World Cup Final Review - New Zealand 34 - 17 Australia

You wait for a moment for weeks, months, years.  And then, before you know it, it's gone.  For some people it can be special events such as weddings, parties or (for weirdos) marathons, but for a large part of the rugby fraternity, Saturday afternoon was the culmination of 4 years of hype and build up.  A hype that wasn't diminished by the absence of the hosts, but rather a hype that been maintained and inflated by a resolute English support core who remained enthusiastic about the game and the tournament despite having a national side as useful as a chocolate teapot.  Top marks for hosting, but that wasn't the focus of the attention as the finalists emerged in front of a packed out Twickenham.

It was fitting that the two best sides in the World - without doubt - should meet in the Final.  The Australians, Rugby Championship winners; the All Blacks, well...they're the All Blacks.  One of the oldest and bitterest rivalries in the game, booted up into the stratosphere in a battle for the game's biggest title on the game's biggest stage.

Of course, we had the formalities to look forward to first, including the five renditions of 'God Defend New Zealand' and the Haka which is, of course, one sport's great traditions.  I've never done a big Haka piece, and now is not the time - but I love the spectacle and tradition.  The only thing that ruins it is that World Rugby tell you to stand 20 metres back and watch 23 very large blokes work themselves up into frenzy whilst calling upon the spirits of their dead ancestors to aid them - in my view you should be able to do you what you want up to the halfway line in order to even out the psychological advantage it gives the Kiwis.  Anyway, mini-rant over, Bernard Foley's boot got the final to end all finals underway in glorious Autumnal conditions in West London.

But the weather was as bright as things got in the first 40 minutes for the men in gold, as the All Blacks sent wave after wave of darkness crashing towards the Wallaby line.  Ma'a Nonu and then Julian Savea both hurtled towards the whitewash to get the All Blacks close, the former making yards after a bad defensive read by Tevita Kuridrani, but the Wallabies were indebted by the scrambling defence of Drew Mitchell and the breakdown of team 'Pooper' (aka, Pocock and Hooper) on more than one occasion.  Eventually, after 9 minutes of near constant New Zealand possession and attack, Australia were penalised at the breakdown and Dan Carter caressed over the opening three points of the game.  The advantage was hampered somewhat by the sight of Kieran Read - not a man to make a fuss of a minor knock - having his ankle mummified in order to carry on...and carry on he did.

The Wallabies struck back 9 minutes later after the impressive Scott Sio forced a penalty at the scrum out of Ben Franks, and Foley got his side on the board to level things up - but it was a rare visit to New Zealand territory.  The underdogs suffered a blow straight from the restart as Kane Douglas landed awkwardly to end his involvement in the game, and from then on it was an All Black monopoly on possession and territory, with the Aussies again grateful to their superb backrow for pinching key turnovers at critical times as the Kiwis tried - on more than one occasion - to drive them over from close range.  Somehow, after a quarter, the scores were still level - but the Wallabies were perhaps a little fortunate to have equal numbers on the pitch as well after Sekope Kepu took a particularly keen interest in Carter's rib-cage (after the ball had gone) and then followed it up with a high tackle on the All Black playmaker.  Lineout malfunctions, added to the fact that McCaw was starting to dominate the breakdown with the likes of Retallick and Kaino providing able backup, meant that you had a Wallaby side that simply could not find a way to get out of their half.

The bad news kept coming for the men in gold - the influential Matt Giteau was forced off with concussion and then Carter added two penalties, the second following a blatant forward pass that was somehow missed by all the officials, gave New Zealand the lead.  But it wasn't the margin that their dominance perhaps deserved and, if the Aussies could get to half time less than a score behind and regroup, you sensed that they were still very much in this.  But that, in a nutshell, is why the World Champions are the best in the World - when they have to deliver, they do.  Attacking the blindside, Conrad Smith hit a hard line before switching with his namesake Aaron, and then slick hands from McCaw allowed the electric Nehe Milner Skudder to scoot over for the game's first try - and it was an absolute gem.  Carter's touchline conversion made it a killer blow for the Kiwis, who went into the break with an commanding 16 - 3 lead.

Australia needed something to change, and fast.  What they perhaps didn't have in mind, in terms of change, was Sonny Bill Williams surprisingly replacing Conrad Smith - and the irritatingly good sportsman (Rugby League superstar, heavyweight boxer, World Knitting champion etc) had an immediate, devastating impact.  Making two offloads within 10 seconds, Williams made space for Ma'a Nonu to accelerate through the gap, step the cover, and gas his way over from 50 metres.  It was another absolute beauty that Carter, for once, couldn't convert, but two scores either side of the half-time whistle had sealed the game for the All Blacks.

Or had it?  With Kurtley Beale making a positive impact since joining the fray and Mitchell making good inroads, the Wallabies were starting to get just a little bit of traction and, with 50 minutes gone, Ben Smith clumsily upended the Australian winger in the tackle to earn himself a trip to the sin-bin - the first to ever see yellow in a final, incidentally...ironic that it should happen to one of the real 'nice guys' in rugby.   Aware of their predicament, the men in gold kicked to the corner and, from there, Pocock barreled over off the back of an unstoppable rolling maul.  25 minutes to go, 11 points down, 1 man up.  They couldn't, could they?

On 65 minutes, it looked like they could.  With Ben Smith on the brink of returning to the field, Genia brilliantly spotted space in behind the defence and dinked the ball over for Foley to chase and, with the bounce sitting up nicely for the fly-half, he was able to feed Kuridrani, who thundered over for yet another phenomenal score.  Foley converted again, and suddenly there was a 14 point turnaround, and the men in gold were only 21 - 17 down, a score away from one of the most remarkable comebacks in sporting history.

A lesser team may have felt the pressure, gone into their shell, panicked.  But not the All Blacks.  And not Dan Carter.  With his side trying to claw their way back to parity in the territory stakes, the veteran skipper barked out orders like a battle commander and, when the smallest window of opportunity presented itself, he snapped a glorious drop goal between the sticks from 35 metres to extend the lead again.  I am not exaggerating when I claim that no other player in the world would have attempted that kick under the pressure he was under - let alone executed it.  Masterful.  

The Wallabies wriggled and chased and ran as they searched for that try, but like a python the All Blacks simply squeezed their prey and waited for the resistance to break - and it did.  After Greg Holmes was penalised at the scrum, allowing Carter to hammer over a long range penalty, and then Ben Smith atoned for his sin-binning to pick up a loose ball as the Aussies attacked in the late stages to weave his way clear and kick ahead for Beauden Barrett to touch-down for a classic counter-attacking try.  It was fitting in so many ways that the man who many have tipped to fill Carter's boots after the World Cup was the man to close out the final, but this was not a time to celebrate a changing of the guard.

As the Final whistle blew, with the score at 34 - 17 (perhaps not a reflection of how tight the game really was in that second half), you could only marvel at the legacy left by the 'old guard', this All Blacks side - the best ever.  The first to win the trophy three times.  The first to retain the title.  This is an All Black side that is as close to invincible as any side in any sport ever will be, and they leave names etched into legend.  Carter, Nonu, Smith and - of course - McCaw, will all go down in the pantheon of greats to have played the game.

