Saturday, October 25, 2003
It is magnificent, but it's not Rugby
Australia have just smashed Namibia in their match at the Adelaide Oval. The final score is 142 to nil. This breaks many records, and it was in some ways a very spectacular game to watch, with the Wallabies running in 21 tries.
It was however a poor advertisement for the game of Rugby. This was the first Test match to be played in Adelaide, and a majority of the 28,000 crowd would never have actually been to a game before. I am glad I didn't go- if I'm paying my hard earned cash, I want to see a contest, not an exhibition.
Hopefully tomorrow's match, between Ireland and Argentina, will provide a better spectacle.
It was however a poor advertisement for the game of Rugby. This was the first Test match to be played in Adelaide, and a majority of the 28,000 crowd would never have actually been to a game before. I am glad I didn't go- if I'm paying my hard earned cash, I want to see a contest, not an exhibition.
Hopefully tomorrow's match, between Ireland and Argentina, will provide a better spectacle.
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
Just to mention the competition*
BootsnAll, as I take it a South African travel company, has a Rugby World Cup blog that may interest y'all.
* No, not the rugby league, though if I figure out what's going on and see any, I'll let you know.
* No, not the rugby league, though if I figure out what's going on and see any, I'll let you know.
Thankyou Australia!
For all the hoo-hah and wild comments thrown around about Aussies being "Fair Weather Fans", the best possible way to shut up our critics is revealed in the ground attendances at the matches played thus far. I know that a lot of Kiwis were bitter after losing sub-host rights, and probably had a right to. But to come back and say that Australians wouldn't support rugby was perhaps taking it too far - after all, most Aussies will go to the opening of a jam jar providing you can convince them its a sport...
Just some quick attendance stats - based on the figures provided by the ARU on the ground seating capacities at their world cup rugby site (found here), and the updates to crowd figures in the daily e-letters you can subscribe to at same, the short answer is this - of a total of 882,124 seats availabe, 655,986 bums have filled them. That is a shade over 74%, with the average crowd = 31,237. Those figures are not based on tickets sold, but tickets scanned through the gates at each game.
Anyone who has seen footage of games so far would be amazed to see some of the turnouts - a windswept and rainy Sunday night in Sydney still got over 30,000 to Aussie Stadium to see Ireland maul Namibia, and support at the outlying stadia (Gosford, Townsville) has been awesome - especially for the minnows. Japan has won over Townsville with their fighting physical style, despite their size disadvantages up against teams like France and Scotland. Namibia has its own fan club here, and the Georgian players were welcome with open arms in Perth by fans who set up a supporter's club specifically for them. It warms the heart.
Scorelines? Who cares? Tell an Aussie who the underdog is, offer them a ticket and they'll snap it up, wear the colours, and will those smaller nations on with all their might. At the end of the day - and to use a well-known cliche - rugby is the winner.
Just some quick attendance stats - based on the figures provided by the ARU on the ground seating capacities at their world cup rugby site (found here), and the updates to crowd figures in the daily e-letters you can subscribe to at same, the short answer is this - of a total of 882,124 seats availabe, 655,986 bums have filled them. That is a shade over 74%, with the average crowd = 31,237. Those figures are not based on tickets sold, but tickets scanned through the gates at each game.
Anyone who has seen footage of games so far would be amazed to see some of the turnouts - a windswept and rainy Sunday night in Sydney still got over 30,000 to Aussie Stadium to see Ireland maul Namibia, and support at the outlying stadia (Gosford, Townsville) has been awesome - especially for the minnows. Japan has won over Townsville with their fighting physical style, despite their size disadvantages up against teams like France and Scotland. Namibia has its own fan club here, and the Georgian players were welcome with open arms in Perth by fans who set up a supporter's club specifically for them. It warms the heart.
Scorelines? Who cares? Tell an Aussie who the underdog is, offer them a ticket and they'll snap it up, wear the colours, and will those smaller nations on with all their might. At the end of the day - and to use a well-known cliche - rugby is the winner.
Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Wilkinson cited
The commissioner in charge of reviewing the SA - England game has decided to cite Wilkinson for 'vicious use of the boot'.
It is clear from the video footage that Wilkinson used the boot to retaliate for SA law infringements, scoring a massive 20 points in the process.
