Kiwi duo post big wins in opening round of southern hemisphere FIFA Pros tournament
The first round of the RugbyPass FIFA Pros southern hemisphere charity tournament has kicked off in thrilling fashion with a double-header featuring Wes Goosen, Israel Dagg, Will Jordan and Josh Bekhuis.
Pitted against former All Blacks star turned Sky Sports presenter Dagg, Hurricanes speedster Goosen put on a clinic in the opening match of the competition to dispatch his first-up opponent 4-1.
Opting for the power of reigning French champions Paris-Saint Germain, Goosen dominated proceedings from the get-go and was richly rewarded with two goals in quick succession to Italian midfielder Marco Veratti and Argentina striker Mauro Icardi.
Dagg threatened to strike back on the stroke of half-time, but the three-time Super Rugby champion remained goalless at the break, with Goosen’s domination reflected in the stats which read 13 shots to zero.
As Dagg’s frustration grew, so too did Goosen’s influence over the encounter, as the South African-born flyer doubled his advantage through Icardi and Brazilian hero Neymar.
A late red card to PSG defender Thomas Meunier with 13 minutes to play aided Dagg’s quest for a consolation goal, although he left red-faced when Cristiano Ronaldo’s effort from the penalty spot soared well wide.
The 2011 World Cup winner could only laugh at his side’s misfortune, but he capitalised on a second penalty attempt in the 89th minute, with Ronaldo eventually getting on the scoresheet.
Goosen’s comprehensive victory, charitably described by as Dagg as a “hiding”, means the Hurricanes star has qualified for the quarter-finals of the tournament.
There he’ll be joined by Crusaders starlet Will Jordan, who made easy work of Honda Heat lock Josh Bekhuis in a 4-2 victory with Juventus against Barcelona.
The former New Zealand U20 star from piled the pressure on the ex-Highlanders, Blues and Lyon second rower in the early stages of the contest, with the breakthrough goal coming in the 21st minute through Paulo Dybala.
It took just five minutes for Jordan to add to his lead when Ronaldo set midfielder Sami Khedira up for an easy finish following a near-miss by Luis Suarez at the other end of the park.
Bekhuis struck back rapidly through Suarez, though, who made no mistake this time round putting the ball in the back of the net to slash the half-time deficit to just one goal.
Chances opened up at both ends of the field as the half came to a close, but neither player could capitalise, allowing Jordan to take a 2-1 lead into the break.
It took half an hour of action in the second half before any goals were scored, with a well-timed run by Miralem Pjanic ending in what seemed to be the decisive goal in the 76th minute.
To rule out Barcelona entirely wouldn’t have done the five-time Champions League winners justice, though, and a piece of Lionel Messi magic from the restart put Bekhuis right back in the hunt as the match entered the final 10 minutes.
However, Jordan clinched his quarter-final berth in injury time through some beautiful passing play that saw Douglas Costa ram home the match’s final goal.
Both Goosen and Jordan will find out who their potential quarter-final opponents may be over the coming days when the remaining first round fixtures take place.
Tomorrow night’s clashes will see All Blacks prop Angus Ta’avao come up against Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale, while Chiefs speedster Shaun Stevenson will face off against Hurricanes playmaker Jackson Garden-Bachop.
RugbyPass FIFA Pros Southern Hemisphere Opening Round Draw
Wednesday:
Angus Ta’avao (Chiefs) vs Kurtley Beale (Waratahs)
Shaun Stevenson (Chiefs) vs Jackson Garden-Bachop (Hurricanes)
Thursday:
Aaron Smith (Highlanders) vs Tony Lamborn (Blues)
Alex Nankivell (Chiefs) vs Elliot Dixon (Ricoh Black Rams)
Friday:
Bryn Hall (Crusaders) vs Pete Samu (Brumbies)
Ngani Laumape (Hurricanes) vs Josh Ioane (Highlanders)
Comments on RugbyPass
We’re building a bridge but can't agree where the river is.
2 Go to commentsfirst no arms shoulder or helmet tackle into his rib cage is going to be so very painful even to watch. go back to RU mate.
1 Go to commentsBulls by 5. Plus another 50.
3 Go to commentsJohan Goosen avatar. Cute. Surely someone at RP knows how to do a google image search?
3 Go to commentsCan’t these games play a little earlier? Asking for a friend.
3 Go to commentsIt’s impressive that we can see huge stadiums with attendance in the 40 000 to 50 000 region. It shows how popular this competition is becoming. What is even more impressive is the massive growth in broadcast viewership. The URC is one of the two best leagues in the World, the other being the Top14.
7 Go to commentsChristie is not Sottish, like the majority of the Scotland team.
2 Go to commentsHold the phone, decline over-rated. Is it a one game, dead cat bounce or the real thing? Has the Penney dropped? Stay tuned.
45 Go to commentsTotally deserved win for the Crusaders Far smarter than the Chiefs who seem to be avoiding the basics when it matters Hotham showed them what was missing and Hannah seems a real find - a tad light but that can be fixed over time
8 Go to commentsGreat insight into the performance culture with Sarries and I predict Christie will be a fixture in the Scotland team now for some time to come. However, he is slightly missing his own point around Scotland “being soft” when he cites physicality examples in defence of that slight. The issue is much closer to the example he referenced around feeling off before a game but being told “it doesn’t matter, you can still play well” by Farrell. Until Scotland can get their psyche in that square, they will carry on folding under extreme pressure…
2 Go to comments> We are having to adapt, evolve and innovate more than when we were in Super Rugby where there was only really one style that everybody had to play to gain the most success. Have = able to? Interesting what that one style might be? I thought SA sides still had bad tours now, or at least bad schedule, months away? Those extra few hours flights have to be a killer though, no surprise to see their sides doing so badly at the start of the season each year. I wouldn’t enjoy that unfairness as a supporter.
7 Go to commentsThe problem for NZ, and Aus, is they ripped up the SR model and lost a massive chunk of revenue that hasn’t been replaced. Don’t forget SA clubs went North because they were left with no choice, Argy unceremoniously binned and Japan cast adrift. Now SR wasn’t perfect, far from it, but they’ve jumped into something without an effective plan, so far, to replace what they’ve lost. The biggest revenue potential now lies in Japan but it won’t be easy or quick to unlock, they are incredibly insular in culture as a nation. In the meantime, there is a serious time bomb sitting under SH rugby and if it happens then the current financial challenges will look like a picnic. IF the Boks follow their provincial teams and head north then it’s revenue meltdown. Not guaranteed to happen but the status quo is a very odd hybrid, with the Boks pointing one way and the clubs pointing the other way. And for as long as that remains then the threat is real.
45 Go to commentsI think Etene has had some good tuition, likely while at the Warriors to be a professional that helped his rugby jump, but he was certainly thrown in the deep end way too early. Should have arguably 20 less SR caps, and therefor a way better record that he does at his age, but his development would have been fast tracked by the need to satiate his signing away from league. Again, credit to him and others that he has done it so well. Easy to fall over under that pressure in the big leagues like that but he kept at it when I myself wasn’t sure he was good enough.
1 Go to commentsAwesome story. I wonder what a bigger American (SA) scene might have mean for Brex.
1 Go to comments“Johnny McNicholl and the Crusaders” save a Penney. Who has been in camp this week and showed them how to play?
8 Go to commentsSo, reports of the Crusaders’ demise / terminal decline are perhaps just - slightly - premature/exaggerated…? 🤔 Will we see a deep-dive into that by the estimable Rugbypass scribes, and maybe one or two mea culpas? Thought not.
8 Go to comments1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
8 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
45 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to comments