The Wallabies were worthy adversaries and, judging by their resurgence in just a single year, can probably set out their stall for greatness themselves in the near future if they continue that trend.  But there was no doubt whatsoever that the right team had their hands on the trophy.

Rugby World Cup 2015.  The best ever.

The All Blacks side, 2011 - 2015.  The best ever.

How very fitting.


NB Top marks to Sonny Bill, who has now become even more irritating by showing what a lovely bloke he is (on top of being superb at all sports) by handing his medal to an enthusiastic young fan.  Some people have called it disrespectful of the competition - nonsense, you don't need a but of metal on a string to remember you're a World Champion.
New Zealand Player Ratings

15. Ben Smith: 6.
A bit like his opposite number, Smith was solid without being at his wriggly best on Saturday afternoon.  Still joined the line plenty of times and injected pace whenever he did so, but he has to lose a mark for the clumsy tackle which saw him sent to corner for 10 minutes and helped to kick-start the Aussie resurgence.

14. Nehe Milner-Skudder: 8
The guy just oozed menace throughout, strolling in for a try early doors but then always looking to carve apart the Wallaby defence whenever he came in off his wing - which was a lot.  Brilliant feet.

13. Conrad Smith: 7
Played a key role in the opening try, cutting a nice line before having the awareness to switch the ball back to his namesake Aaron, and was instrumental in keeping a lid on the Australian backline in the first half.

12. Ma’a Nonu: 9
I remember when he burst onto the scene back in 2005 and we all thought, "here's another crash-bang-wallop" merchant.  He's not exactly delicate, but there's so much more to his game than physicality (and there has been for some time) and it was all on show here - distribution, kicking and, of course, a nose for the tryline as he weaved his way over from long range.  He will go down as one of New Zealand's best-ever centres - and that's saying something.

11. Julian Savea: 5.
For a man who made some of the loudest impacts in the games leading up to the final, he was oddly quiet for large segments of the big game.  Perhaps that's because he was well dealt with by Ashley-Cooper, but he also didn't seem to go looking for work that much.

10. Dan Carter: 9.
A staggering display.  He has built and built throughout the tournament and here, he was vintage Carter.  His game management was superb, his accuracy with the boot superb and his outrageous drop-goal was confirmation that he is, without doubt, the best 10 to have ever played the game.  Would have got man of the match were it not for McCaw in my book, but plenty have handed him the accolade and it's pretty hard to argue with.

9. Aaron Smith: 7.
Great angle and communication in the build-up to Milner-Skudder’s try, and his service was as snappy as usual. A couple of box kicks were a little wobbly, though, but he provided Carter with a solid platform - and that was all he needed.

1. Joe Moody: 6.
There were only eight scrums in the entire game, but Moody recovered from an early penalty to get his own back against Kepu.  Not all that conspicuous in the loose, but he can be very happy with his contribution to a World Cup winning side.

2. Dane Coles: 7.
One scything run was trademark Coles but, otherwise, he perhaps didn't have the impact with the ball in hand that he would have wanted.  Perfect in the lineout though, and you cannot ask for more than that.

3. Owen Franks: 5.
Solid in the scrum after early wobbles and that was all he needed to do.  Little impact in the loose but it didn’t matter.

4. Brodie Retallick: 8.
Weighed in with two turnovers at the breakdown, both in a first half period that saw possession changing hands regularly, and he was all over the Wallaby lineout like a rash - and about as welcome as one, too, for an Aussie side that was desperate for a platform.

5. Sam Whitelock: 8
These days he seems to be overshadowed by his partner in crime, 'Lurch', but here a high work rate to make 12 tackles as well was key to his side's success.  Oversaw a flawless line-out, too.

6. Jerome Kaino: 8.
He's one of the few guys who genuinely scares me when they're doing the haka (from the comfort of my sofa, mind), and he showed his brutal strength once again on Saturday.  Made more metres than any other forward on the pitch and was relentlessly physical throughout.

7. Richie McCaw: 10.

Gave one of those displays where you have to re-watch the game to appreciate everything he does.  Pocock may have won more turnovers in the classic sense, but how many time was McCaw there to drop on a loose ball, to make the tackle, to deliver the scoring pass.  He was everywhere and every time something important needed to be done, he did it.  Grabbed two turnovers himself, too, and as captain, he was virtually flawless.  He will join Carter in the 'best player ever' arguments...although by the sounds of it, he may have two more years to make his case after indicating he might want another pop at the Lions.

8. Kieran Read: 6.
A quieter display but considering that he was pretty much playing on one leg, that's understandable.  Was a calm head in amongst a furious forward battle and the fact he was kept on showed how important he is as a leader for the side.

Replacements: 8.
Beauden Barrett and Sonny Bill Williams had the most obvious impacts from the bench, the former showing searing pace for the final try and the latter offloading twice in the same move to set up Ma’a Nonu’s score. But to a man, the men that came on kept the intensity high and showed no signs of the nerves that have dogged New Zealand on this stage in the past.

Australia Player Ratings

15. Israel Folau: 6
We were all waiting for him to explode into life once again, as we seem to have been doing all tournament, but it just didn’t quite happen. Perhaps that ankle niggle is more niggly than we thought. He was solid and always seemed to tie in a couple of defenders, but no fireworks.

14. Adam Ashley-Cooper: 6
Utterly invisible in the first half, although that was hardly his fault. However, he grew into the game in the second half and got his hands on the ball more, looking dangerous at times.

13. Tevita Kuridrani: 5
Perhaps a tad harsh for someone who showed good support play to score a crucial try (although it did look as if he was running through treacle) but he looked outclassed to me in the midfield. A bit of a blunt instrument in attack, he was pretty well dealt with and defensively he was ropey in terms of his positioning, too.

12. Matt Giteau: 6
Showed signs of promise and authority before being forced from the field after being flattened by Brodie Retallick. A real shame that the man who only played a bit-part in the 2003 Final at the start of his international career had to endure a similar role at the end of it.

11. Drew Mitchell: 6
Perhaps the Wallabies’ most potent attacking threat, he seemed to wriggle out of tackles at will and beat a number of defenders. Unfortunately, the ball seemed to bounce out of his hands an uncharacteristically noticeable number of times, including just before Barrett’s game-winning score.

10. Bernard Foley: 7
Targeted in defence but he stood up well and certainly did not crumble. He did, however, lack the utter authority of his opposite number and, although he certainly caught the eye with some trademark jinks, some solid kicking and a great piece of awareness for his team's second score, he was over-shadowed by his fellow number 10. Then again, there’s no shame in that.

9. Will Genia: 7
Has grown again this tournament after a year or two in the doldrums, and his communication and execution for Kuridrani’s second try was very impressive. Gave good service throughout the game but we didn’t see too much sniping around the fringes.

1. Scott Sio: 6
He was massively important for the Wallabies at scrum time, and we saw them struggle once the big loosehead left the field. He won an early penalty against Franks and from then on seemed to almost have the upper-hand without quite making it count.

2. Stephen Moore: 5
He has to hold his hands up and take a share of the blame for a lineout which fell apart when it was needed most. Bloodied and brave as ever, that sadly doesn’t always cut it at the top level (see Steve Borthwick for further evidence). That said, Moore is a class act and will bounce back.

3. Sekope Kepu: 6
Honours even in the scrum and a couple of big bursts were impressive but – let’s be honest – he was a lucky boy to stay on the field after clattering Carter illegally a couple of times. Unnecessarily risky from the prop and, as it turned out, it had no effect whatsoever on the Kiwi playmaker.

4. Kane Douglas: 6
A real shame he was forced off so early, because he has provided real bite to the Wallaby dressing room. Looked aggressive and up for it in the 15 minutes he was on, but an awkward knee injury curtailed his involvement.

5. Rob Simmons: 4
Like Stephen Moore, Simmons (as the lineout caller) has to share the responsibility for a predictable and shaky platform that was probably a key component of the loss. Full blooded and committed in the loose, he was also unfortunately conspicuous when it came to getting on the wrong side of the law.

6. Scott Fardy: 6
He made a couple of crucial turnovers which underlined why he should never be overlooked as such a key component of the Wallaby back row, but he was also guilty of being a little bit flimsy in the tackle – slipping off three, which helped the waves of Black build their momentum.

7. Michael Hooper: 7
Very impressive, even in defeat. He was absolutely everywhere as usual – charging about, clattering into people, and he pinched a couple of turnovers, too. Sometimes his over-enthusiasm to make the big hit led to him dropping off tackles, but with Pocock in the side his primary function is to cause chaos. And he did that well… albeit not well enough.

8. David Pocock: 9
Another breakdown masterclass from a man who is surely Player or the Tournament. Not only did he win three turnovers, but he also topped the tackle charts with 13 and controlled the rolling maul well to kick-start the fightback. He would have been utterly dominant, were it not for a very, very special display by the greatest flanker of his (or probably any) generation on the other side.

Replacements:  7.

Kurtley Beale and Dean Mumm were both on the pitch for significant periods of time and both contributed with energetic and strong displays.  Mumm in particular was a joint top-tackler and Beale was a threat in space throughout.  The substitute front row didn't have a great time in the scrum, however...

@RuckedOver

World Cup Semi-Finals - Review

I
n a weekend of contrasting but enthralling rugby, we've whittled it down from a mini-Rugby-Championship to a mini-but-very-f*cking-important Bledisloe Cup game.  Depressing for the rest of the World if you stop to think about it, but also very, very exciting.

New Zealand 20 - 18 South Africa

In sharp contrast to the free-flowing exhibition of total rugby that we saw last week underneath a closed roof in Cardiff, this time the All Blacks engaged in an ugly arm-wrestle underneath the grey, wet autumnal West London skies - but it was no less engaging to watch as the South Africans put up the sternest test for the World Champions yet.  And by stern, I mean physical - bone-jarringly, wince-and-cover-your-delicate-areas physical.

Looking through the line-ups, you could see that the experience factor - and thus the big-game mentality - was weighted heavily in favour of the men in black, especially in the backline where the wily old veterans Carter, Nonu and Smith would face up against the new kids on the block for the Springboks, in the shape of Pollard, De Allende and Kriel.  But, bizarrely, for most of the first half, it was the South Africans who looked to have taken the game by the scruff of the neck., despite an ominous early score from the Kiwis as they attacked the short-side to allow Richie McCaw to float a delightful, borderline-forward pass to Jerome Kaino, who crashed past De Jager to dive over in the corner.  Aside from that, however, it was a case of the Springboks looking generally more threatening then they did last week against the Welsh, with De Allende and Kriel both making good yards, and forcing their illustrious opponents into conceding silly penalties.  With Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen winning the breakdown battle, even Saint McCaw found himself on the wrong end of the referee's whistle which, coupled with a number of scrum penalties, kept the champs on the back foot for most of the half.  The Springboks were unlucky not to score a five-pointer themselves, but they did force a yellow-card to Kaino after the giant flanker cynically kicked the ball away from an offside position.  With Hendre Pollard deadly off the tee, the Boks held a 12 - 7 lead and a one-man advantage going into the break.

However, as many have found out, All Black generosity tends not to last.  Stingy gits.  Coming out early to lay the law down to one another as the rain began to plummet from the sky, it was clear Steve Hansen had brought out the hair-dryer for his half-time address - and boy did his team respond.  Despite being a man down, the Kiwis took advantage of some wayward kicking from hand by Pollard - which became a theme in the game in the second half - to set up camp in South African territory.  Firstly, Carter nailed a drop-goal to bring his team within two, before good pressure and hands by Ma'a Nonu put substitute Beauden Barrett into the corner for a well-deserved try, superbly converted by Carter.  It got worse for the Boks as Bryan Habana, still searching for a record-breaking try, was retrospectively shown yellow for a deliberate ruck infringement, meaning that South Africa were in that place that nobody wants to be - behind on the scoreboard and on the player count against the All Blacks.  To their credit, the Springboks weathered the storm and a penalty from Pollard and Pat Lambie sandwiched a crucial one for Carter, which was awarded against Eben Etzebeth for brainlessly going off his feet in a ruck.  The reigning champions rode out the final 10 minutes, however, with supreme poise and control to finish the game 18 - 20 up and book themselves a real shot at becoming the first side ever to retain the World Cup.

The All Black machine just keeps on rolling.

Man of the Match:  Dan Carter.  The control he showed - especially in the second half when his side needed to play rugby in the right areas - was absolutely crucial and demonstrated why he is such a complete player.  People often say, in the argument of great fly-halves, that Wilko was the better tactician and points-accumulator whilst Carter is the more natural attacker, but the drop-goal and crucial touchline conversion would have had even Jonny feeling pretty chuffed with himself.  Francois Louw also deserves a mention for an epic display in a losing cause.


Argentina 15 - 29 Australia

There is always a danger, in any sport - and in particular in a World Cup - of getting a bit carried away.  Perhaps 'believing your own hype' may be a bit strong, but certainly we've seen it a fair bit this tournament - for example, England, upon hearing that they may have one of the most dangerous back three in the tournament following the warm-up internationals, decided to lob the ball wide at every opportunity against Fiji and consequently gave their wingers a bit of a battering.  And Argentina, after tearing the Irish a new one last weekend with a scintillating display of fast, ambitious and clinical rugby, may have fallen into the same trap against the Wallabies on Sunday.

Straight from the off, it became clear that they were going to try and take the game to the Australians - admirable stuff, but it has to be done in the right places in knock-out rugby.  A highly telegraphed inside-ball 30 metres out offers few benefits to the attacking side, but Rob Simmons certainly got the best deal as he snaffled the pass and galloped over for a try inside 80 seconds.  Nicholas Sanchez got his side on the board with 3 points after a sharp break by Marcelo Bosch, but otherwise it was looking a bit too straightforward for the men in gold, as Adam Ashley-Cooper waltzed in off first phase just five minutes later.  I thought Tuculet could have had him covered, but the full back seemed to give up bizarrely early.  Unlike last week, Bernard Foley had his kicking boots on, too, and nailed the conversion from out wide to give the favourites a commanding 14 - 3 lead.

