[sdm]

Garces is always pretty quick on holding on/not rolling away (I thought he gave one of these the wrong way on the day). A bigger factor was that he is also minded to award more penalties to the dominant side on the scrum.

Referees in rugby have a certain amount of leeway as to how they interpret some rules. Sometimes these will favour one side. The differences between refs is smaller than it used to be though. Northern hemisphere and Southern hemisphere refs used to appear to referee entirely different sports.

The teams are all aware of how each ref interprets things so his performance won't have been a surprise to either side.

Fair enough, we'll just have to come back stronger. At least Six Nations will be at a more convenient viewing time for me :D

As a Welsh supporter, I'm very used to wanting to come back stronger after a world cup campaign!

[Coops_13]

As a Welsh supporter, I'm very used to wanting to come back stronger after a world cup campaign!

The main reason I wanted SA to beat Wales in the semis was because Wales have a habit of beating England. It seems the Welsh spoke to SA in the pub and shared the secret...

[SA Chris]

The secret being - be better than them.

[SA Chris]

4 years on, the resurrection.

Let's get the whipping stages done. Hope Scotland get through though.

[Teaboy]

There have been relatively few whippings (SA today aside) which has been good to see. I know England won comfortably enough today but that was a closer match than the score suggests.

[andy moles]

Great to see Fiji pull off a big win, and not just in the stereotypical chuck-it-around Fijian way but by playing a tactically smart controlled game, which shows they really have the potential to go far. Makes that group interesting as well, bonus points may count for a lot.

[SA Chris]

Indeed. I wouldn't be unhappy to see Australia packing bags. Sunday will be the crunch.

[spidermonkey09]

Desperately hoping Aus pound Wales next weekend and Wales go out on points difference. I never want to see Dan Biggar happy.

[andy moles]

Desperately hoping Aus pound Wales next weekend and Wales go out on points difference. I never want to see Dan Biggar happy.

On the plus side you might get to see more of him unhappy, which as a neutral is highly entertaining.

[danm]

England have in recent times been accused of playing somewhat brainless rugby, so good to see them finally using their head.


I'll get my coat....

(I predict Farrell will come in for Ford next match and we'll be home on the next plane thereafter, and deservedly too)

[Br0mley]

Great to see Fiji pull off a big win, and not just in the stereotypical chuck-it-around Fijian way but by playing a tactically smart controlled game, which shows they really have the potential to go far. Makes that group interesting as well, bonus points may count for a lot.

Personally thought Fiji - Aus was the game of the weekend, think Australia had a good chance to win it with 15 mins to go but their breakdown work was shocking.

Feeling quite conflicted about Wales v Aus, hate seeing Wales win but Aussies losing would almost guarantee Fiji a QF spot. But then this would be against England... and of the 3 I think England beat Australia the most reliably. Not sure an England - Fiji QF would finish any differently to their most recent meeting at Twickenham

[spidermonkey09]

Still think theres a non-trivial chance a Jones-led Australia could turn England over in a knockout game. Hes really good at knockout rugby. Would 100% rather play Fiji or Aus than Wales in a knockout though, I don't mind being knocked out but simply cannot have being knocked out by Wales.

My money would be on Aus winning quite well against Wales. God knows how it will shake out if that happens, presumably will come down to bonus points, head to head record and then points difference?

[andy moles]

https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/news/35290

Yeah it's match points (which includes bonuses) first, then head-to-head, then points difference.

Unless they switch off too much after two big games, Fiji should be able to get two bonus point wins and finish on 16 points, which is likely to put them through - Australia can only equal that at best, which would mean for Australia to go through they likely need to take all 5 points against Wales and deny Wales any losing bonus points. If Wales lose but get a bonus point it will be very tight. If Wales lose but get two bonus points, as Fiji did against them, any win against Georgia would guarantee them winning the group.

It's almost the first knockout game really.

But Ireland v SA is the main event 

[spidermonkey09]

Cheers Andy; yep looks like Aus need to torch Wales to stay in it realistically. They have that kind of performance in them, especially considering Wales are a poor side objectively.

Massive game for Ireland. I'd want to avoid France at all costs at this stage.

[andy moles]

Actually what I wrote there isn't quite right - Australia don't necessarily need a winning bonus point against Wales to qualify, but they probably do need to deny Wales any points.

It's a weird situation to be Irish and wanting to face NZ in a quarter final, but that's how it is.

[andy moles]

I can't be doing with that much excitement after an 8pm kick-off, it's affecting my sleep.

That was intense, and the atmosphere sounded unreal.

[spidermonkey09]

That was awesome. Ireland left so many points out there, thought they were going to get chinned at the end. I did immediately have a fiver on SA to win the whole thing though, don't think they will be at all overawed at the prospect of France without Dupont and Ntamack.

Zombie sounded pretty good in the Stade de France!

[andy moles]

Zombie sounded pretty good in the Stade de France!

I was wondering what they would have played if SA had won.

[andy moles]

I did immediately have a fiver on SA to win the whole thing though, don't think they will be at all overawed at the prospect of France without Dupont and Ntamack.

I wouldn't bet against that. I don't know that Ntamack is such a crucial loss as Jalibert's been looking good, but Dupont is such a freak (in the best possible way) that his absence definitely costs France a special edge. Still, I wouldn't bet against them either. Leinster mashed Toulouse (avec Dupont) and got beaten by La Rochelle (sans Dupont) in the semis and final of the Champions Cup, so the French do have other ways of winning.

[BrutusTheBear]

Cheers Andy; yep looks like Aus need to torch Wales to stay in it realistically. They have that kind of performance in them, especially considering Wales are a poor side objectively.

    

[spidermonkey09]

Haha yep glad I didn't have a bet on that! Thoroughly painful watching Wales win so well. Never seen an Australia side so poor.

By my calculations the likely quarter finals are:

Ire V NZ
France v SA
Wales v Arg/Samoa
Eng v Fiji

Boggles the mind that England and Wales probably should make it to a world cup semi given their respective shitness but there we are!

[andy moles]

By my calculations the likely quarter finals are:

Ire V NZ
France v SA
Wales v Arg/Samoa
Eng v Fiji

Yeah, I suspect the final two weeks of pool games are going to drag a bit because there aren't many games that are likely to be consequential in affecting this QF line-up. Ireland v Scotland is the likeliest potential upset, the next most likely probably England v Samoa, but I don't see that happening now that England are gaining some confidence.

[SA Chris]

Still feels wrong that Scotland, Ireland and SA ended up in the same group, compared to Group D. As a supported of first SA, then Scotland, it was never going to be an easy outcome.

[andy moles]

Scotland definitely drew the shortest straw at this World Cup.

If Ireland play close to their best, Scotland will be out - but that is not a given.

[SA Chris]

well if you use the  logic of Scotland vs SA and Ireland vs SA, Scotland have no chance. But I know it doesn't always play out like that....