An insider stated: "It was absolutely brutal. At times, I almost couldn't watch, but he kept kicking them. I don't know how he can do it."
Reports indicate that Wilkinson has asked for another 720 counts to be taken into consideration, in additon to an undisclosed number of minor offenses.
Concerns have been raised that given Wilkinson's reported widespread use of the boot around the rugby world, it may not be possible to find an impartial citing commission.
It is clear from the video footage that Wilkinson used the boot to retaliate for SA law infringements, scoring a massive 20 points in the process.
An insider stated: "It was absolutely brutal. At times, I almost couldn't watch, but he kept kicking them. I don't know how he can do it."
Reports indicate that Wilkinson has asked for another 720 counts to be taken into consideration, in additon to an undisclosed number of minor offenses.
Concerns have been raised that given Wilkinson's reported widespread use of the boot around the rugby world, it may not be possible to find an impartial citing commission.
Progress report
We're now about 40% through the group stages. The one match everyone identified as key before the tournament, England - South Africa, is out the way. I'm pretty glad it ended in a (slightly messy) England win - other people are less glad (some links at the bottom of the post). In no order - Of the main competitors:
England - haven't looked quite on the pace yet, but have exceeded pre-match consensus by 5-10 points in both games - must try harder.
France - looked slick against Fiji, then under lots of pressure against Japan. About where they started - mercurial....
New Zealand - scoring heavily without everything being right. Injury/selection worries to sort out, but the early stages were to be about building a team anyway - could work out.
Australia - apparently have the Big Mo (see below). And look capable of cruising the group if Ireland don't sort things out.
South Africa - could try the same thing against NZ and may win it. Otherwise, home.
Of the rest, selected comments:
Japan - love'em to bits, played great rugby, top stuff, Nee-fan!. Can't qualify, but could still win a game, or at least score more great tries.
Fiji - long shots to beat Scotland, on comparison of USA games. Still possible. A bit of a let-down.
Scotland - poor.
Wales - poor, could be eliminated by
Italy - bad game today, by all accounts, but if they can up their performance for their Wales game could do it.
Tonga - cracking performance against Wales, winning the try count. Would like to see their game vs NZ.
Ireland - playing easy games so far, and will need to hit their peak to beat Australia. Likely to be thrown against France in a quarter, as most people suspected.
Others - eh. Some good, some bad, only about 50% up to date on live footage, so wouldn't want to judge. Not sure there are any bolters left.
Couple of England - South Africa bits and bobs:
Stuart Barnes:
"STUART SAYS: Graham, the media should remember that, New Zealand in 1987 apart, all World Cup winners have endured slack performances. The Aussies struggled against Samoa in 1991, The Boks against France in 1995 and the Wallabies against the host nation, Wales and the Boks last time around. New Zealand have only struggled to find their rhythm twice in the last two matches and lost them both. There is no harm in being reminded of a lesson without being punished. England played with great assurance for 10 minutes and thereafter appeared to just think it would happen. In World Cups teams have to work harder than that for glory. Johnson's men have been jolted by a passionate Springboks team, for whom the back row was superb and the half-backs the weakness a few of us thought they would be. As for Robinson in the centre, please! New Zealand tried to make that brainwave into reality with Christian Cullen in 1999. They ruined the player and their chances. England will not change their system at this late stage. It has been good enough to propel them to number one ranking in the world. If it is not quite good enough to make them champions then so be it... it is too late in the day for radical alterations like Robinson moving to centre. It would be a blunder were they to do so. The complacency has been knocked out of the system. Expect them to play a little more territorial rugby with a lot more effect from now on."
"Is that all you've got?" asks The Australian newspaper (very diplomatique...).
And, of course, the next item up
England - haven't looked quite on the pace yet, but have exceeded pre-match consensus by 5-10 points in both games - must try harder.
France - looked slick against Fiji, then under lots of pressure against Japan. About where they started - mercurial....
New Zealand - scoring heavily without everything being right. Injury/selection worries to sort out, but the early stages were to be about building a team anyway - could work out.
Australia - apparently have the Big Mo (see below). And look capable of cruising the group if Ireland don't sort things out.
South Africa - could try the same thing against NZ and may win it. Otherwise, home.
