Hello again.
Fancy meeting you here.
Apologies for the very late, very-close-to-kick-off kick-off to this liveblog, but it’s already been a very hectic morning at the Rugb World Cup.
But forget all that, this is all about one game.
The big one.
The World Cup favourites are about to clash in the opening match of the pool stage and, frankly, we’ve been looking forward to this one for quite some time.
Here are the teams for what is quite possibly the biggest pool match ever in the short history of the Rugby World Cup.
New Zealand:
Joe Moody, Dane Coles, Nepo Laulala, Samuel Whitelock, Scott Barrett, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane, Kieran Read (capt.), Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga, George Bridge, Ryan Crotty, Anton Lienert-Brown, Sevu Reece, Beauden Barrett. Reserves: Codie Taylor, Ofa Tuungafasi, Angus Ta’avao, Patrick Tuipulotu, Shannon Frizell, TJ Perenara, Sonny Bill Williams, Ben Smith
South Africa:
Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx, Frans Malherbe, Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (capt.), Pieter-Steph Du Toit, Duane Vermeulen, Faf De Klerk, Handre Pollard, Makazole Mapimpi, Damian de Allende, Lukhanyo Am, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie Le Roux. Reserves: Bongi Mbonambi, Tendai Mtawarira, Trevor Nyakane, RG Snyman, Francois Louw, Herschel Jantjies, Frans Steyn, Jesse Kriel
There’s the Haka, and there’s the sweet sound of Ole Ole Ole during it from the Bokke fans.
Liam Toland makes the bold choice to unleash a quote from Kant on unsuspecting viewers in between haka and kick-off.
But we won’t be distracted by that, we’ve come too far to lose sight of what’s important – this game – now.
Nerves, from WIllie Le Roux as the fullback misses an early dropping ball. But nothing but ice in the veins of Handre Pollard who punishes an early infringement from the ABs.
PENALTY! New Zealand 0 South Africa 3 (Pollard ’3)
New Zealand’s first attack ends with a simple high bomb from Mo’unga into the 22. Cheslin Kolbe does well to claim it and mark.
Oddly quiet feel to the opening minutes. Tense.
South Africa have started the steadiest, and they brought a flash of anger from Aaron Smith as he was put under pressure in his 22.
A penalty comes for the All Blacks though and they look to attack off the line-out.
The Boks’ defence is suffocating New Zealand so far, forcing them back and back before Beauden Barrett attempts a break and winds up knocking on.
Kolbe’s appetite for work is becoming a trademark of this game.
The Toulouse wing chases a grubber and pins Mo’unga down behind the line.
But there’s an advantage in the offing after another slow, steady ‘Bok attack.
Pollard stands over the penalty… and just as we prepare to 6-0, he cuts it a little too far right and it pings back off the post.
That’s a very poor miss.
Sevu Reece shows his acrobatic abilities to stop a ball going to touch. He flies and passes it back in-field to allow for a clearance kick.
New Zealand have barely been able to escape their half, but South Africa spill in that attack and the ABs hack the ball free.
Mo’unga takes chase and is running towards the try-line.
Mapimpi takes the 10 down and the breakdown penalty goes the Kiwis’ way.
That’s a great outcome from New Zealand’s point of view after South Africa dominated the opening quarter.
TRY! New Zealand 8 South Africa 3 (Bridge ’23)
Give them an inch…
Sevu Reece breaks on the right flank and sets Ardie Savea storming another 30 metres deep into ‘Bok territory.
The defence scrambles, but not quick enough to close up a gap in front of Beauden Barrett and today’s fullback raids the space beneath the posts before offering up a pass for Bridge to finish.
New Zealand 10 South Africa 3
It’s a score of ominous quality, but for those of you who remember the drawn game between these sides in Wellington over the summer, well this first-half has felt a lot like that.
Forget what I just said. The All Blacks have hit the ground at this World Cup and, man, they are running!
Coles offloads, Lienert-Brown cuts back across defenders to find a gap and once he’s through he pops the ball to Scott Barrett to canter in under the posts.
TRY: New Zealand 17 South Africa 3 (S Barrett ’28)
Paint it black.
27: TRY New Zealand.