It was quickly becoming apparent that the major difference this week was that the Wallaby defence and breakdown was not as submissive as a particularly soppy Labrador, as the Irish were last week, and consequently the Pumas were struggling to get any quick, front-foot ball - especially with David Pocock causing customary mayhem at every ruck.  Luckily for the Pumas, the scrum was looking in a particularly dominant mood and was giving Argentina a foot-hold, allowing Sanchez to claw back three points, but the rest of the half was dominated by bad news.  A yellow-card for Lavinini for a no-arms tackle of Folau, the withdrawal of key men Creevy and Imhoff due to injury, and Ashley-Cooper's second try - set up by a gorgeous wide pass by Giteau - left the Argentineans hanging on at the break, despite another Sanchez penalty to bring the score 9 - 19.

10 points didn't seem a bad gap, in all honesty, after they'd been outscored by three tries to zip, and to their credit the Pumas came out with real discipline and belief in the second half.  With the Wallaby set-piece creaking and the Argentineans starting to works some phases, Sanchez added two penalties to one from Foley to bring the South Americans within one score going into the final 10 minutes.  They couldn't possibly come back - could they?  The answer turned out to be no - after being bumped back time and again due to a combination of their own handling mistakes and superb work from the Aussie loose forwards, Drew Mitchell decided to go beserk and beat half the Argentina team on a mazy run to set up a hat-trick score for Ashley-Cooper.  There was a suspicion that the final, loose pass went forward, but it would have been harsh on Mitchell after such an incredible break.  It put the Argentina dream to bed once more, with the final score at 15 - 29.

Heartbreak for the Pumas but, considering where they were just over 12 months ago, it's almost the ultimate resurgence for the Wallabies.

Man of the Match:  David Pocock.  Once again, the Brumbies man showed his worth with 4 turnovers and probably a number of penalties which haven't been counted on top of that.  One defensive slip up early on aside, it was a nearly flawless performance by the man with biceps the size of bowling balls.  A special mention to Scott Fardy, who was epic in defence, and Nicholas Sanchez, too.

 

@ruckedover

World Cup Quarter Finals - Reviews

My other half went on a hen weekend on Saturday and Sunday.  She asked if I'd be alright on my own, and I bravely spoke up "Should be fine".  I think I moved about 10 metres in total all weekend, unable to take my eyes off what was probably the best set of quarter final games in World Cup history.  All brilliant spectacles in their own way - each dramatic, each one different, but all so very compelling. 

The net result is we now have to smile and nod when those berks from the South pipe up about how much better their rugby is.

Turns out they might have a point.

South Africa 23 - 19 Wales

The Springboks prevailed in probably the most physical affair of the weekend, as two phenomenally aggressive packs went toe-to-toe for the majority of the 80 minutes.  It was compelling, brutal stuff where running rugby was at a premium but, when there was something to get excited about, it was generally the Welsh getting bums off seats, with one 40 metre surge in particular getting the men in red to within a metre of the line.  As it turned out, this was probably the only match of the weekend which you may have argued turned into a traditional 'northern hemisphere' affair, dominated by the boots of Hendre Pollard and Dan Biggar for large parts as both sides produced bonehead moments at the breakdown.  However, after an even first half it was Wales who had their noses in front by 13 - 12, thanks to the only try of the game, poached once again by Gareth Davies, with Biggar setting his scrum half up with a superb kick and chase.

The second half, though, was a different story as the South Africans gradually wore their opponents down like a school-bully administering daily Chinese-burns.  Wales had been unable to break Wallaby resistance the week before, but now they invoked their own 'Spirit of Dunkirk'-esque resistance as the likes of Sam Warburton and Dan Lydiate chopped down and turned over wave after wave of Springbok attack - which, admittedly, wasn't overly imaginative.  With Dan Biggar in deadly form off the tee, the Welsh were in the lead going into the final 10 minutes - only for a piece of magic from Duane Vermuelen to eventually break the line.  The big number eight picked off the base of a scrum and dashed blind, half-breaking Davies' tackle to draw in Alex Cuthbert and then - looking the opposite way with three defenders climbing all over him - popped a delicious offload to skipper Fourie du Preez who scampered over in the corner for the match-winning try.

It was the traditional World Cup heartbreak for the stricken Welsh side, but it was hard to argue that the South Africans were not good value for their win - for Vermeulan's moment of genius alone.

Man of the Match:  Duane Vermeulen.  What a difference he's made to the Springbok back row.  Despite being the size of a hungry hippo he demonstrated a phenomenal appetite for work, making tackles and getting his hands on the ball but, then again, so did Schalk Burger.  What really sets Vermeulen aside is his ability to bust out big plays and silky hands at key times - his glorious offload for his team's try was the only way to unlock a stubborn Welsh defence and was deserving of a match-winning moment.  Sam Warburton was mightily impressive in defeat, too.
 
New Zealand 62 - 13 France

The scene was set.  Cardiff, quarter-final, All Blacks v Les Bleus with the French completely written off - it was all very 'a la 2007'.  On a Saturday night, in front of a packed, inebriated Millennium Stadium, it was a time for the rugby romanticists to dream of another historic upset - the unpredictable French defeating the all-conquering All Blacks.  Only that didn't happen, or even come close to happening.  What we did get, however, was one of the best exhibitions of 'Total Rugby' produced between two 'Tier One' nations, once again proving that New Zealand are, by quite some distance, still the best side in the world on their day.  Bugger.

One thing that was all too predictable, however, given their form under Philippe Saint-Andre, was how devoid Les Bleus were of ideas in attack and how ropey the mercurial Freddie Michalak was all over the park..for 10 minutes, at least.  After missing his only two tackles (on Ma'a Nonu, to be fair), Michalak's main contribution was to allow Brodie Retallick to charge down his kick and gallop over for a score whilst simultaneously pulling his hamstring to end his night prematurely.  Not the best day at the office for him, but it was about to get a whole lot worse for France.  After Nehe Milner-Skudder had jinked his way over and Julian Savea had touched down thanks to a sumptuous offload from Dan Carter, Les Bleus did show some resistance as Louis Picamoles - their stand-out player - wriggled over after collecting a loose ball.  But the relief was temporary, as Savea bulldozed his way over for a stunning second, and France faced a 13 point deficit at the break.

We all know that the French love their comebacks, and they did briefly look threatening in the second half as they came out with real aggression, albeit still lacking any creativity - and their goose was cooked when Picamoles perhaps took his frustration too far by 'pushing Richie McCaw's face with his fist' (otherwise known as a punch), to earn a yellow card.  It was admittedly pretty galling though to see McCaw get away scot-free after he had committed three cynical offences in one motion - or, to use similar language to the terminology used above, "cheated in the game using his hands".  In all likelihood, it would have made next to no difference, however, as the reigning champs ran riot in the final 25 minutes against a demoralised French team with Kaino, Savea (for his hat-trick), Reid and Kerr-Barlow (who grabbed a double off the bench) all dotting down for superb tries.

To para-phrase Alan Partridge, it was 'liquid rugby' and a joy to watch - although being on the receiving end didn't look like a whole lot of fun.

Man of the Match:  Julian Savea.  Well, it has to be hasn't it?  The comparisons with Lomu were there for all to see as he smashed tacklers out of the way left, right and centre.  Poor Noa Nakaitaci will be having nightmares as he was effectively bullied for a full 80 minutes and, let's be honest, did he really look like he wanted to tackle to Savea in the build up to the big man's second?  The Hurricanes winger is well on his way to being regarded as one of the greatest wingers of all time - if he isn't already - but he'd be the first to thank the likes of Dan Carter and Brodie Retallick, who were phenomenal as well.


