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.
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:
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.
WATCH: The moment when two of Saturday’s World Cup games were officially cancelled
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
26 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
26 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
26 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
26 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
26 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments