Tag: World Rugby Cup

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Wallabies Exposed the Australian Rugby Union

Scotland team
Scotland team (Credits: Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

The Scotland coach, Gregor Townsend, says he expects their meeting with Ireland in Paris on Saturday week to be a “straight shootout” for a World Cup quarter-final place.

Townsend’s team dispatched Tonga at the Stade de Nice on Sunday, securing an attacking bonus point by half-time in a 45-17 win featuring seven different try-scorers.

Getting another bonus point success was the next target on Scot’s qualification, this time against Romania in Lille on Saturday. But Romania has been beaten 82-8 by Ireland and 76-0 by South Africa.

Finn Russell
Finn Russell pulled the strings for Scotland in a win over Tonga. (Credits: Craig Watson)

Townsend’s comments on the Scotland team

The head coach is confident of optimizing their overall chances and setting up a high-stakes clash against Ireland (ranked number 1) a week later.

“The fact South Africa picked up a bonus point [in Saturday’s defeat by Ireland] does mean it’s a straight shootout between us and Ireland if South Africa pick up five points against Tonga,” Townsend said.

“If they do, they’ll get to 15 points, and we and Ireland are competing to get to 14 points unless we win with bonus points [against Ireland].

“We have to get to 10 points [against Romania] to make sure it becomes a shootout between us and them … If we were to win that Ireland game by more than seven points, we get through to the quarter-finals. It’s as straightforward as that, but when we’re playing the No. 1 team in the world in two weeks’ time, we know it’s going to be a difficult challenge.”

Scotland were obliged to wait to return to action following the opening defeat by South Africa, and the head coach said he was pleased with the effort of his players against the Tongans.

“It was a different Test match; we had to front up physically, and we did that,” Townsend said. “We had a platform there to score more points, but we’ve got to be very happy with a 45-point win, having not played for two weeks, and when we know we have to do it the hard way to get out of this group.”

Scotland v Tonga
Scotland v Tonga (Credits: Peter Cziborra/Reuters)

Townsend shares an emotional moment with McInally

Townsend also had an emotional moment in the changing room on Sunday with Stuart McInally, the veteran hooker, as he had a neck injury during the training, which forced him out of the tournament.

Glasgow’s Johnny Matthews will replace the 33-year-old McInally, who is retiring to pursue a career as an airline pilot.

“He got a presentation in the changing room from the players, and Grant Gilchrist gave him a fantastic speech,” Townsend said. “It’s a very emotional time for all of us … we all thought this would be a great way for him to end his career, coming out and getting his 50th cap. That was something he deserved and had earned, given what he had put into that jersey over his career … It’s just bad luck.”

Also Read: Argentina Win Over Samoa: Emiliano Boffelli’s Brilliant Plan

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Italy Secures 38-17 Victory Over Uruguay in Rugby World Cup, Staging Impressive Second-Half Comeback in Pool A Matchup

Monty Loane
Monty Loane (Credits: Getty Images)

Italy made a comeback from a challenging first half, scoring 31 unanswered points in the second half to guarantee their bonus-point victory for the second time in a row and take the lead in Pool A of the Rugby World Cup.

After an undisciplined first half from Italy in which two of their players received yellow cards due to insubordination, Uruguay led by double digits and was hoping for a major shock.

However, they came back strongly in the second half to seal the top spot in Pool A with 10 points. Kieran Crowley’s squad still has to play against France and New Zealand, who are still the heavy favorites to progress ahead in the tournament.

Italy's Juan Ignacio Brex, right, celebrates with teammates after scoring a try.
Juan Ignacio Brex (Credits: PAVEL GOLOVKIN/AP)

Game Highlights: Recap of the Match

Italy overcame a challenging first half, scoring 31 consecutive points in the second half to dominate Uruguay 38-17 in their Rugby World Cup Pool A matchup on Wednesday. However, they didn’t exactly make things simple for themselves.

In just their two encounters, Uruguay shocked Italy before halftime to lead 17-7, as Italy winded up the first half with just 13 players.

However, Italy changed the game in the second half, regaining the field with prop Danilo Fischetti and second-row Niccolo Cannone after receiving cautions, and quickly took the lead with four successful tries.

In their 27-12 loss to France in Lille six days prior, Uruguay had given them a tough match. However, they conceded an early converted try. Lorenzo Pani, the Italian player, managed to cross the try line, and a TMO review confirmed that the winger had indeed grounded the ball.

