Blog: johnloguk

RUGBY WORLD CUP - REFLECTIONS ON THE GROUP STAGES

For me this has been the most exciting Rugby World Cup ever, and we've yet to enter the knock out phases. Not so much for the performances of the top sides, as most of them have been below par for one reason or another, but more for the spirit and skills shown by the so called "minnows". In the past I've often felt that commentators have been a bit patronising about the lesser nations at World Cups, "plucky losers, but really should they even be there after such heavy defeats"? This year there have still been some heavy defeats, but there have also been some heroic performances and some big shocks.

People tend to expect big performances, and maybe the odd shock, from teams like Samoa and Argentina, but how many people realised that Argentina are actually ranked 5th in the world at the moment? So maybe their first game victory against France wasn't the shock it was painted in the media? Samoa have beaten Wales in a previous World Cup, and pushed England close in 2003, but they will be very disappointed by their 2007 showing. They were completely overshadowed by their Island neighbours. Fiji, previously only known for the prowess at rugby sevens, beat Wales in one of the greatest games of rugby ever played (for the neutral anyway!). Then Tonga pushed England all the way, and would have beaten South Africa in the last minute if they had had a decent bounce of the ball. 2007 will be the last we see of Samoa's Brian Lima, he of the crunching tackles that gave him the nickname "the chiropractor"!

The best quote of the tournament so far came from the Georgian coach. When asked how his inexperienced players would react to playing the bigger teams he replied, "our nation has been at war with someone for the last 1300 years, we like war"! And so it proved, they were magnificent.

There have been many great tries in the tournament so far. Powerful forward drives, slight of hand at speed through packed defences, mazy running from fleet footed backs, but the best for me came last night in the South Africa v USA game. Everyone recognises that South Africa's Brian Habana is the greatest winger in world rugby at the moment. He is the tournament's top try scorer so far, and he allegedly out-ran a cheetah in a publicity stunt once. He is also a fantastically balanced runner, able to change direction at top speed without losing momentum. But there was another guy out there who looked pretty quick in the earlier games, and last night they came face to face. He is Takudzwa Ngwenya, the Harare born USA right winger.

At 24-3 down the USA stole the ball on their own line. The ball was worked across the field by the forwards ("fat man's alley" according to the brilliant Murray Maxted commentating), until a long pass found Ngwenya on his wing just inside his own half. He was face to face with Brian Habana, and the rush of anticipation ran round the packed stadium, this was it, could he run round the great man? A couple of shimmies put Habana back on his heels, then Ngwenya was gone. The afterburner kicked in, Habana floundered for the first time in his life and dived forlornly as Ngwenya left him for dead. This wasn't a run in from 10 metres, they were on the half-way line. Habana had time to catch him if he was quick enough, but he simply wasn't. The crowd went mad, Ngwenya's smile nearly split his face in half, this was a moment to savour, pure magic.

In the context of the game Habana scored 3 tries to Ngwenya's 1, but the telling moment came in the second half. Ngwenya caught a high ball in the face of a horde of onrushing South Africans. Habana was on him in a flash, clearly trying to make a point, and maybe stop Ngwenya side stepping him again and running the length of the field. The two players collided head to head at full speed and ended up laid out on the floor for several minutes. Ngwenya was able to continue with his head strapped together, but Habana went off with blood streaming from a large cut. Apparently Habana wasn't concussed, or that moment of recklessness could have put him out of the tournament. I've no doubt that if Ngwenya hadn't skinned him in the first half habana wouldn't have been so keen to flatten him in that incident!

Enough said of Irish and Welsh failure to deliver on the world's highest stage. Scotland are still there, and have a fighters chance against Argentina. England have shown improvements in their last 2 games, but will have to improve a lot more to beat the Aussies in the quarter finals. New Zealand haven't been tested yet, which could be their downfall, but I doubt it. France are at home and could beat anyone on their day, but I suspect they won't this time. New Zealand v South Africa in the final for me, and i can't wait!

by johnloguk on 11:42 on 1st October 2007