— eir Sport (@eirSport) September 21, 2019
Just like that the All Blacks are in control. Devastating five minutes from the World Champions.
LIVE now on eir sport 1! #RWC2019 #NZLvRSA pic.twitter.com/696WOiWHZq
Beauden Barrett attempts a scamper up the touchline late in the half, but he’s bundled out.
The gong goes to bring an end to a half that has been compelling viewing. Tense, for the most part, and attritional.
South Africa haven’t done a whole pile wrong, but when you give the back-to-back world champions a sniff, they’ll swallow you whole.
HALF-TIME: New Zealand 17 South Africa 3
Right then, half-time oranges and another pint of coffee are in. Time for our sixth half of rugby of the day.
It’s been a Super Saturday that hasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
Can South Africa mount a challenge to keep the tension high right to the close?
Who will Ireland want to face out of this pair?
There’ll be a few answers in the 40 to come.
Ouch! Beaudy Barrett comes up with a bloody nose after going so low on a tackle on Vermeulen that the number eight’s heel came up and cracked him in the face.
Electric from Cheslin Kolbe.
The terrific Toulouse wing claimed an impeccable high ball in his own half before haring clear down the right.
Poor Richie Mo’unga didn’t know which way to turn, but he stood up just long enough to shepherd the wing into trouble.
Kolbe wouldn’t die with the ball, he flicked it out of touch and New Zealand attempted to attack from behind their line with Barrett.
We have a game on our hands, ladies and gentlemen.
South Africa take possession back and set their attack in the NZ 22, Pierre Steph Du Toit joins what looks like a ruck in the middle of the Kiwi red zone, but there’s no defender involved so the blindside is free to pick and saunter in under the posts.
Here they come.
Vermeulen steps and dances through the line and De Klerk is on his shoulder. The scrum-half has help outside and asks Le Roux to take it on.
The fullback’s pass to Kolbe is poor but the brilliant wing makes it work.
The Boks continue to attack, but ti’s slow and it slows down enough for a black jersey to pilfer it five metres from the line.
They try to attack from there again.
This is a magnificent game.
That was an absolute beaut of a drop-goal from Pollard. Jannie de Beer would have been proud of that.
We have a four-point game and just 20 minutes to decide it.
Anyone else hear what Aaron Smith said as he ran past the camera on his way to the bench there?
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PENALTY! New Zealand 20 South Africa 13 (Mo’unga ’66)
The All Blacks get themselves back on the scoreboard after a lengthy absence. The lead is now, crucially, back to 7.
There’s still time for drama here, and big errors.
Sonny Bill Williams is off the bench, but he shows he’s some way off his best form as he tries to hack a ball clear from his own 22. Poor contact and charged down, but his blushes are saved as the ref goes back for a penalty.
PENALTY! New Zealand 23 South Africa 13 (B Barrett ’72)
The former world player of the year holds his nerve and the ABs have a two-score lead.
Just when you think this game is finally settling down, Kolbe goes and breaks the line again.
He scampers clear, he slows down with men closing in. He miraculously finds a few more yards after Barrett bumps him.
Brilliant stuff, but the ABs win the ball and Kolbe is limping away.
The ‘Boks will lose here, and they will be hoping to patch up their best attacking threat before quarter-final weekend.
That’s an impressive run of phaseplay from the ABs, they move through 15 phases of attacking possession with the clock fast ticking down towards the gong.
They were favourites for this tournament before today, and their odds will only shorten between now and the quarters.
There’s the gong. A penalty means we’ll play beyond it, Pollard boots the ball down the field and the ‘Boks can chase a losing bonus point.
It ends with a forward pass for the ‘Boks, but we’ll be hearing plenty more from them in this tournament.
FULL-TIME: New Zealand 23 South Africa 13
Whatever way you slice it, Ireland have plenty to fear if they make the quarter-finals.
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When you can pretty much predict the 1/4 final pairings after one round of games it doesn’t really say much about the competition.
@Shimmy Shammy: think you’d have a pretty good go at doing the same at soccer World Cup to be fair! Look at England’s draw at soccer World Cup …utterly predictable
@BMJF: Not really true though. Far more competition in soccer. The group stages in the rugby world cup don’t particularly serve any purpose.