Ireland 20 - 43 Argentina

This was, for me, without doubt the game of the weekend - which is saying something.  I don't think the Irish had underestimated the Pumas at all but I did wonder, from a couple of fans in green who I spoke to, that they thought they were big favourites even without Paul O'Connell, Peter O'Mahony, and Sean O'Brien.  As it turned out, this was one of the games where I was absolutely nauseating (and not just because of my general odour, for once), making constant claims of I told you so, whether it was in relation to the Argentinean display in general or the performances of Pablo Matera and Santiago Cordero.

The problem with the players that Ireland were missing wasn't just to do with their physicality (although that would no doubt have helped), it was to do with the mindset and aggression that they'd bring.  Instead - and, in any event, largely thank to speed that Argentina were playing against - the Irish defensive line was as tough as damp bog roll, with the likes of Matera making big metres with every carry to get the South Americans on the front foot.  They played with such pace and aggression that they looked in a different league to the men in green, and they got their reward with two stunning tries, one scored by centre Matias Moroni and the other brilliantly touched down by Joaquin Tuculet; both set up by the electric Cordero.  Ireland ground their way back into the match - especially when the brainless Ramiro Herrera was shown yellow for an off-the-ball hit - and sparked the massive green contingent of the crowd to life when Luke Fitzgerald (on for Tommy Bowe) scorched clear to get the score to 23 - 13 half time.

The momentum continued to swing towards the favourites when Fitzgerald superbly broke the line and offloaded to Jordi Murphy for a well-worked try by the sticks, to bring his side within 3 points.  It was as close as they would come.  The Pumas rode out the storm, and Tuculet scored in the corner in the 68th minute to put daylight between the sides, before the excellent Juan Imhoff produced a near carbon-copy of Fitzgerald's score to put the game to bed.  This had become a hammering, but it shouldn't have surprised anyone since Argentina now have a deadly back 3 to compliment their traditionally brutal pack.

Make no mistake, the first and last 20 minutes of this display were as good as anything produced by the All Blacks the night before under the same roof.

Man of the Match:  Pablo Matera.  Released back to Argentina by the Leicester Tigers after an injury-plagued couple of seasons, Matera showed the promise that once again led to Richard Cockerill defining him as 'one of the best young flankers in World Rugby'.  His aggression and work-rate were superb, and he smashed over the gainline with such ease time and time again.  He also introduced his shoulder rather vigorously into Ian Madigan's rib-cage on more than one occasion.  A brutal display, almost matched by the craft and accuracy of Nicholas Sanchez and the guile and pace of the wingers, Juan Imhoff and Santiago Cordero.



Australia 35 - 34 Scotland 

Ah, there had to be one, didn't there.  The game where we can forget about all the rugby that was played and instead concentrate on one moment - or, more accurately, one man - but I'll get to that later.  Instead, for now, I'll just comment on another enthralling encounter where the Wallabies looked slick and in control for large portions, only to be forced into mistakes and pegged back by a relentlessly physical and dogged Scottish side - who showed plenty of bite themselves in attack.  It was an odd game, where the Wallabies looked to be on the verge of cutting loose at any moment, but it never happened - even when Adam Ashley-Cooper and Drew Mitchell finished off well-executed team moves in the corner, and Michael Hooper burrowed his way over, they still couldn't shake off the men in blue.  Perhaps it was due to the ruthlessness of the Scots, which is not usually a quality you associate with their rugby team (although perhaps with William Wallace) - Greg Laidlaw was deadly off tee whilst Bernard Foley couldn't hit a barndoor with a boomerang, and Peter Horne spied a gap the size of Ayres Rock through a ruck to creep over for a score.

Trailing 16 - 15 at the break, the men in green and gold tried to take the game by the scruff of the neck and were helped when Craig Joubert and his TMO decided to controversially yellow-card Sean Maitland for a deliberate knock-on, for sticking out a hand as an automatic reaction.  This was the first call to receive plenty of lip-service from commentators and Scottish fans, but I have to say I thought it was the correct call.  It is a stupid rule - how anything that is clearly reactionary can be deemed as deliberate, I don't know - but over the last few years if you go for the ball with one hand, you're asking for trouble.  Joubert applied the stupid rule consistently, at least, and the Wallabies profited, when Drew Mitchell slid into the corner that Maitland would have been defending.  Foley had found his kicking boots, too, but gifted momentum back to Scotland with a charge-down try finished by Tommy Seymour, before Tevita Kuridrani wriggled over to finally - it seemed - but the Scottish resistance to bed.

Not so.  As the rains came plummeting down for pretty much the first time in this World Cup to give the evening a very Scottish-feel, James Slipper - the replacement loosehead for Australia - attempted a miss-pass 30 metres out from his own line, which was gleefully accepted by Mark Bennett, who raced over to give the underdogs the lead with 5 minutes to go.  Then came 'that' moment.  The Scots inexplicably threw to the back of their own lineout 25 metres out in torrential conditions, lost the ball, and when Josh Strauss appeared to knock the ball on with his shoulder, substitute prop Jon Welsh picked the ball up in an offside position.  Penalty to Australia, Foley with balls the size of boulders, the rest is cruel history.

A lot's been said about the decision - in fact, World Rugby have helpfully come out and said that Craig Joubert was wrong, which is a pretty appalling thing to do and effectively ends any lingering hopes Joubert may have had of Salmon fishing in the highlands.  In super-slow motion, the ball comes of Strauss, Nick Phipps plays at the ball, and it glances off him - therefore, it's a scrum and not a penalty to the Wallabies.  But I can see, in real time, why he made the decision - and the fact is that he could not refer to the TMO.  That in itself wasn't the bad bit about Joubert's performance - the questions that need to be answered are related to why this was a penalty when a nearly identical incident earlier resulted in just a scrum; why did he continually and wrongly penalise Scott Sio in the scrum when Nel was folding in; why did he sprint off the pitch like Dave Wilson after spotting a buffet when the game had finished?  It was a crap refereeing display and both sides should feel a bit aggrieved - especially the Scots of course - but bad performances do happen.  This is rugby, it has to be accepted, and moved on from, no matter how bitter that pill is to swallow (easy to say when I'm not Scottish) - and hope that World Rugby take the appropriate action against Joubert.

But I've seen a lot of talk about Scotland being 'robbed' or that they 'deserved to win' - no, they didn't.  Australia were the better side overall and, whilst very wobbly in patches, were good value for their victory with 5 tries to 3.  Scotland didn't deserve to win; but, with the display they put in and the guts they showed, they sure as hell didn't deserve to lose like that.

Man of the Match:  Craig Joubert.  Only joking (*ducks*).  Dave Denton stood out for me as he epitomised everything great about this Scottish display - relentless, unyielding and hugely physical.  He got the Wallabies on the backfoot on a regular basis with some massive carries and helped the backrow as a whole outshine their counterparts with some strong work at the breakdown and in the tackle, too.  Greg Laidlaw was also a stand-out for Scotland whilst Tevita Kuridrani probably enjoyed his best game for the Wallabies.

