Rugby World Cup 2015

iamofwfc · Nov 8, 2015

Smudger said: ↑

I think NZ and Argentina were the two best teams in the tournament. Certainly in the way they exploited space and beat opponents. Australia minus Pocock and a fully fit Folau are not as great as all that.

South Africa struggled to make any real headway against the AB's and Australia only came into the game against them with the sin binning before the AB's upped the gears once again.

Argentina threw their semifinal away. Gifted away two early tries and then failed to capitalize on numerous breaks especially that of Cordero just before halftime. And hampered by losing key players like Creevy, Hernandez and Imhoff. The last in particular would have been on hand to run off the shoulder of several of the line breaks made during the second half. They also unlike their game against NZ tried to spin the ball out wide too early without fully committing the Australian fringe defence.

As for the tournament as a whole. Superbly organized minus some travel issues. Great atmosphere, great camaraderie (managed to speak to numerous fans from different countries) and more money to plough into the development of the world game. And what was immensely pleasing is the way teams are developing, how tournaments are growing globally. The disappointments to me were the performance of the USA and Samoa. Tolkin needs to go. He wasted the talents of arguably the best ever squad sent to a WC and Samoa only decided to show up against Scotland (a game they also threw away). The PI unions desperately need a higher level of competition than the PNC, funding for infrastructure and a body to sort out the corruption and interference from government in their decision making.

Argentina highlighted their status as future world champions. It's not as simple as saying that the RC has been the catalyst for their success. It's been a long slow process. The essentials unlike Italy are a strong club competition with a healthy playing base and over the last two decades as professionalism has been accommodated by the stick in the muds at the UAR the technical feedback and experiences of players who have played in Europe has been passed on.

2007 was a prime motivator but also the work of Les Cusworth former England fly half and now Argentine national in developing a system of excellence centres. Additional funding from 2007 has allowed for the first time ever the high performance coaching of selected juniors with huge improvements at junior level feeding into the senior side along with increased participation (and also outside of the traditional middle class preserve).

The administrators tore up the old formulas and perhaps England should do the same and have a firebrand like an Agustin Pichot to reform a body that has failed to respond to the modern game. Words of advice from Graham Henry other AB coaches like Alex Wyllie will have sunk in, a sevens team that unlike the US and Canada and England then provides skilled forwards and backs to the full fifteen (Cordero, Tuculet are just some while others like Moyano and Muller will be shortly in after the Olympics).

And this is still on a shoestring budget compared to the RFU. One can liken the RFU to the ECB. More content under Giles Clarke to count the money in the coffers than focus on radical changes to make the domestic game more competitive and pressured. Slim down the counties in cricket, get rid of the playoff nonsense and increase relegation from the top division to make each game in the Premiership more important.

Perhaps both France and England ought to go to a provincial set up. It works for other countries although Italy might have been better with just one such side, Argentina will undoubtedly benefit hugely from their new Los Jaguares Super team. But is anyone at the RFU willing to contemplate this ?

And indeed how about selecting the best players ? Leaving Nick Abendanon and Steffon Armitage in retrospect, both European players of the Year on 2014 & 2015 seems silly. As this prophetic video shows:

[video=youtube;dkRfk7Xl6pw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkRfk7Xl6pw[/video]

And forcing players like Sam Burgess due to the cost of their recruitment into the national team far too early and into a position they are less than comfortable with. Burgess would have been better deployed as a hard hitting openside in terms of his defence and his ball carrying. He has been made a scapegoat but him walking away is rather weak unfortunately.

That's not to say League players cannot succeed. They have done so in the past and they will do so again. Someone like Josh Jones of the Saints who is now with Exeter but had played union with Preston Grasshoppers as a teenager and who is more than young enough to eventually stake a claim to the national team.

And this biff, bosh approach to rugby in the NH. Most seen in the likes of France where brute force starting with the likes of Traille has replaced flair and quickness of thought but also in Wales. Roberts. England. Burgess. The talent is there. The Junior World Cups certainly show that England and Wales in recent years more than match the traditional three of the SH but somehow as in football there is a loss of players. There is a loss in their flair and dynamism. Far too much pragmatism. A club game that is often a grunt fest. Whereas the conversion rate of juniors from the SH to their senior sides is far greater and they continue to play with flair and a lack of fear.

One other thing. The use of clocks. In the final there were several crucial minutes consumed before the Barrett try by resetting the scrum. The rulemakers need to change time on and off for these. Time should only be on once the ball has been put into the scrum and it has been successful. It still can be a niggling part of the sport where much time is lost in resets.

My favourite player of the tournament Shane Williams reborn (and unsurprisingly he is Shane Williams favourite player) the 21 year old Santiago Cordero. A little naive at times (that knock on in his own 22 for instance in the semifinal) but a player to get everyone off their seats.

[video=youtube;BuYsHPFF3hk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuYsHPFF3hk[/video]

And farewell to a host of great players. McCaw, Fernandez-Lobbe, Burger both Jacques and Schalk to name but a few. What rugby epitomizes was summed up to me in that bronze playoff when Burger and Lobbe exchanged greetings and applauded each other when Lobbe was substituted. The best RWC to date and a key landmark in the development of the sport. NZ as expected reign supreme and they will do so for a few years to come but the others will catch up:

[video=youtube;jRI_HQIz74c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRI_HQIz74c[/video]
Click to expand...

Got to agree with most of that , but the players who went to France, they knew the consequences and would have been unfair on the players that did not chase the money and stayed in England as that took priority.

Excellent written article, I really thought the USA would be serious competitors this time, on paper they under achieved, cant wait to see the Japs at the next World cup, if they get to the last 8 it will be one hell of a party, will be very interesting to see how the All blacks do losing 5 all time great players.

I think South Africa will have another gear or two, dont think Australia could have done any better then they did, not sure what direction they will go in now.

Smudger · Mar 27, 2016

I agree with iamofwfc about the standard of the Six Nations. I will be very surprised if any of them win matches against the Southern Hemisphere sides in the summer. There is a lack of skills execution (Englands setpiece is still far from decent), spatial awareness and general aggression at the breakdowns.

Jones still has a lot of work to do. Although he is thoroughly checking all the available talent and the backline should be improved by the addition of Slade and hopefully Trinder. Gatland is still doing a steady job with Wales though they could do with more creative centres. Scotland are going in the right direction with the addition of a little Bok steel.

France on the other hand are a shambles. Replacing Basteraud by Danty (a traffic cone as seen at the u20 World Cup) is hardly the way to replicate traditional French flair.

[video=youtube;GB2iC-MJeqk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB2iC-MJeqk[/video]

A lot of work for Noves and the domestic structure to be changed in France as more and more spots are occupied by overseas players. A well paid retirement home in effect for SH stars. Italy have several individuals who are young with real promise but Brunel has not really advanced the side and injuries hurt their still relatively shallow playing depth. It will be interesting to see what Connor O'Shea does with them. Restore the scrum (which was pitiful this tournament) and get them playing fluent expansive rugby in concert.

Super Rugby has been exciting so far. ThE skill execution and technical level is superior to that on display in the Six Nations. Encapsulated in this game:

[video=youtube;B1L5BX2Ba30]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1L5BX2Ba30[/video]

Georgia won the ENC by beating Romania 38-9 in Tblisi and played some lovely running rugby which is a change in their usual pattern. They are starting to develop some decent backs and the terrific little scrum half Lobzhanidze will be going to Brive to enhance his skills. The sport is growing rapidly there and it leaves the Lelos in a pickle. Something has to be done about their position. They are too strong for the ENC, although the FRR allowed it's French based professionals to play for their French clubs last week (in agreement for them being released for the Summer Tests a shame and something that no union should be forced to do). They would give the Azzuri a run for their money.

So I do hope in the near future the 6N becomes the 8N with two divisions of four based on world rankings. Portugual were relegated from the ENC while Germany managed to retain their position. Belgium (also a country moving ahead rapidly in rugby) take their place.

[video=youtube;e6Or4T9IqVo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Or4T9IqVo[/video]

Very sad news as well over the last week with the deaths of two former Canadian internationals. John Cannon a hard running centre passed away aged just thirty five of a heart attack having had to retire from the sport as a result of a head injury (received outside of a football ground) and 'Stormin' Norm Hadley aged fifty one. Norm Hadley was a giant in every sense. Part of the formidable Canadian pack that could and should have beaten NZ in the 1991 RWC he was a great player and person.

http://www.rugbycanada.ca/leagues/newsletter.cfm?clientID=3817&leagueID=0&page=94484

And a plain speaker. His ideas for Canadian rugby had they been followed in the change to professionalism might have seen Canada in a far better position than they are now. However as in many governing bodies (Will Carling and the old farts for example) his common sense and knowledge were ignored and he fell out with Rugby Canada.

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Rugby World Cup 2015

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Smudger Messi's Mad Coach Staff Member

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