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Fans gutted that Sergio Parisse is bowing out off the field - not on it - due to Hagibis
With Super Typhoon Hagibis looming, World Rugby has been forced to cancel some World Cup matches this weekend. So far, England’s Pool C match with France has been cancelled as has New Zealand’s Pool B match with Italy, with the matches being registered as draws. Although it is unfortunate, the danger that this typhoon poses is bigger than any rugby match, as lives are ultimately at risk.
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While no one wants to see games cancelled, both England and France had qualified for the quarter-finals, and New Zealand were firm favourites against Italy – albeit the Italians did have a chance of beating them which they have now been deprived of.
There is a bigger picture in all of this, which many are aware of, but purely from a rugby perspective, the player that is most unfortunate from this ordeal is Sergio Parisse. The long-time captain of Italy is set to retire from international rugby at the end of the RWC and there was no better swansong than against the reigning champions.
He has been denied the chance to pull on his country’s jersey for a 143rd and final time, and he is perhaps one player in the entire tournament who deserves that the most after all he has given to Italy over the past 17 years. The Toulon-bound No8 has vented his anger at this decision, suggesting World Rugby could move or reschedule the game, which many others have also suggested.
However, possibly once the red mist has evaporated he will understand that the risks and complications that exist with the scheduling alternatives outweigh the sentimentality of the occasion.
(Continue reading below…)
Nonetheless, this is still a sporting black mark, something that many fans on Twitter have been quick to realise as they shared their bitter disappointment that the 36-year-old will not be given the farewell he may have wanted.
On the plus side, some fans are playfully highlighting that he would have never dreamt that his last game against the All Blacks would be registered as a draw. This is what has been said:
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Lastly, utterly gutted for Parisse. Please tell me we can get him into a Barbarians team? Even let him wear an Italy strip sure.
— Niall Mac Eitrinn (@Niallon) October 10, 2019
Heart also goes out to Italy, where we will see one of rugby's greats Sergio Parisse, and his teammate Leonardo Ghiraldini, miss out on their swansong on the big stage, regardless of what the result is most likely to be against NZ (5) #RWC2019
— Ed Green (@Ed_AGreen) October 10, 2019
Actually heartbroken for Italy's Parisse with his last ever game being pulled
— Seán Carey (@seanogcarey) October 10, 2019
Me knowing I’ll never see Parisse in an Italian shirt again. pic.twitter.com/XyN6eBjSdu
— Stitchy 🔰 🔰 🔰 (@spank_man10) October 10, 2019
What about Parisse's final match? If anyone deserves a packed stadium to wave them off, he does!
— Maurice Anderson (@MoStandSure) October 10, 2019
So with the Italy getting called off. Is that the last time we have have Sergio Parisse Grace the pitch? What a player that man has been !! #RWC19
— EmmettGMMA (@emmettglenn) October 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/IainHunt/status/1182196191146254336?s=20
Safety is absolutely paramount for the RWC tournament in Japan, but it's still a massive shame that Sergio Parisse is getting his final test taken away from him.
— Georgia ⭐ (@TheGeorgeuh) October 10, 2019
https://twitter.com/TMRugbyCoach/status/1182185583164248065?s=20
Huge result for them to be fair, unbelievable for Parisse to get such a big result on his last ever appearance
— Chris Leavy (@ChristyElsom) October 10, 2019
And Parisse signs off with Italy’s first ever non-loss against NZ!
— 🇺🇦 Owen Callan 🇺🇦 (@OwenCallan) October 10, 2019
Sergio Parisse caps off his World Cup career with a sensational draw against the reigning World Champions, New Zealand. Heroic defence saw the All Blacks fail to score over 80 minutes. #NZLvITA
— Patrick Woulfe (@thebigbadwoulfe) October 10, 2019
This is also a disappointing ending for other Italian players such as Leonardo Ghiraldini and Alessandro Zanni, who have equally been great servants to their country. However, in terms of their status in Italian and world rugby, they do not match Parisse. Very few players in the game do.
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WATCH: The moment when two of Saturday’s World Cup games were officially cancelled
Comments on RugbyPass
Anna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
55 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
61 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
8 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
61 Go to comments