@Shimmy Shammy: The whole purpose of the group stages is the opportunity for these sides to play Tier 1 nations – the problem it isn’t happening enough between world cups, the answer is definitely not reduce the number of teams in the World Cup. There will be a upset or two before we are done, hopefully at Englands expense
Life is just simply better when the world cup is on !
@JillyBean: it desperately need a shock result. Naming the quarter finalists and quite possibly the semi finalists by this weekend isn’t great…..
Am I not right in saying that only 8/9 teams have won the Football World Cup and therefore it’s equally as predictable given its lengthy history?
Crazy to believe people still belittle the quality of the the teams in the RWC.
Germany beat Brazil 7-1 in a semi final not too long ago, so does that equate to to a 49-7 win in rugby?
@Geoff Speiran: You are clutching at straws there Geoff. Only 4 countries have won the Rugby World Cup and correct me if Im wrong, but only 9 teams have ever made the actual quarter finals. Thats a sensational statistic. In soccer you have had the likes of Senegal, Turkey, Ghana, Ireland, South Korea, Croatia, Bulgaria, Sweden etc. making the latter stages, would never happen in rugby
@Frank Scanlon: You have a point but it’s worth acknowledging that there has been 21 Soccer world cups. This is the 9th Rugby one. Hopefully, teams like Fiji, Japan, USA will start making these breakthroughs with greater regularity. Japan could beat Scotland which would be great for the development of the game.
@Frank Scanlon: But the game is only growing and from a much smaller playing pool, you don’t critique Cricket/Rugby League/Basketball in the same way, why is the football world cup the pinnacle of international sports? When you consider there’s 50 years between the beginning of the football World Cup and RWC it’s hard to draw direct comparisons and who knows whether the 2067 RWC will be exponential more competitive.
@Frank Scanlon: yes but soccer is the no.1 sport in pretty much all these countries. It’s also a bit easier to scrape out of a group stage in soccer, ala Ireland, by parking the bus for a draw or sneaking an odd goal from a setpiece. It’s nigh on impossible for the smaller, less well coached teams to fluke a draw in rugby, you have the width of the pitch to defend, not a smallish rectangle with a net.
@Cian Nolan: Thats neither here nor there as in the first 8 FIFA World Cups 25 different nations had finished in the top 8 of the tournament. I’m sorry but some people are just delusional about the international appeal of rugby. For example I was in Argentina during the last World Cup when they were in the semi final and you would hardly know the game was on, people didnt care, and they are one of the top 8 or 9 nations. Rugby is irrelevant in Italy and even in Australia its way behind Rugby League and AFL
@Geoff Speiran: I absolutely would critique those sports in the same way, Rugby League World Cup in particular is a joke. RWC will not be more competitive in 2067, maybe less so, as any developing nations will more than likely put more resources into sevens as its the Olympic format
@Cian Nolan: the thing is it’s rigged against African teams in football but rigged against Tier 2 teams in rugby .. Japans win against SA in 2015 , Fiji v Wales in 2007 and Samoa VS Wales in 91 are the only true surprise results . If it wasn’t for bonus points the Argentinians could wave goodbye already .
@Tim Magner: Fair point in one sense but the gulf between the top 8/9 in rugby and the next tier is absolutely huge, in general you still have to be somewhere close to the same level in any sport to get a result. Soccer’s lower scoring nature obviously lends to more surprise results, rugby is similar to hurling in the sense that skill differences are amplified on the scoreboard and again its 8/9 teans competing. But to me looking in it seems that rugby is making zero effort to get any other nations to the top table, and on top of that refereeing decisions always seem to favour the top sides just to make sure the natural order is not disrupted
@Frank Scanlon: what exactly does FIFA do for the smaller nations in soccer? All the poorer tier 2 nations in rugby get coaches payed for by the wru. Rugby is a far more physical & attritional sport than soccer, and a lot more technical with things like scrums, lineouts, rucks etc. Of course there’s only 8/9 teams really compete at top end, and they’re the ones with the player base, the squads that can cope with injuries. A soccer team can go a long way in any tournament with 10 solid journeymen & a star who can get the goals, see Portugal. Rugby a bit different
@Frank Scanlon: But given that 15 a side game is more lucrative surely the growth of 7’s will just allow more players a pathway into the 15’s game for other nations and therefore diversity the sport.