Of the rest, selected comments:
Japan - love'em to bits, played great rugby, top stuff, Nee-fan!. Can't qualify, but could still win a game, or at least score more great tries.
Fiji - long shots to beat Scotland, on comparison of USA games. Still possible. A bit of a let-down.
Scotland - poor.
Wales - poor, could be eliminated by
Italy - bad game today, by all accounts, but if they can up their performance for their Wales game could do it.
Tonga - cracking performance against Wales, winning the try count. Would like to see their game vs NZ.
Ireland - playing easy games so far, and will need to hit their peak to beat Australia. Likely to be thrown against France in a quarter, as most people suspected.
Others - eh. Some good, some bad, only about 50% up to date on live footage, so wouldn't want to judge. Not sure there are any bolters left.
Couple of England - South Africa bits and bobs:
Stuart Barnes:
"STUART SAYS: Graham, the media should remember that, New Zealand in 1987 apart, all World Cup winners have endured slack performances. The Aussies struggled against Samoa in 1991, The Boks against France in 1995 and the Wallabies against the host nation, Wales and the Boks last time around. New Zealand have only struggled to find their rhythm twice in the last two matches and lost them both. There is no harm in being reminded of a lesson without being punished. England played with great assurance for 10 minutes and thereafter appeared to just think it would happen. In World Cups teams have to work harder than that for glory. Johnson's men have been jolted by a passionate Springboks team, for whom the back row was superb and the half-backs the weakness a few of us thought they would be. As for Robinson in the centre, please! New Zealand tried to make that brainwave into reality with Christian Cullen in 1999. They ruined the player and their chances. England will not change their system at this late stage. It has been good enough to propel them to number one ranking in the world. If it is not quite good enough to make them champions then so be it... it is too late in the day for radical alterations like Robinson moving to centre. It would be a blunder were they to do so. The complacency has been knocked out of the system. Expect them to play a little more territorial rugby with a lot more effect from now on."
"Is that all you've got?" asks The Australian newspaper (very diplomatique...).
And, of course, the next item up
Sunday, October 19, 2003
Where's the Big Mo'?
After the main second round games, this thing has reached its first interesting stage, offering an intriguing if only partial viewing platform. Unlike conventional Test sequences, the multilateral form of the Cup looks poised to take off according to its own dynamics. And I like the outlook for the Wallabies.
Luck, injuries, team spirit … all these wild cards hover behind the outcomes for the superpowers, threatening to make all the difference in, well ... the world. Another key advantage will go to the team that captures the most momentum … the Big Mo', as they say in political races.
In the last hunt for Bill, the Wallabies ran their race real close, but to perfection, as we can only see in retrospect. For the pool games, the Australians stumbled around, getting in each other's way. Sure, they rose to every occasion, but no further. The surprise was when the team continued to lift against all and every opposition when they entered the finals. It was a hair-raising journey before John Eales got to lift that damn thing. Yet, in retrospect, we can see that the team was always gathering a strong underlying momentum ... an accumulating sense of confidence and composure.
What's interesting - now that we're half-way through the pools - is that New Zealand and France appeared to come off the boil in their second outings. It's difficult to say where the juice is flowing with England and South Africa. The English ran into a Bok brick wall last night, and I don't think we'll know the full toll here until all the smoke clears.
On the other hand, the Wallabies are definitely coming on. The pre-Cup shake they gave the All Blacks in NZ has been followed by a better performance against Argentina, and a better performance again in this weekend's Great Romanian Massacre, as this mass-record-breaking outing is slated to go down in local lore.
Don't get me wrong. I'm very far from confident. But I am sure that there are specific areas where the Wallabies will continue to improve. Mark my words. Rogers and Larkham are about a game or two away from really being on fire. Flatley appears to be growing in stature. Bourke and Roff have more to give. And the forwards are also going to get subtantively better. [note: Cowboy, that anonymous no. 10 you casually refer to below is the same 10 who was in the last World Cup final ... where he was, incidentally, rather handy ... and our 13 and 15 are playing in their provincial positions ... only Flats is really out of position ... but, OK, buggered if I know about Sailor].
