that the game will give Stuart Lancaster a lot to think about for the next few days before announcing the match day squad for the return game in Paris next weekend. England were bettered at the scrum and the lineout throughout most of the game, which was disappointing to see and overall it was not a great performance. There were too many sloppy penalties given away, and both yellow cards were frustrating (incidentally, I read on twitter that Sam Burgess was the first England player to be carded on his debut. Calum Clark was the second England player to be carded during his debut). The man of the match was Anthony Watson, which was well deserved – he took his two tries well. The build-up for Jonny May’s try was also very good and it was taken well. I’d say the partnership of Burgess and Slade worked well in the centre as well. I was impressed with Goode as well. If you take all 6 players that made up the front row during the game, I would say the best 3 were Corbisiero, Webber and Wilson. The scrum really tightened up when they came on.  Cipriani and Twelvetrees didn’t get the chance to prove themselves and should be given another chance, and I suspect if there is one hooker still to be cut from the squad, then it will be Cowan-Dickie. The main thing though is while the performance certainly wasn’t a classic one, England still won 19-14 and sometimes, grinding out results is all that is needed. There is not much point in putting in a spectacular team performance if you then lose.

I expect the team picked to face France in Paris will be slightly different to the one picked for yesterday’s game. Personally, this would be my match day squad:

1.       Alex Corbisiero

2.       Jamie George

3.       David Wilson

4.       Joe Launchbury

5.       Dave Attwood

6.       Tom Wood

7.       James Haskell

8.       Ben Morgan

9.       Danny Care

10.   Danny Cipriani

11.   Jack Nowell

12.   Luther Burrell

13.   Henry Slade

14.   Anthony Watson

15.   Mike Brown

16.   Rob Webber

17.   Joe Marler

18.   Dan Cole

19.   Nick Easter

20.   Geoff Parling

21.   Richard Wigglesworth

22.   George Ford

23.   Sam Burgess

That line up I think brings a few more faces into the mix that probably are nailed on to make the 31, whilst still giving some players the chance to prove themselves. It also gives a couple of players (Launchbury and Brown) to get some game time before September 18^th). Haskell playing at 7, like he does for Wasps, could be a useful experiment for England. Not because Haskell needs to prove himself there, but as a back row option in case Chris Robshaw gets injured during the tournament. The main question though is who will make up the 31 man squad that represents England when the tournament kicks off in just over 4 weeks. It was tough putting together a match day 23 for the return game in Paris, but I think it will be a little easier to pick the 31 man squad. I will pick my 31 man squad, and then say why I would cut the players that I have.

LH – Marler, Corbisiero, Vunipola
HK – T. Youngs, George, Webber
TH – Cole, Wilson, Brookes
SR – Lawes, Parling, Attwood, Launchbury
BR – Robshaw, Haskell, Wood, Vunipola, Easter/Morgan
SH – B. Youngs, Care
FH – Ford, Farrell
C – Barritt, Joseph, Burrell, Slade
W – Watson, May, Nowell
FB – Brown, Goode

Of all the fringe players, I think the one that needs to be picked most is Henry Slade. He has proven this season he can play very well at 10, 12 and 13. I cannot decide between Easter and Morgan. I am leaning towards Morgan but Easter could also cover lock if needed (despite not being a massive fan of playing lock). Launchbury I would pick over Kruis only if he can prove he is fully fit and back to his best, after a year of playing no rugby. That could be too much to ask for. To be honest, I think the rest of the positions at the moment pick themselves. But this is why I have cut the players I have:

Sam Burgess – This is the big call to make in the eyes of many. But to be perfectly honest, I don’t think it is that big of a call. He played well against France yesterday and should certainly be given the chance again next weekend (although I would say off the bench as I imagine that is where he would feature from if he does make the 31). I just think the world cup has come round too soon. I don’t think him playing as a blindside flanker for Bath and then as a centre for England has helped matters. I can see why Lancaster doesn’t want to pick him as a flanker, but there are players far better suited for the centre than Burgess (one of whom, Eastmond, has already been cut from the squad!) World Cup 2019 if he sticks with union is a definite probability I think. 4 more seasons of playing as a blindside flanker will certainly give the then England coach (if Lancaster has moved on) food for thought.