I agree there are massive challenges but how many World Cup sports do you tune in to? Granted Rugby is behind others but I implore you to find me a more competitive example in the men’s category.
@Frank Scanlon: 4 teams in 8 world cups as opposed to 9 teams in 21 football world cups…it’s actually 12 teams that have made quarters, Canada once, Western Samoa and Fiji have both made it twice each. Japan are on the cusp and the USA should feature in the future too. And I’d agree with another comment, you can be a terrible team in football and park the bus, but that’s almost impossible to do in rugby where the fatigue is far greater. I love both world cups, I just don’t get this bashing, there are terrible teams like Costa Rica and Iran in the football World Cup, it’s very predictable how their matches will go too!
@Padraig O’M: Iran were actually quite good in the last world cup and should have bet Portugal to go through. Poor example.
@Padraig O’M: Yeah poor example regards Iran and Costa Rica did quite well in previous World Cup. My mistake I didnt realise Canada, Samoa and Fiji had made the quarters but in a sense it only proves that rugby has actually regressed in terms of the number of teams capable of being competitive. Its hard to argue that the current tournament is not extremely predictable. Barring an unlikely upset win for Argentina or France over England, the only thing we are really left wondering is whether Australia or Wales will top their pool.
Sensational….yawn. Extremely predictable. Massively understrength competition and one sided matches that will still be pontificated on by the rugby media.
@Tom Bout: yawn is right! a few days in and the 9 potential quarter finalists have been filtered down to 8 and almost a month of meaningless matches to come.
Nothing so wrong with only having 9 competitive teams. In a high scoring sport it would be hard to get more than that but lobbing 20 of them in to a round robin competition is crazy. Imagine if hurling threw 20 teams in to the All Ireland series. No body would pay to see Kilkenny vs Meath in hurling, it would be a massacre. Serious marketing by World Rugby to sell this tournament and these kind of one-sided games!
@Kevin McMahon: so teams should never play against superior opposition? Seems like a great way to stifle the growth of smaller nations teams
It was mixed feelings seeing the Georgia coach celebrate their 2nd try in a near 30 point defeat so enthusiastically today. Entirely understandable considering the structural and experience disadvantages they have compared to tier 1 teams but really disappointing for the competition when the mid-level teams show no real belief in their ability to compete and are effectively happy if they manage to avoid humiliation.
Rugby won’t continue to grow with the same 10 teams playing each other endlessly, it needs new teams to emerge and they need the same player access and competitive fixtures as the tier 1 nations.
I really hope Japan or Fiji can cause an upset and make things interesting!
@Rochelle: the real thing that’s holding Georgia back is the lack of relegation and promotion in the six nations. They consistently dominate the second tier and rarely get the opportunity to play the tier 1 teams.
@Rochelle: Georgia and Fiji can play at tier 1 level if given the opportunity for test rugby on a regular basis. What about a 7 Nations? or adding Fiji to make southern hemi a 5mations?
@Dave O Keeffe: why can’t we have a 7 Nations? Who said it has to be six?? It used to be 5. Relegation would only destroy the team dropping down..left with no one to compete against & it they’d destroy EUROPEAN tier 2 or 3 teams which is pointless
@BMJF: well if Italy for example got relegated they’d have a year to regroup and rebuild, get a few wins and possibly come back up. Georgia would get a year playing against tier 1 teams and at the very least see the level they aspire to. Tier 2 teams would also benefit massively from playing against a relegated tier 1 team, testing themselves against that level, seeing the difference in quality or lack thereof. It let’s everyone see where they’re at. Right now the 5th ranked tier 2 European team are ahead against Samoa in the second half.
@BMJF: my issue with making it a 7 nations means that it’s always the same protected 7. There’s no growth for the 8th ranked team.
Sensational amount of RWC articles!!!
Rugby is over rated
What a predictable boring article , yawn yawn
@Frank Tennant: whereas your comment, Frank – what an absolute fücking zinger. Wow. What I’d give to be able to write like that.
I’m not sure when they hand out Pulitzers but you should keep that night free I’d say.
Glad to see you are enjoying Japan Sean