World Cup Review - England 60 - 3 Uruguay

Have you ever wondered where the term 'dead rubber' comes from?  Probably not, because you probably have things to do with your spare time, but I, on the other hand, am exceptionally sad and decided to find out where it came from.  Apparently, some card game played by equally sad people - a game called 'rubber bridge' - is to blame, because that involves a series of 5 hands and it's occasionally the case where the last hand or 2 don't matter....is anyone still listening? Anyway, you can scrap all that, because the new definition is England v Uruguay, Manchester, Rugby World Cup 2015.

Well, OK, dead rubber in the sense that there was nothing to play for in the tournament, but there was plenty to play for by way of pride, by way of putting on a show for loyal fans who still wanted something to cheer about.  Stuart Lancaster has his detractors but, as he selected a side largely brimming with young talent, he wanted to go out of this tournament - and potentially out of his job - on a positive note.

But, perhaps predictably, it got off to a bit of a damp start as England were lazily caught offside after just 30 seconds, allowing Uruguayan fly half Felipe Berchesi to nudge over a simple 3 points to give the South Americans the lead, and allow the rest of the world to snigger just that bit louder at England's fortune.  Thankfully, though, it only took 6 minutes for the hosts to get some feel-good factor back and, unsurprisingly, it came thanks to three of their brightest young stars.  Henry Slade flung a lovely 20 metre pass out wide towards his Exeter mate Jack Nowell, and when the winger kicked ahead it was fellow flyer Anthony Watson who won the race to dot down for the first try of the night.  Farrell added the extras and, after such a dark week, it was refreshing for the loyal crowd who had arrived to cheer England on in any event to have something to cheer about - a glimpse into a potentially bright future.

It wasn't all perfect for England's young tyros, though, as George Ford was making a habit of making uncharacteristically bad calls and throwing hospital passes - perhaps due to a lack of strike running options in his backline.  Worryingly, too, the amateur Uruguayans were being disruptive over the ball at the breakdown and physical in the tackle, defending solidly to keep the hosts out for the next 10 minutes.  In the end, it was the grizzliest of veterans who showed the kids how to do it next, with Nick Easter burrowing his way over for England's second off the back of a driving maul, before he repeated the trick from a ruck 5 minutes later, showing all his experience to spot the smallest of gaps following a Danny Care snipe.  Owen Farrell converted both, and England led 21 - 3 with just over a quarter of the match gone.

The hosts seemed to be playing some positive stuff in patches, but too often they lost control of the pill attempting one too many offloads, or allowed the enthusiastic South Americans back to barrel their way through the ruck to make a mess of the hosts' possession.  It was obvious, too, that England were lacking a running threat in the backs - which was to be expected with four 1st receivers selected - and that meant that, whilst there were some lovely hands by the likes of Alex Goode and Slade, all too often Nowell and Watson were getting the ball with half a dozen very angry Uruguayans hurtling across to them with the express intention of introducing their shoulders to the wingers' ribs.  It was a second quarter performance which almost summed up England over the last 4 years - plenty of promise, even more frustration.

No further scores were added before the break, although lock Santiago Vilaseca was shown a yellow card for a cynical breakdown infringement, and you got the sense that Stuart Lancaster expected more from a side who were fighting to regain some modicum of pride from this tournament. Thankfully, the hosts acted on this from the first minute of the restart and immediately showed more accuracy, sending Watson over in the corner for his second of the match after a clever set piece move involving Ford and Goode.  Farrell missed the conversion for once, but he should have had more chances to make amends over the next five minutes, only for Chris Robshaw and James Haskell (more than once) to drop the ball in promising positions.  Haskell's in particular was a complete howler, as Farrell's excellent pass put him into a three on one situation, only for old-spade hands to absolutely butcher it. 

Luckily, England didn't have to wait long for another score as Henry Slade, who had shown touches of class running and passing all night, charged down a kick and showed great footballing ability to fly-kick the ball up field and touch down for a maiden try.  Farrell was off target once again, but he made no mistake converting Nowell's try 2 minutes later, after Goode had returned a kick with interest to put Care into space, allowing the scrum half to draw the man and put the Chiefs flyer in for his first of the night.  The score was now 38 - 3 after a hour, and you got the impression that the hosts were just starting to go through the gears a bit now as their gnarly opponents started to tire - particularly seeing as they had played Fiji just 5 days prior.

With the pack now dominant and Jonathan Joseph on for Farrell to create some mayhem out wide, England showed their superior class and fitness over the final 20 minutes.  Nick Easter burrowed his way over for a well-earned hat-trick in identical fashion to his first score - after directing a well-structured rolling maul - and it was a fair reward for a tireless display from the Quins man who has spent most of the last 4 years thinking his international career was over.  Saracens substitute duo George Kruis and Jamie George were making good headway with the ball in hand, barrelling through tacklers but, after England had remained disciplined to repel a brief Uruguayan assault on their line, it was a deft, lofted pass from Ford which unlocked the defence for the men in white's next score, walked in by Nowell in the corner for his second.  He had a hat-trick soon after, too, after Joseph skipped past his man in typical style to give Slade the chance to put Nowell in for another simple score. 

The downside to all of this, of course - aside from the fact that this was all entirely irrelevant in the context of the World Cup - was that Ford had missed all 3 of his attempted kicks from out wide, although he did nail his last conversion of the night from under the sticks after England were awarded a penalty try for a deliberate offside by Uruguay on their own line to stop a certain score following surges upfield by Joseph, Wigglesworth and Ford.

And so England's World Cup is done.  Dusted.  Confined to the history books.  Perhaps this game can offer English fans the finest of silver linings - a glimpse of some of the undoubted talent they have at their disposal to take the team forward over the coming years.  A sobering fact that emerged during the game was that, after Wales had failed to get a bonus point against the Wallabies, a draw against the men in red would have been enough to see the hosts through.  Robshaw will wonder what could have been.  But the truth is that it wasn't just one decision that cost England to influence this World Cup.  A World Cup that, very much for England, 'could have been'. 


England Player Ratings

1.  Mako Vunipola - 7 - As usual, looked knackered from the first whistle with his socks down by his ankles and his constant slouch, but he carried relentlessly throughout - although he didn't make the big busts we perhaps expected.  On top in the scrums, too.

2.  Tom Youngs - 6 - He was flawless in the lineout but the bloke looked knackered after being the most effective English forward in the loose over the last fortnight.  Substituted at half time looking like he was being held together by sellotape.

3.  Dan Cole - 7 - Won his battle in the scrum, although not with the aplomb we might have expected.  Useful in the loose, too, with some good link play, but still seems to be some way short of the devastating best we saw in the Six Nations and for Leicester last season.

4.  Joe Launchbury - 8 - Picked up where he left off against the Wallabies and was a tireless presence on the carry and a nuisance in the lineout.  An absolute work horse.  If only he wasn't so quiet and didn't look like Cupid's big brother then he could be a serious contender for England skipper.

5.  Geoff Parling - 7 - Dominant in the set piece, as you would expect, and linked up play pretty well too.  Can be pretty happy with his work this tournament.