Also Read: The All Blacks Need to Play More Open and Exciting Rugby, Breaking from Their Usual Style

Italy's Lorenzo Pani in action
Italy’s Lorenzo Pani in action (Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith/File Photo)

After Italy’s Fischetti received a yellow card for handling the ball in a ruck, the South American team gained strength, and that allowed them to level the score shortly thereafter.

They were held up beneath the posts, but Australian official Angus Gardner gave the South American team a penalty try and gave a second yellow card to Italy as Cannone was penalized for an intentional infringement at the time of the breakdown.

Then, winger Nicolas Freitas crossed for Uruguay’s second try, this time in the corner, which Felipe Etcheverry added. Just before halftime, the fly-half successfully added a drop goal to further increase his team’s lead.

Early in the second half, when Uruguay’s captain Andres Vilaseca received a sin-binning, Italy made a strong comeback, scoring four tries in the span of 15 minutes.

Before Paolo Garbisi’s last-minute penalty kick, Italy had built up a 35-17 lead due to the converted tries from captain Michele Lamaro, winger Monty Ioane, Cannone, and center Ignacio Brex.

What Lies Ahead?

If Italy wants to go ahead to the knockout stages, they must win the first of their two challenging tests against New Zealand on Friday, September 29, in Lyon. Additionally, Uruguay will play in Lyon on Wednesday, September 27 against Namibia.

Also Read: Namibian Captain Extends Apology Amid the Head Clash

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All-Blacks Legend Sonny Bill Williams Predicts His Winner for One of the Most Anticipated Showdown in Pool B of the World Rugby Cup: South Africa VS Ireland

Sonny's take on South Africa VS Ireland Rugby Match
Sonny Bill Williams (Credits: NZ Herald)

Esteemed boxer and former All-Blacks center Sonny Bill Williams predicts a close encounter between South Africa and Ireland in Pool B of the Rugby World Cup that’s scheduled on Saturday. Fans all around the world are expecting it to be a remarkable showdown between the two giants.

After all, Ireland is currently ranked #1 in the World Rugby rankings, whereas the Springboks are ranked at #2 who, in the past, were also the winners of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Rugby lovers couldn’t ask for a better clash to decide the ultimate victors in Pool B.

In his usual manner, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber announced his squad prior to the match, and it’s going to be a 7-1 split on the bench which seems troublesome against the mighty Shamrocks, former Irish hooker Keith Wood has expressed his genuine concern about Nienaber’s choice.

This is due to most of the veteran forwards being heavily injured and the fit ones lacking experience at this level, which could be a major setback for the team against Ireland, even though Nienaber has faith in his choice and believes that Springboks will be able to emerge victorious against the Irish lads with this split on the bench.

Two of the best ships that know how to sail turbulent waters

The second-row forward is facing a hard time picking his favorite as he believes both sides are equally strong and well-prepared to execute their plans on the pitch, yet he decided to side with the Springboks as his wife is from South Africa, he said while interviewing with Stan Sport.

He further touched on both squads’ perks and how well-equipped they are when it comes to the game. Both of them are massive, sturdy, and, at the same time, aggressive and have massive depths when it comes to their line-up.

IRE VS RSA
Ireland VS South Africa (Credits: The Irish Times)

The former All-Black also mentioned that both sides are well aware of who they are and what kind of game suits them. As a fan, whenever you watch them on TV playing the game, you just know that the elites are on the field about to play their best game possible.

The South African team has got some finishers now, which makes them a lot stronger than they used to be four years ago, no matter how dangerous it might sound, but in the end, these are the facts. Apart from that, they have also received a good amount of experience by winning the 2019 World Rugby Cup.

Yet, at the same time, you cannot underestimate the Irish team, The forward pack, and their loose-forward trio, and to add that, their refined skills on the pitch are something you need to be wary of at all times.

Their straightforward approach to the game is great for building momentum and spacing. On top of that, they have a great sense of timing, which takes their game to a different class altogether.

The match is scheduled to be on 23rd September 2023 at Stade de France, Paris. The kickoff will be starting at 12:30 AM in the local time zone, 8:00 PM in British Summer Time, and 7:00 PM in Greenwich Mean Time.

The official match referee is going to be Ben O’Keeffe, and the assistant referees are going to be Mathieu Raynal and James Doleman. The TMO (Television Match Official) for the match is going to be Brendon Pickerill.