Danny Cipriani – A tough call to drop him. However, his main role is as a fly half, where he would be behind Ford and Farrell. Alternatively he could be a back-up full back, where he would be behind Brown and Goode in the pecking order I feel.

Calum Clark – Definitely shown some promise and was a worthy call up to the England squad in the first place, but I don’t see him displacing any of Haskell, Robshaw or Wood.

Luke Cowan-Dickie – I suspect he will be one of two battling out for first choice hooker come RWC 2019 with Jamie George. Right now though, I would say he is the most likely to be cut from the 39.

George Kruis – He has definitely shown he fits into the international set up (as in, he doesn’t get phased by the occasion of playing for England). I think, much like Clark, he isn’t likely to displace the other players in his position. Another definite pick for 2019, perhaps playing alongside club mate Itoje.

Billy Twelvetrees – This is where not knowing what has happened in the training squad doesn’t help me out. I would have cut him before we got to this stage and kept Eastmond in the squad. While he does provide another kicking option for England, I think with Ford, Farrell, Slade and Goode – England have enough kicking options.

Richard Wigglesworth – For me it is between him and Danny Care. There isn’t much in it at all. However, you cannot take both without sacrificing someone else in another position. If the squad could be 32, he would make it. Tough decision.

That for me is my England squad. The final big question to be answered is, can this team win the Rugby World Cup? The answer to that question is yes. There is some sturdy opposition coming up over the next few months. If England make it out of their pool (which is no certainty), they have to win it to stand a chance of making the final. If they finish runners up, they will then likely have to face South Africa (a team that a Stuart Lancaster-led England have yet to beat), and then New Zealand. If they win their pool however, I suspect they would face either Samoa or Scotland in the quarter final, followed by France, Ireland or Argentina in the semi-final. Not in any way to disparage those nations, but that seems a much nicer path to the final than South Africa and New Zealand. In just over 4 weeks, England 2015 kicks off, and it should be good one. 

Review - Download Festival 2015

The 2015 installment of the Download Festival has finished and been consigned to the history books. After declaring I would do no festivals in 2015, I was certain I wouldn’t be there. But, much like Download 2014, there eventually was enough there to get me there for the whole weekend. Once again, I stayed in a hotel for the weekend which I have to say, based on the weather over the weekend, I was very happy about. The organisers of Download handled the arena the best they possibly could after the rain. It wasn’t as bad as it was in 2012 that is for sure. The problem is that there is nothing they can really do – they can try to manage the arena after the rain has happened but if there is even a little bit of rain, it will cause an issue somewhere in the arena due to the sheer number of people there. It just so happened there was quite a lot of rain and that meant that certain parts of the arena were quite challenging to walk through, even wearing wellies. Still, like I said, there is nothing really the organisers can do once the rain has started and I think they did all they could. Another talking point for this festival was the fact that it was entirely cashless (which did make me wonder why there was someone trying to flog programs in the queue to get in the arena for Weekend Arena Only ticket holders – none of us had access to our money yet!). I read there were some initial teething problems which sucks for the people it affected, but from a personal stand point, it was great. The first thing I did after getting my wristband was go and test to see if it was working by buying a bottle of water, and it worked fine. The only time there was even the slightest bit of an issue with it was when I didn’t press the tag against the reader properly – when that is the biggest issue I faced with the cashless system over the weekend, I consider it a success. Right then, I’m going to start my review of the weekend, appropriately, with Friday. Scores are out of 10, which is a sensible way to do it I think.