6.  James Haskell - 6 - A typical Haskell performance, in many ways.  His pure power regularly got him over the gainline but his spade-hands let him down on more than one occasion, and he lacked the killer instinct and technique to really dominate the breakdown.

7.  Chris Robshaw - 6 - Another to look tired, there was no doubting his effort but the quality of his output was, once again, not up to expectations.  One dropped try-scoring opportunity sticks in the mind and was worryingly outplayed at the breakdown by a window-cleaner.  Part of me hopes that this isn't his last game as skipper, because he's better than this.

8.  Nick Easter - 9 - Not particularly fashionable, but I have to say the old man of the team was a class act, even against limited opposition.  Aside from a well-taken hat-trick, his work rate was phenomenal - carrying the ball 31 times.  Something that Ben Morgan could learn from, perhaps.

9.  Danny Care - 7 - Offered glimpses of the tempo he can bring to a game which again begs the question as to why he wasn't on the bench - or even starting, given Youngs' injury - against the Wallabies.  Had a key role in a couple of the tries without really tearing it up, like we know he can.

10.  George Ford - 6 - It was clear that he wasn't entirely comfortable playing with no strike runners in his midfield or at full-back, which was understandable, and his decision making was iffy early on.  Grew in authority as the game progressed but his missed kicks were a bit worrying.

11.  Jack Nowell - 8 - Showed what he's all about, with good balance and strength, and was probably England's most effective running threat.  Picked up a deserved hat-trick and should have been involved earlier in the tournament.

12.  Owen Farrell - 6 - Kicked pretty well off the tee and was solid in defence, although you do sense that he sometimes goes searching for the big hit too much.  Distributed too often without committing defenders but did show some nice touches and made a couple of breaks.

13.  Henry Slade - 8 - I have to admit that I was worried that the pressure of being effectively proclaimed as 'the savior of English rugby' would weigh heavily on his shoulders, but he looked like a class-act.  A couple of gliding runs and gorgeous passes caught the eye, and his footballing ability for his score was top notch.  Wasted at 13 though with no strike runner inside, though.  His future is at 10 or 12.

14.  Anthony Watson - 7 - Usually got the ball with the entire Uruguay backline drifting on to him because of the lack of runners inside, but his finishing was again top drawer.  Always looks lethal in space.

15.  Alex Goode - 7 - Nothing overly spectacular from Goode but his handling and distribution was what we've come to expect.  Had a hand in a couple of the tries when the delay of his pass was key.

Subs - 7 - Everyone had a positive impact, but especially Joseph, who seemed to beat a man with every touch of the ball and helped set up a couple of late scores.  Jamie George and George Kruis were both busy, too.

@RuckedOver

World Cup Review - England 13 - 31 Australia

I've written some pretty galling articles on this blog over the last 2 and a half years - Wales' 30-3 demolition in Cardiff and Leicester's 45-0 loss to Bath spring to mind - but I always intended this World Cup to be my swan song for regular writing, for previews and reviews and the like.  And part of me always hoped I'd finish on a glorious English triumph or - at least - on a crescendo of optimism for English rugby.  It's safe to say that won't be happening when I do my 'fall-out' piece arising from this sh*t storm.

Going into this game, after the 15 minute debacle which cost them last week, England had their backs to the wall - but there was still a level of optimism.  They'd played pretty well for most of their match against Wales and their opposition in their make or break encounter - against Australia - were a side they'd beaten in 4 of their last 5 attempts.  And I can vouch that Twickenham was as loud and as energetic as I've ever heard it, as the teams emerged, with even Aussies commenting that the rendition of God Save the Queen was awe-inspiring.  The hosts carried the hopes of a nation, but they should have been angry, confident and inspired.  That's usually a good combination. 

However, although England started with possession, showing positive intent, the explosive first 20 minutes they had promised never really materialised; rather than coming out firing, the hosts only managed to shoot themselves in the foot.  From an early scrum around halfway, Ben Youngs only managed to chip the ball dead (although the lack of chaser didn't help) and Mike Brown made a hideous mistake of putting a toe on the touchline when fielding a smart, raking kick from Will Genia.  Instead of looking fired up, the men in white looked under pressure - and from great field position, the Wallabies earned themselves a penalty which was slotted by Bernard Foley.  First blood to Australia.

England, though, hit straight back, as Jonathan Joseph threatened to get on the outside of Tevita Kuridrani and then Anthony Watson nearly burst through, courtesy of a neat offload from Owen Farrell.  Although the move broke down, it was promising for the hosts - and after they had won a penalty at the scrum, allowing Farrell to level the scores, the fans could be forgiven for thinking everything was back on plan; the outside backs were looking menacing, the scrum was on top and Farrell was looking as deadly as ever off the tee.

The Wallabies quickly put paid to that idea, however.  After Folau has crashed through the English line two minutes following the restart, only to be brought down by a superb Mike Brown tackle, the men in gold set up camp in the England 22.  Probing, never panicking and always threatening, a smart offload by Sekope Kepu drew in defenders and created an overlap on the right.  With Ben Youngs drifting to try and cover the extra man and Joe Launchbury not able to provide inside cover, Foley threw a dummy to dart through a gap, step inside Brown and dive over for a trademark, brilliantly taken score.  Foley added the extras and Twickenham was stunned - one thing they did not want to be doing was to be chasing the game against a team as dangerous as Australia.

It was about to get much worse, though.  Although the hosts seemed to have most of the ball and appeared to be providing a lot of the threat, they were playing all their rugby around the halfway line.  It meant that, although Joseph, Jonny May and Chris Robshaw all made good half breaks over the next 10 minutes, they were never in a position to threaten and, with Michael Hooper and David Pocock lurking, the Wallabies could afford to bide their time and wait for the opportunity to win a turnover or penalty.  Sure enough, this happened twice - and although England repelled the first attack well, they then proceeded to get turned over in exactly the same manner around halfway again.  I said before the game that, with Team Pooper lurking around, England could not afford to muck about around the halfway line - they had to play by the Wallaby 22.  Nobody ever listens to me.

The second time the Aussies got intoning ding distance of the English line, they were ruthless.  Once again, Foley was the architect and finisher, again spotting a shortage of numbers on one side and switching his run across the park to draw Ben Youngs and pop inside to Kurtley Beale (on for the injured Rob Horne), who returned the favour as Brown came to meet him.  Foley was over again and, if you could see through the crowd of utter dread which now filled Twickenham, you had to applaud the brilliance of Foley once again.  The cynical man in me thought that Youngs could perhaps have tackled Foley even though he had passed the ball, but the bottom line was the the Wallabies were too slick, too smart, too good, and they deserved the 17 - 3 lead they took into the break.

England had a mountain to claim and started the second half brightly, thanks in no small part to the fact George Ford was now on in place of Jonny May.  Ford's sharp hands were creating room but, with a midfield of Farrell and Brad Barritt, they missed some of Joseph's penetration as he was shunted to the wing, and eventually the visitors forced a turnover, again, to clear their lines and begin their own attack - which, again, proved fruitful.  This time the points came courtesy of a Foley penalty, and the source was not something that was predicted before the game.  Kepu had been annihilating Joe Marler in the scrum for most of the first half, and he forced the loosehead to angle in again here to earn the shot at goal. 17 points down, a dominant Wallaby scrum? This wasn't in the script.

