Quarter-Finals Deliver

To say that it was a lively weekend in rugby would be to air on the side of being Canadian (unsensational). The Rugby World Cup delivered four unbelievable and for some, upsetting games. The weekend also contained some unfortunate news for more All Blacks and set our coming weekend up with some semi-final rivalries that will not be taken lightly.

England...you were a disappointment from the first whistle of the tournament. For that matter, so was France up until this last weekend, that is. It came down to whether England was going to be able to pull out another last minute win or if France was going to decide to show up to play. As it turns out - England had messed around too long this time and found themselves in a losing way which still didn't stop Tuilagi from jumping off a Ferry two days later. I guess that about sums up England's World Cup campaign in 2011. I guess the question that we're left with is whether France is capable of showing up to play two weeks in a row.

Wales. Well - I didn't see that one coming. I figured it would be Ireland through to the end. I didn't think that Ireland would tolerate to lose out in the Quarter-Finals. Not this year, not this World Cup. They were primed for glory. But Wales...I guess they would be the Dark Horse in this competition. Always there but not really drawing much attention. I fully expect that they will be finalists. To come this far and lose to les Bleus? I don't think so.

But let's look at the Wallabies vs. the Springboks. Truly an epic battle. I didn't think that South Africa was going to come out on top. But I had doubts that the Wobblies could do it. I thought that the SA  defense would frustrate the Wallabies to the end and that Morne Steyn's kicking would top off their victory. All the stats from the game supported that reasoning. In every number of the game - from the tackling, territory, possession, to penalty concessions...to overturning set piece...the Springboks should have won that game. But the Wallabies snuck through with an impassioned Captain Horwill and the spot-on kicking by James O'Conner. No real help from Quade Cooper - I've seen him play poorly but this last weekend seem exceptional even for him. How many kicks did he put out on the full? How many tackles did he miss or worse yet, not commit to. I just don't know how his couple flashy moments can make him more valuable than Mat Giteau. But I won't climb back on that soap box right now. Cooper wasn't the only one that I felt had a sub-par performance. I think it was at 60 minutes when I first noticed that Adam Ashley-Cooper was on the field and Steven Moore still can't put a line out throw in straight.

The hits were amazing. Habana got his socks knocked off...literally. I bet you he was seeing 30 Wobblies by the end of his game. Though Robbie Deans may talk about his team being at full strength I have to wonder if Beale will be set to go for this next weekend. The Black heart of mine hopes no - but at the same time...I want the Wobblies to have zero excuses for when the All Blacks beat them.


In the end - the Springboks just didn't do enough and the 2007 RWC Champions will go home to rebuild again. However the likes of Victor Matfield and John Smit will hang their jerseys up for good now. Victor Matfield is possibly one of the greatest lock forwards in the world and in my humble opinion, the greatest Bok. The green pitches of the world will miss you.

All Blacks vs. Argentina (Pumas)...

My question is this:
Is it that the All Blacks didn't play as well as they could/should have or could it be that Argentina just played that well?

The Pumas hit hard, slowed rucks down (legal or illegal...they didn't get caught or called so...good on them), and never gave in. They played extraordinarily well and I think we will see more from them in the future. I stayed up until 3:30am to watch the game and honestly - there were moments of panic and disbelief but I found myself calm as the All Blacks worked consistently and showed little frustration. Their resolve was calming. 


Tough luck for Colin Slade. Two broken jaws and a torn adductor muscle in one year? That's tough for anyone. And then Mils. Congrats on 100 - I wished it could have ended differently. Big Brad Thorn was a trooper though in the game and Cory Jane - what a superstar. 


My biggest concern over all of this is who they have called up in place of Slade. Duck. Yes - Stephen Donald. I nearly lost my mind when I heard that yesterday. He's the last, LAST person you ever want in a clutch game. He can't kick and he's a terrible tackler - worse than Cooper, I think. So - Aaron Cruden...you have a moment coming up. You can put your mark on the All Blacks and on this World Cup forever. You can be that ace that nobody knew was there...that ace who was supposed to be on a Fijian holiday right now.

Regardless of who is playing in what position this coming weekend - history will be made. I would be lying if I were to say that the All Blacks will be finalists hands down. I have some hesitation saved up for this weekend. Afterall, it is the Rugby World Cup and we have certainly see thus far that the unexpected can happen. But we still have some aces up our sleeve and in the end - I don't think that the All Blacks will deny themselves victory on their own soil.