FRIDAY

I arrived to the arena a fair bit after doors after reading online reports that there were massive queues for Weekend Arena Only ticket holders. I figured there was no point rushing down as the first band I really wanted to see weren’t on until half 2. However, I arrived to Download after At The Gates started and then missed them as there was still a queue when I arrived at 14.45. That was a bit annoying but not the end of the world as I saw them on their headline tour last year (and they were a late addition to the bill). The first band I saw were Lacuna Coil (7) who were a really good way to kick off the festival. What the set reminded me, more than anything, is that I’ve only listened to their latest album once and I really ought to revisit it. Following them on the main stage was Clutch (10), who aside from Slipknot were the band I was looking forward to the most on the Friday, and they just smashed it. They looked totally comfortable on that big stage which was great to see, and this set pretty much had everything I wanted from it. They played one new song from their upcoming album, which was very good and gives me high hopes about the rest of the new album. They are on tour towards the end of the year and I am very tempted to go and see them in London on the basis of how good they were here. After Clutch finished, I headed off the second stage to watch Corrosion of Conformity (7), a band I don’t know an awful lot about other than the fact they played at the same time as Five Finger Death Punch, which made them all the more appealing. It just so happened that they were really very good. I only know two songs of theirs really, and they played them both, so I was happy. I stuck around the second stage to catch a bit of Thunder (6) and by a bit, I mean 2 songs. Hey, they started well!

I left Thunder early because I didn’t want to miss any of Judas Priest (10), and based on how good they were, that was a good decision. I’ve seen them live a few times now and they have just been excellent every time. It was nice to hear Rob Halford actually sing ‘Breaking The Law’ as well (the last couple of times I’ve seen them, he has let the crowd sing the whole lot). After they finished, I ducked back round to the second stage to watch that stages headliner, Black Stone Cherry (8). They had some technical difficulties and it was really raining at this point (they opened with Rain Wizard, which was appropriate) but they were still great. I didn’t watch the whole set as I wanted to watch all of the main stage headliner, but I enjoyed what I did see. The new song, Roadrunner, sounded very good. I’m not sure if it was from an upcoming album or whether it was one cut from their album released last year, but either way, I liked it. At Download 2013, I watched Black Stone Cherry over Slipknot. This time around, I watched all of Slipknot (10) and after their set, I was very glad I did. I would say they were better earlier in the year at Wembley Arena, but that is hardly a criticism as they were just stunning that night. I’m not a big fan of Killpop from their latest album, which they played, but I really like AOV and was pleased to hear that getting a live airing. They were an ace way to end the first day at Donington.

SATURDAY

Same story as the day before, I had planned to be in at 11 but got there for about half past. First band of the day for me as Funeral For A Friend (6). Hey, remember when they sub-headlined the festival in 2006? What happened there? (I’m not being insulting, I really don’t know). Anyway, they were good. I headed to the second stage after them for Malefice (6), a band I hadn’t seen in a good few years. I liked their set. I think I would have enjoyed them more if they had longer than the 25 minute set they had, but no matter. I stuck around for Apocalyptica (4). I’ve somewhat soured on them since Wacken last year, through no fault of theirs. However, I only saw two songs which is why the score is so low. However, the score is also that low because during the first song, a singer came out which lead me to ask “when did they get a singer?!” – always up to date me. I had no idea what the song was and thought it was okay. The second song was ‘I’m Not Jesus’, a song I love…when Corey Taylor is singing. Hey, nothing against the singer they have, but Corey Taylor he is not. They announced their next one would be another one I didn’t know and I moved back to main stage.

I saw Hollywood Undead (8) for a short while in 2011 when I came to Download for the day. I liked what I saw then but in all honesty have just not kept up with them. I decided to see them again and they didn’t let me down. There was one moment I thought a band member was miming during ‘Undead’ (the vocal level just sounded so perfect with the backing tape every time), but that aside, they had a great set. After they finished, I popped over to the 3^rd stage to watch Upon A Burning Body (7). I’ll be honest, I went to see them hoping Ice T would come out with them for ‘Turn Down For What’. They did the song with Ice T’s parts on a tape – shame. The rest of their set was decent though. I took the long walk back to second for thrash metal legends Testament (9). They only had 30 mins so blasted through 6 of their songs, including a back to back old school offering of ‘Practice What You Preach’ and ‘Into The Pit’. They are another band that would be much better with a longer set but they made the very best of what they had and then some. Carcass (7) were up next and although I didn’t see their whole set, I really liked what I did see. I missed the end of their set as the remainder of the day on the main stage was one of the main reasons I bought a weekend ticket as opposed to just a Sunday ticket.

