The winners and losers from the final round of warm-ups
The final round of warm-ups has been played and fans everywhere have a slightly clearer idea of where their team is, who is in form, and what they need to be worried about.
After Scotland played Georgia, England played Italy, and Ireland hosted Wales, we take a look at the winners and losers from the weekend’s games.
Winner: Ireland
For all that Joe Schmidt highlighted that the rankings don’t change the fact that New Zealand are still the favourites for the Rugby World Cup, Ireland arguably deserved the Number 1 spot last year and it is nice for the fans to be recognised as one of the best teams going into the tournament. Moreover, both Schmidt and Rory Best got the send-off in Dublin their respective Ireland careers deserved: a comprehensive win and a standing ovation.
Loser: injury concerns
None of the players who had to leave the field early last weekend looked like their tournament was definitely over but Rhys Patchell’s withdrawal with concussion after a year struggling with symptoms will be a concern, despite Gatland’s confidence he will be fine for Japan. Ireland saw Keith Earls leave the field early, Luke Cown-Dickie and Joe Launchbury had to go off for England, and Scotland ended the game with no fewer than five players with injury issues, including Jamie Ritchie who is now a serious doubt for the RWC. Marcus Bradbury, one of ths surprise omissions from the squad, will travel with the squad as cover. The debate over just how many warm-up games are needed will no doubt continue.
https://twitter.com/IrishRugby/status/1170379100348919808
Winner: Joe Marchant
Having been ruled out of the England 31-man squad, one of the first to be announced, Marchant was asked to stick around in camp and was rewarded with his first start against Italy. He scored a lovely solo try and showed off some nice footwork throughout. Should Jonathan Joseph struggle to overcome his injury issues, Marchant has proved they have an exciting option waiting in the wings.
Loser: Ruaridh McConnochie
Marchant’s fellow new starter struggled to have the same impact on the game, however. It wasn’t calamitous by any means but there aren’t many easier debuts on paper than Italy’s second string at home, and McConnochie didn’t show what fans have been waiting for since his summons to the training squad. On the other wing, Johnny May had a far better outing despite the limited opportunities.
Winner: the engine room
Some of the best players in world rugby right now play in the second row and these games highlighted just how much impact locks can have. James Ryan was excellent, rescuing Ireland’s lineout, scoring a try, and generally bringing some game-winning physicality to all his interactions. Scott Cummings had a similarly standout performance for Scotland, making 30m from four carries. For England, Courtney Lawes reminded everyone that Maro Itoje is not the only wrecking-ball lock in the English second row, dominating the lineout, the maul, and defence, while carrying and helping out at the breakdown.
https://twitter.com/EnglandRugby/status/1170407636107517952
Loser: Leigh Halfpenny
Halfpenny has been one of the first names on the team sheet since his emergence, with Warren Gatland prizing his defensive positioning, his ability under the high ball, and his outstanding goal-kicking. Since the British & Irish Lions tour in 2017, Gatland seems to have finally been convinced by Liam Williams’ qualities, and injury troubles have meant Halfpenny hasn’t been able to fight for his spot for the first time. This game was a chance for him to finally do that and he couldn’t take it, even missing an easy kick and a high-ball take – the staples of his game.
Winner: Scotland’s 23
Perhaps more than any other Home Nation, Scotland have been vulnerable to injuries. Their first XV could take on anyone, on their day, but the quality of their replacements meant they have struggled. Along with Ireland and Wales, they have worked to rectify that this World Cup cycle and the final warm-up game demonstrated that. Cummings was not the only player to have made a case for himself against Georgia – Darcy Graham, Adam Hastings, and Blade Thomson all excelled, and Sam Johnson looked like he could make a very strong partnership in midfield with certain starter Duncan Taylor. Scotland aren’t the finished article yet but they no longer seem likely to be derailed by the first injury.
Loser: Mako Vunipola
Eddie Jones has confirmed that the loosehead prop, arguably the best in the world, won’t be fit for the first two pool games at the earliest. Those matches are against the USA and Tonga, and Jones and his coaches think it is worth the risk of carrying Vunipola until the knockout games, such is his ability. “He’s probably going to be right for the third or fourth game”, said Jones. Realistically, this England side ought to be able to win even their toughest pool games without him although, even though he rarely needs many games to play himself back into form, it will be a tough ask to return for a quarter-final with only one brief outing under his belt since May. Moreover, should one of the other loosehead props sustain an injury early on, Jones will find himself in a tough spot.
https://twitter.com/Scotlandteam/status/1170086097550028800
Winner: second-half resurgences
It’s unlikely that many home fans would have been thrilled at half-time in any of these three games but patience proved to be a virtue, with the second-halves much more entertaining. England scored four tries after a turgid first 40 minutes, Scotland pulled away with 26 unanswered points, and Ireland came back from a first-half deficit for the first time since 2014, with a comprehensive performance that Wales had no answer to. All three sides have frequently struggled to play for a full 80 minutes recently so those resurgences will comfort fans and coaches.
Loser: Wales
Regular observers of Gatland’s Wales will know their strength and conditioning work is always aimed to have them peak at the end of a tournament and they usually start slow. There is not necessarily any cause for concern about the outcome of warm-ups, especially with a decent turnaround between their first game against Georgia and the likely pool decider against Australia. On the other hand, for a team with aspirations to win the RWC for the first time, three losses out of four isn’t encouraging, irrespective of the quality of the opponents. Moreover, Patchell’s early departure means Gatland hasn’t had much chance to decide who he wants to start games at No 10. After sitting top of the rankings so recently, Wales are now fifth and looking like a dark horse again.
Eddie Jones discusses England’s injury troubles
Comments on RugbyPass
Who's Jarrad Hohepa?