Whether this team is good enough to go all the way is impossible to tell … but, no question, it will be a better team yet. The main point is that, while the other majors just may be coming off a tad, yes, happily, Wallaby momentum is detectable …
And I like the rest of the path. Australia has a meaningless team-building round against Namibia this week ... but that's a timely pause, and the ensuing line-up's ideal. Two medium-strength Tests against Ireland and (probably) Scotland will give the players just enough room to nail their remaining potential, which could see them timed to perfection for the first of the big ones. This will be the semi (almost certainly) against the All Blacks ... who, after having had four walks in the park, will be busy trying to recompose themselves, in the wake of having been belted up by the Boks in the quarter-final. With momentum behind them, the Wallabies may seldom be better prepared to take on their nemesis.
Hence, all going unbelievably well … and who bloody knows … I can detect a vague outline of an Australia-England final. If it happens, I wouldn't under-rate the Wallaby's chances. The interesting thing about this weekend's England match, for my money, was Wilkinson's apparent inability to make any of the play, until the last quarter (leaving his awesome boot aside, of course). It looked as if he can only command the game if the whole England machine is showing authority. Larkham, on the other hand, can make play from nothing, and is feeding more dangerous backs than South Africa … and ... if they come into the game riding the Big Mo' ...
Luck, injuries, team spirit … all these wild cards hover behind the outcomes for the superpowers, threatening to make all the difference in, well ... the world. Another key advantage will go to the team that captures the most momentum … the Big Mo', as they say in political races.
In the last hunt for Bill, the Wallabies ran their race real close, but to perfection, as we can only see in retrospect. For the pool games, the Australians stumbled around, getting in each other's way. Sure, they rose to every occasion, but no further. The surprise was when the team continued to lift against all and every opposition when they entered the finals. It was a hair-raising journey before John Eales got to lift that damn thing. Yet, in retrospect, we can see that the team was always gathering a strong underlying momentum ... an accumulating sense of confidence and composure.
What's interesting - now that we're half-way through the pools - is that New Zealand and France appeared to come off the boil in their second outings. It's difficult to say where the juice is flowing with England and South Africa. The English ran into a Bok brick wall last night, and I don't think we'll know the full toll here until all the smoke clears.
On the other hand, the Wallabies are definitely coming on. The pre-Cup shake they gave the All Blacks in NZ has been followed by a better performance against Argentina, and a better performance again in this weekend's Great Romanian Massacre, as this mass-record-breaking outing is slated to go down in local lore.
Don't get me wrong. I'm very far from confident. But I am sure that there are specific areas where the Wallabies will continue to improve. Mark my words. Rogers and Larkham are about a game or two away from really being on fire. Flatley appears to be growing in stature. Bourke and Roff have more to give. And the forwards are also going to get subtantively better. [note: Cowboy, that anonymous no. 10 you casually refer to below is the same 10 who was in the last World Cup final ... where he was, incidentally, rather handy ... and our 13 and 15 are playing in their provincial positions ... only Flats is really out of position ... but, OK, buggered if I know about Sailor].
Whether this team is good enough to go all the way is impossible to tell … but, no question, it will be a better team yet. The main point is that, while the other majors just may be coming off a tad, yes, happily, Wallaby momentum is detectable …
And I like the rest of the path. Australia has a meaningless team-building round against Namibia this week ... but that's a timely pause, and the ensuing line-up's ideal. Two medium-strength Tests against Ireland and (probably) Scotland will give the players just enough room to nail their remaining potential, which could see them timed to perfection for the first of the big ones. This will be the semi (almost certainly) against the All Blacks ... who, after having had four walks in the park, will be busy trying to recompose themselves, in the wake of having been belted up by the Boks in the quarter-final. With momentum behind them, the Wallabies may seldom be better prepared to take on their nemesis.
Hence, all going unbelievably well … and who bloody knows … I can detect a vague outline of an Australia-England final. If it happens, I wouldn't under-rate the Wallaby's chances. The interesting thing about this weekend's England match, for my money, was Wilkinson's apparent inability to make any of the play, until the last quarter (leaving his awesome boot aside, of course). It looked as if he can only command the game if the whole England machine is showing authority. Larkham, on the other hand, can make play from nothing, and is feeding more dangerous backs than South Africa … and ... if they come into the game riding the Big Mo' ...