Perhaps what was in the script, though, was a stirring England comeback. You know, a 'one for the ages' kind of thing - because that's what it was going to take to get into this game.  Again the hosts attacked with greater urgency, and again they were met by a Wallaby wall of steel, reinforced by the superb Kane Douglas and Scott Fardy, as well as the Pooper combination.  Ford was stretching them though and, after Joseph went close - only to be denied by a Foley knock on - they eventually did get over the whitewash.  Again, Ford was the man who pulled the trigger, finding Launchbury in space, and quick hands by the lock gave Watson the space he needed (not much) to burst between two defenders and score a superb try near the corner.  Farrell slotted the extras, and maybe now it was game on.

It certainly felt that way, because the Wallabies looked rattled.  Tom Youngs, who had been brutally impressive with and without the ball all game, nabbed a turnover of his own and Nick Phipps, who had replaced Will Genia at scrum half, seemed intent on throwing the ball anywhere where there wasn't a green and gold shirt. Farrell took advantage of a penalty that came courtesy of the chaos and suddenly the hosts were back within a score.  There was concern amongst the Australian fans and players alike now - "I've got a bad feeling about this", said my Aussie chum sat next to me.

He needn't have had anything to worry about though.  Just as England were looking calm and collected, as if they were waiting for their time to strike with 13 minutes to go, it all went wrong.  From an Australian scrum, England forced a turnover in midfield and hacked the ball down towards the other end of the field, with the crowd going bananas - only to be silenced as the TMO showed that the turnover came courtesy of a high shot from the newly-introduced Sam Burgess, giving Foley a penalty to make it a 10 point game again. It was made worse by the fact that, in the same motion, Farrell and cleaned Matt Giteau out without the ball and was, arguably harshly (given how quickly it all happened), shown a yellow card.  You could audibly hear the winds of hope die from the English sails.

Now Australian sportsmen aren't always known for being particularly sympathetic towards their English counterparts (not that I blame them) but the final 5 minutes were especially cruel.  The Aussie scrum once again humiliated the English pack to give Foley another 3 points and then, from yet another turnover, the Wallabies attacked the space on the other side of the pitch, allowing Adam Ashley-Cooper to put Matt Giteau in for the try, and the final nail in the English coffin. 

It was brutal but brilliant from the Wallabies. Far from the frustration of last week, where England let a game go in the last 15 minutes, this was a case of acknowledging that - for the vast majority of the game - they had been outclassed by a team who were 10% better in every department...even areas where England were supposed to dominate, such as the scrum, and areas where they had previously looked flakey, like at halfback - where Foley delivered one of the great opposition fly half displays at Twickenham.

For England and their fans, which include myself, there can only be despair and a sense of huge deflation that, after a 4 years of build up, shoots of promise and false dawns, they'll be reduced to mere spectators over the coming 4 weeks.

The dream is dead, but the show must go on.

NB. There was an unbelievable atmosphere and some good banter between fans on Saturday, but one point of disappointment was the booing at various stages.  Whether it was a futile attempt to put off Bernard Foley, or the jeering of Stuart Lancaster at the end - a man who (whilst spectacularly unsuccessful) was clearly broken at what he had just witnessed - lacked class all round.  Let's not carry on down this football route.



England Player Ratings

1.  Joe Marler - 4 - Obliterated by the magnificent Kepu in the scrum, and not for the first time in recent memory.  A year ago it looked as if his scrum demons had been put to bed but, on the latest evidence, he's back to square one.

2.  Tom Youngs - 8 - The questions about his scrummaging will remain but he deserves a shot with a more established loosehead on basis of his other play.  He was one of England's best carriers, tackled his socks off once again and the lineout was much more secure.

3.  Dan Cole - 5 - Ended with honours even against Scott Sio, but he would have hoped for more than just parity in the scrum.  We also haven't seen much of his renowned ability over the ball for a while and, boy, did England need that on Saturday.

4.  Geoff Parling - 6 - Full blooded commitment once again from Parling but he was outplayed on the whole by Simmons and Douglas.  He runs a slick lineout but unfortunately his brute force was found wanting in the tight.

5.  Joe Launchbury - 8 - Can walk away with his head held high after an all-action effort, although the critical might point out that he didn't react quickly enough for Foley's tries.  Aside from that, his hands were soft and his carries were hard, belying his cherub-like features.

6.  Tom Wood - 6 - He's impressed me this season with his willingness to carry, which was always a weakness previously, although he did it to good effect on Saturday.  Against the Wallabies, being tough and enthusiastic wasn't enough - without the ball, he lacked the guile to slow the Australian ball down properly.

7.  Chris Robshaw - 4 - It hurts me to say it as I've always been a Robshaw fan, but he was shown up badly at Twickenham.  Of course, the breakdown is not solely his responsibility but, in the biggest game of his career, I expected him to deliver a typical Robshaw performance - where he tops the tackle, carry and offload charts, making him effective even if he doesn't have the breakdown presence of Pocock or Hooper.  Instead, he seemed overawed and afraid to try and play his game, potentially signalling the end of his captaincy reign.

8.  Ben Morgan - 5 - We all know that, on top form, Big Ben is top notch, but he was short of his best once again on Saturday.  I said before that if he carried a lot, and carried hard, England could have a source of front-foot ball to make the Wallaby's back row struggle to compete.  He didn't carry enough, and he didn't carry hard enough.

9.  Ben Youngs - 5 - He clearly wasn't match fit.  When he wasn't running, he was hobbling and, although the pack didn't give him a great platform, his passing was erratic under pressure.  A couple of promising darts in the first half helped build momentum, but it didn't last for long.

10.  Owen Farrell - 5 - Faultless off the tee again and got off to a great start with a cracking offload to build an English attack.  But after that his kicking from hand was below par and his reckless yellow card put the nail into the coffin of English hope.  The thing with Farrell is that, off first phase ball, he is as good as anyone at executing a move - but, when playing off the cuff, he lacks the threat or timing of most international fly halves.

11.  Jonny May - 6 - Looked dangerous in patches on the wing and can be relatively pleased with his tournament, although he was forced off at half time with a hamstring strain.  Didn't get the space needed to really cut loose.

12.  Brad Barritt - 4 - When he was injured he somehow gained reputation and status, but once again his deficiencies were shown up in attack - one metre per carry is not enough for any centre.  His tackling was as exemplary as ever, but his time in the English midfield has surely come to an end.

13.  Jonathan Joseph - 7 - A good return for the Bath man and one of the few Englishmen to actually outplay their counterparts.  Looked sharp on the outside break and made plenty of metres in the wider channels without fully being able to break free.

14.  Anthony Watson - 8 - Superb finish for his try when he simply had no right to score and generally looked menacing all night.  One crap into touch, however, won't sit particularly well in the memory.

15.  Mike Brown - 6 - Made a howler in the first few minutes to give the Wallabies great field position but then recovered with a clattering tackle on Folau to prevent a try.  Kicking wasn't great but carried with purpose again.

Subs - 5 - Most of them didn't help, but Ford certainly picked things up in the backline, varying play beautifully and reminding us what we'd been missing.  Everyone else, however, couldn't help drag England back into the game and most made more mistakes than positive contributions.