1 Go to commentsSo let me get this straight. Say you have the dominant scrum. You are 99% sure you can go for a scrum pushover try on the line to win the game. The opposition knows it too. They give away a silly tap kick instead. You are now not allowed to scrum. This is ridiculous! *%@ing the game up as usual! The fact that the attacking teams are not allowed to scrum from a held up over the line is just as ridiculous. Really world rugby? Careful people might start a rebel league called True Rugby or Real Rugby.
72 Go to comments12 subs during a game? How has that been allowed to happen NB? I hate when the game goes in this monopolistic direction closing up shop, it just becomes non sport. Btw have you seen anything of how Liam Coltman was tracking for Lyon? He has just signed to return to Otago though we have a couple of young hookers developing here. He was a popular gentle natured character down here and I’m glad to see him back but maybe he will be a mentor primarily?
4 Go to commentsGreat breakdown and the global politics always confuses me a little. The southern hemisphere seems to be left out a bit but I wouldn’t even know where to start with fixing it. Club challenge could be a step in the right direction
4 Go to commentsSince he coached Free state, from that time onwards, I maintained he was the coach for the Boks. A nice, no nonsense guy with an excellent brain, who gets results.
11 Go to commentswell - they only played against 14 men and had the TMO team on their side - and still should have lost… so actually that makes sense.
32 Go to commentsSouthern hemisphere Rugby is exactly that, boring. Northern Hemisphere Rugby is soooo much more entertaining and better with better players.
2 Go to commentsIf he was to be cited for a dangerous behavior, then it’s natural that he should be. Then NTamack too, yes? And I’ll add a good whataboutism - Yeandle eye-gouging on Richie Arnold: not cited. Eye-gouging. Not high tackle. Eye-gouging. It was on French TV, with French TV directors.
5 Go to commentsReally poorly written rambling piece ..
4 Go to commentsIt was so boring
2 Go to commentspersonally I’d go with : 1. France 2. NZ 3. England 4. Ireland 5. Scotland
32 Go to commentsAndy everything becomes easier with experience therefor counting etc straight after a match becomes easier when you have 100+ caps vs 17 which is the experience you speak from.
160 Go to commentsGetting rid of the Dupont Law is a good thing and ought to have been done months ago! Officially getting rid of the croc roll is a good thing. The law about no scrums from a short arm is well intended in terms of speeding the game up but it’s an overreaction to a clever yet calculated gamble that could have blow up in South Africa’s face if they conceded a penalty from the scrum that was set after Willemse took claimed the mark in the World Cup QF.
72 Go to commentsRassie The GOAT
11 Go to commentsOf their 5 big matches in RWC Scotland and NZ were the easiest. They took a 12-3 lead against NZ and after the red decided it was best to hold the lead and take chances that came. None came and it was tight but they dug a lot deeper in the other two knock out matches. They had trounced NZ in Twickenham in a fixture that NZ must now regret. Psychology was clearly with SA in the final as a result.
32 Go to commentsMy favourite line/exchanges from Chasing the Sun 2. News headline: “SA. The last hurdle in ABs World Cup glory”. Something like that. “You’re all just a hurdle. A hop, skip and a jump”. Coming from Rassie and Jacque. Basically - nobody thinks you’re going to win. You’re just a pushover team. Nobody respects you. When the camera shows the players faces, you can see the effect. You can see the rev meters (die moer metertjies) firing up. Mitchell said he felt it prior to the 19 final. He said to Eddie watching the teams warming up that it was going to be a tough day at the office. Wave a red flag in front of South African, and you can expect a reaction. This is not unique - many teams rev themselves. And Bok teams in particular. With horrific consequences (discipline, poor thinking under pressure) because that’s the drawback to using emotion right? But what this Bok team does better than many since 2007 is channel the emotion and stay on task. Despite the emotion. Why, because while Rassie might play mind games - he talks about creating a safe environment. Listen to his recent honorary doctorate acceptance speech. While he uses psychology he creates psychological safety. He’s a damn fine coach. Can’t wait for Pretoria. It’s going to be a hummer.
11 Go to commentsWhat Rassie does for SA is big. It has helped people to unite and see we can win with the right people in place.
11 Go to commentsTerrible conditions for young players to express themselves just enjoy it guys. As a saffa great to see Ausie youth looking good. Wow SA have some great talent also.
2 Go to commentsYes, another example of French tv directors ensuring that incidents like this are swiftly glossed over for the benefit of their teams…
5 Go to commentsThe prospect of the club match ups across hemispheres is surely appetising for everyone. The reality however, may prove to be slightly different. There are currently two significant driving forces that have delivered to same teams consistently to the latter champions cup stages for years now. The first of those is the yawning gap in finances, albeit delivered by different routes. In France it’s wealthy private owners operating with a higher salary cap by some distance compared to England. In Ireland it’s led by a combination of state tax relief support, private Leinster academy funding and IRFU control - the provincial budgets are not equal! This picture is not going to change anytime soon. The second factor is the EPCR competition rules. You don’t need a PhD. in advanced statistical analysis from oxbridge to see the massive advantage bestowed upon the home team through every ko round of the tournament. The SA teams will gain the opportunity for home ko ties in due course but that could actually polarise the issue even further, just look at their difficulties playing these ties in Europe and then reverse them for the opposition travelling to SA. Other than that, the picture here is unlikely to change either, with heavyweight vested interests controlling the agenda. So what does all this point to for the club world championship? Well the financial differential between the nh and sh teams is pretty clear. And the travel issues and sporting challenge for away teams are significantly exacerbated beyond those already seen in the EPCR tournaments. So while the prospect of those match ups may whet our rugby appetites, I’m very much still to be convinced the reality will live up to expectations…
4 Go to comments