I think I missed the first song of Rise Against (8), but saw the rest of the set and they were great. I think they look completely comfortable on that big festival stage. I was hoping, like at Reading 2011, they might cover The Clash’s ‘White Riot’ as they do a blinding job of that, but not to be. After them followed my non-headliner set of the weekend – A Day To Remember (10). Hell, it was just nice to see them without someone throwing themselves off a balcony this time (I had my eye on the cider house occasionally, just in case) (Should probably point out, I was at the Portsmouth gig that got cut short because someone jumped off the balcony). They were just fantastic. They have the songs, they have the stage presence and are putting together a bit of a stage show as well. As they announced their last song, there were quite a lot of people down the front chanting “10 more songs” – if they continue their trajectory (which is only heading up), they could well headline Download one day. I’d like to see that happen. A very close joint second in terms of non-headliner sets of the weekend were the next band on after ADTR and that is Faith No More (10). Look, if you read my BST review you will see I wrote off their poor sound that day to it being an open air gig. This was an open air gig, and the sound was top notch – so basically I am now retracting that. I enjoyed the shit out of this set, and loved the stuff from the new album. Mike Patton is just brilliant when you give him a microphone and let him talk. If they had been the headliner of the Saturday, I would have been fine with that. However, they weren’t. The headliner was Muse (10), headlining at Donington for the first time, and what a first time it was! My band of the weekend was Muse, and that was because they just smashed it. When discussing the set afterwards, the phrase I said more than once was “fucking hell….that was good!”. I’m not sure Muse are capable of having a bad show in all honesty. The new album songs sounded brilliant live and the classics were…well, classic! I had hoped to hear Feeling Good in the set list but I can completely understand why they dropped it (Download may not be a metal festival, but there are a lot of people that think it is). I was blown away by how good they were anyway when they went off for the encore. I had seen the encore for a previous gig was Uprising, Starlight and Knights of Cydonia – which is a damn fine encore. However, for Download, they dropped Starlight and replaced it with Plug In Baby – I was ecstatic with that as it is one of my favourite Muse songs. I could sit here and gush more about how good Muse were…and it is a little bit tempting. But I will leave it there. Muse fucking rocked!

SUNDAY

I made it to the arena on time! I wanted to be there on time to catch Sirens In The Delta (8) who were on first on the 4^th stage and they had a great set. I can highly recommend them. After them, I headed over to the second stage to watch H.E.A.T (7) who I thought had a decent set. They reminded me a bit of Edguy at times, which is never a bad thing. Following them I caught the first 3 songs of the Von-Hertzen Brothers (7) who I really like live. Helpfully, in those 3 songs, they played two of my favourites which made me happy. I would have stuck around for the whole set but I wanted to watch Evil Scarecrow (9) on the third stage. Leaving early to go and see them was a great call as their set was excellent. Synchronised robot dancing, throwing grass/hay/mud etc in the air to make up for a lack of pyro and several thousand crab hands in the air for Crabulon were the best parts of their set. They were just a lot of fun.

I headed off to the main stage where I spent pretty much the rest of the day. Kicking off that run was Tremonti (6). They had a good set. I had meant to check them out before the festival, but I didn’t (don’t remember why now). As a result, I only knew the last song they played but no matter. They were good regardless of me not knowing what was going on. Blackberry Smoke (6) were up next and they also had a good set. I think I would have enjoyed them more and got into their set more had the sun been out, but it wasn’t and I didn’t. They were good, and their score not being higher than 6 is purely because I couldn’t get into it more. Up next after them was Billy Idol (8) who had a really good set. It stopped raining for his set which was nice (apparently when he last played, just as he came out on stage, it absolutely battered it down). It was great to hear some of his bigger hits live as I’d not seen him before. There were quite a few good sing-alongs in his set, and it was good to hear a couple of nods to his Generation X days. After Idol, it was Slash (9). Slash and his band had an excellent set. It was just over half original material and the rest covers of some of Slash’s previous work. I like hearing GNR material live, and it is cool to see Slash playing on them, but Axl Rose has a distinct voice, and no-one I have seen cover their stuff comes close to seeing Axl sing them (seeing GNR in 2012 was just amazing because Axl was just on near perfect form that night). Anyway, I don’t want to take away from what Myles Kennedy did, as he did an excellent job, and it was cool to see him in the undisputed front man role, as opposed to with Alter Bridge when he is limited by what he can do because he has a guitar with him.

