England managed to turn their form around for this crucial game against Australia, and sticking to the same game plan that won them the World Cup in 2003 they sent the Wallabies crashing out of the RWC 2007.

England relied on their massive pack of forwards and the boot of Jonny Wilkinson to get them into attacking field positions. The English had a couple of chances to score tries but their back line lacks the confidence to really run the ball. Australia scored the only try of the game through Lote Tuqiri, the same man who scored their try in the 2003 final. Stirling Mortlock kicked the conversion and a penalty to give Australia the half time lead by 10-6. The second half saw England dominate up front and with the brilliant tactical kicking of Wilkinson and Mike Catt they dominated territory. This dominance created scoring opportunities and Jonny kicked 2 more penalties. Australia gave it their all in the closing stages but fantastic defense by England and too many errors by the Wallabies made sure that the Pommies could celebrate a shock win. The England coach, Bryan Ashton, will be a happy man after this result with his team still on track to defend their title. Final score: England 12 Australia 10

Jake White named a squad of 23 players for Sunday’s quarterfinal against Fiji. The side shows 5 changes from the team that played against USA, with the bench including 5 forwards. Jannie du Plessis and Gurthro Steenkamp were both included on the bench so that if CJ van der Linde fails a fitness test, Du Plessis will move into the starting line up. Should van der Linde be declared fit both these players will be on the bench and the final 22 will see only 2 backs on the bench.

SA squad to face Fiji: 15. Percy Montgomery, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Jaque Fourie, 12. Franscois Steyn, 11. Bryan Habana, 10. Butch James, 9. Fourie du Preez, 8. Danie Rossouw, 7. Juan Smith, 6. Schalk Burger, 5. Victor Matfield, 4. Bakkies Botha, 3. CJ van der Linde, 2. John Smit(captain), 1. Os du Randt

Reserves: 16. Gary Botha, 17. Gurthro Steenkamp, 18. Jannie du Plessis, 19. Johann Muller, 20. Wikus van Heerden, 21. Ruan Pienaar, 22. Wynand Olivier, 23. Andre Pretorius

It is vital for SA to keep to their structures during this game and keep the ball away from the dangerous Fiji backs. Defence will be key for the Bokke and here the centres, Frans Steyn and Jaque Fourie, will be key players. SARB wishes the Bokke all the best for the game!

Just two days after receiving a surprise call up to the SA squad, Jannie du Plessis is set to start the quarterfinal game against Fiji. Du Plessis will join his team mates on Wednesday and he will pretty much step of the plane and onto the training field. This is all due to CJ van der Linde picking up a knee injury during practise that force him to the sidelines for this weekend’s action. CJ is expected to fully recover and be available for a possible semi-final and final. Gurthro Steenkamp will move onto the bench and John Smit will provide cover for the tight head side of the scrum.

SA paid a heavy price for their victory over the USA with prop, BJ Botha, out of the RWC with a knee injury. He will be replaced by Cheetah prop Jannie du Plessis.

SA started the game playing open running rugby but they made to many mistakes for this to be effective. John Smit got his troops together and they reverted back to basics. The SA pack dominated possession and this gave the back line opportunity to score some fantastic tries. USA never stopped trying and with their spoiling tactics managed to keep the score line down to 24-10 at the break.

The second half saw the Bokke playing more constructive rugby and they ran in 6 more tries. Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie scored 2 tries each and Percy Montgomery contributed 15 points with the boot. Jake White will be happy with his team’s performance but in the knock out phases they will have to revert back to the game plan that saw them beat England, powerhouse forward play and fantastic defense is what will win SA the RWC 2007. Final score: SA 64 USA 15
SARB decided to rate the SA players on their performance: Read the rest of this entry »

Argentina proved that their victory over France in the opening game of RWC 2007 was no fluke when they sent Ireland crashing out of the competition. Ireland started the game well and applied all the early pressure. The Pumas defended like Trojans and with clever play scored the first try. Ireland bounced back with a try by Brian O’Driscoll but it never looked like the Pumas will lose the game. Juan Hernandes, the Argentinean flyhalf, had a fantastic game. He slotted 3 drop goals and his tactical kicking and ball distribution was brilliant. The Irish had no answer to the tactical brilliance of the Pumas. Ireland made too many mistakes and Los Pumas managed to pry on these mistakes to score their points. Argentina will now play Scotland in a quarterfinal and on current form they must be favourites to gain a place in the semi-finals. Final score: Argentina 30 Ireland 15

