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.