After Slash, I popped over to the second stage for the last time to watch a bit of In Flames (7). I wasn’t there for the whole set as I wanted to get back to the main stage again, but what I saw was really good and I reckon I would have given them a higher score had I watched the whole thing. On reflection, I wish I had. After them I headed back to the main stage for Motley Crue (5). I had my doubts going into this set after being disappointed at Sonisphere 2010. Now, I feel like I should explain that score. The stage show was ace, a lot of pyro, explosions, fireworks etc. Motley Crue know how to do a stage show right. The instrumentals were really good. I would have given them a much higher score had it not been for Vince Neil. Much like at Sonisphere 2010, his voice was not great. Motley Crue are splitting up at the end of the year and I can’t help but wonder if it is because he has been past his best for some time. I am pleased I got to see Motley Crue in 2007 when they had a phenomenal set at Download, but this was not close to that. I couldn’t get past how bad he sounded on some of those songs. It was a real shame as I had hoped I could come away from the set saying how much I enjoyed it, but not to be. The main event of the day was up next, and I have to say that KISS (10) did not disappoint. I would say Paul Stanley’s voice is starting to lose some of its power and that was obvious on a few of the songs, but it wasn’t awful and didn’t take away too much from the set for me. The show was really cool I thought and overall, I would say it was just brilliant. Paul Stanley getting on a harness and flying out over the crowd was ace. The end of their set was met with a massive fireworks show which signed off Download for another year. It really was a great festival.

Bands of the festival in alphabetical order – A Day To Remember, Clutch, Faith No More, Judas Priest, Muse, Slipknot.

Until next time Donington! When that will be, I don’t know. Last year I said no festivals in 2015 and that didn’t pan out, obviously. So for now, it is a wait and see. 

European Rugby - The Last 4

In my last blog, I discussed what had happened in European rugby so far this season, and made predictions for how I saw the rest of the tournaments going. The quarter finals happened in both the European Rugby Champions Cup and Challenge Cup this weekend, so I thought I would write a quick review of what happened and how the semi-finals will look.

European Rugby Champions Cup:

Leinster 18 Bath 15 – I had predicted a Bath win, and in score line it was certainly a close game.

Clermont 37 Northampton 5 – One of the Northampton players tweeted after the game that it was nice of them to be invited to the Clermont training session. Seems as though Clermont pretty much took them apart.

Racing Metro 11 Saracens 12 – Late win for Saracens ensures there is a Premiership team in the last 4. Very tight game by the looks.

Toulon 32 Wasps 18 – Seemed to be a good contest until Toulon put it out of reach of Wasps. Brave effort by all accounts to go away to the current European champions and put in one hell of a shift.

Semi Finals

Toulon v Leinster – Absolute belter of a clash between the two teams that have won the last 4 Heineken Cups between them. I think Toulon will get the win.

Clermont v Saracens – These two teams have already played twice this season in the pool stages, both winning their home fixture. It is hard to look past Clermont as they are at home, but Saracens proved by going away to Racing and getting the win late on they will not be a pushover.

Predicted Champions Cup Final – Toulon v Clermont

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Gloucester 14 Connacht 7 – I predicted Connacht to win. It seemed to be a close game but fair play to Gloucester for getting the win.

Exeter 48 Newcastle 13 – This match seems to fairly reflect where both teams are in the Premiership. Pretty solid win for Exeter overall.

Newport Gwent Dragons 25 Cardiff Blues 21 – I had predicted a NGD win for no real reason other than they were at home. I learned after making that prediction that during their Christmas double header, both teams lost their home game to each other. So they had one each. It wasn’t relevant for this match though as the home team get the win.

London Irish 18 Edinburgh 23 – I figured home advantage would give Irish the win. Not to be as Edinburgh got the win.

Semi Finals

Edinburgh v NG Dragons – They’ve only met once this season, with Edinburgh picking up the win in that match. I can see them getting the win in Edinburgh again.

Gloucester v Exeter – Gloucester at home will be a tough challenge for Exeter, but I think Exeter will have too much for Gloucester.

Predicted Challenge Cup Final – Edinburgh v Exeter

I am anticipating another superb weekend of European rugby on the cards coming soon!