France booked their place in the quarterfinals with a convincing victory over Georgia in their final group match. France dominated the game from the start and opened the scoring after just 5 minutes with the first of 9 tries. The French flyhalf, Lionel Beauxis, contributed 24 points, including a try and 19 points with the boot. Georgia tried hard, but the French kept the ball away from their forwards so the Georgians had no real chance in the game. Georgia did manage to score a consolation try, but the two yellow cards they received for ill discipline cost them. The French Coach, Bernard Laporte, was very happy with his team’s performance although he did admit that the quarterfinal clash with New Zealand would be a difficult clash for his charges. Final score: France 64 Georgia 7

Scotland managed to get revenge for their 6 nations loss to Italy by beating the Azzuri in a winner takes all RWC match. The game was played in wet and slippery conditions and this suited Scotland better. The bigger Scottish pack provided quality possession for their flyhalf Dan Parks to kick them into good field positions. Italy showed a willingness to run the ball and scored the only try of the match, but they made to many mistakes in their own half. These mistakes cost them the game, with Chris Paterson kicking 6 from 6 penalties at goal to score all his side’s points. Italy had a chance to win the game with 3 minutes remaining but their fullback, David Bortolussi, missed his shot at goal. Scotland now plays Argentina in a quarterfinal clash on Sunday. Final score: Scotland 18 Italy 16

Fiji made history yesterday by beating Wales in their final group game. The victory helped Fiji to qualify for the quarterfinals for the first time in 20 years. The game was spectacular, maybe the best game of the 2007 RWC so far. Fiji started the game well, displaying all their running skills, and in the space of 12 minutes scored 3 tries to lead 25-3. Then their flank, Akapusi Qera, received a yellow card and they conceded 24 points in 10 minutes. This set up a fantastic game that saw the lead change on a couple of occasions. with 6 minutes left on the clock Wales scored through Martin Williams and it looked like Wales were home and dry. Fiji were not to be denied though, with time running out they scored their fourth try, the conversion was successful, and they kept Wales at bay for the last couple of minutes to secure a fantastic victory. Fiji did pay a very high price for their victory. Outstanding flyhalf, Nicky Little, left the field with a serious knee injury and it is doubtful that he will participate in the competition any further. For now Fiji can celebrate a famous victory over on of the ‘big’ rugby nations. Final score: Fiji 38 Wales 34

Australia continued their unbeaten run at RWC 2007 with an unconvincing victory over Canada. The Wallabies ran in 6 tries in total, including a brace by Drew Mitchell, but failed to dominate against weak opposition. Canada managed to spoil the Wallaby possession in the first half to keep the scoreline down. The Wallabies contributed to their own struggle by making too many handling errors in the wet conditions. The Australian side only scored 2 tries in the first half to lead 13-0 at the break. After half time things improved slightly and the Wallabies managed to score 4 more tries to make the score line more respectable. Canada scored through 2 penalties but they never really troubled the Aussies. Canada finished last in their group and for the first ever failed to win a single game at a RWC competition. Australia now face England in the quarterfinals, but they will have to improve their game to beat England. Final score: Australia 37 Canada 6

New Zealand scored the fastest try at the RWC 2007 when Sitiveni Sivivatu crashed over after just 34 seconds. The All Blacks entertained the crowd with a fantastic display of running rugby, scoring 13 tries in total. Graham Henry was happy with his team’s performance, although they did make plenty of mistakes. Against the bigger teams the All Blacks will have to reconsider their game plan and they will have to watch the mistakes they make. The All Blacks went through their group unbeaten, scoring 46 tries and gaining maximum points. As yet they have not been tested by the opposition and they will need to regroup before the knock out stages. Romania can feel satisfied with their performance against the top team in the world. They managed to score a well constructed try after sustained pressure on the All Black try line but in the end they just had no answer to the rampant All Black back line. Final score: New Zealand 85 Romania 8