The first day of world of rugby does not leave categorical conclusions beyond specific results that will decide the quarterfinal matches. The battle between the hemispheres does not clarify the picture. The south saw South Africa win against Scotland in one of the matches premium while New Zealand fell to France in the opening match. The South Africans are solvent and a poor performance by the Kiwis who continue their decline and cling to the talent of a group that, despite everything, no one should take for granted. The beardless Australia beat Georgia and the Pumas left a terrible feeling against England. In the north, of the Six Nations only Scotland lost to South Africa. England won with ease against Argentina, Wales with suffering against Fiji, Ireland with ease against Romania and Italy against Namibia. At an individual level, the names of this start are George Ford (28 points with his foot), in attack, and Will Rowlands, 27 tackles, in defense. But there are many more highlights in this start of the World Cup.
Without rehearsals you can win
Only two teams did not have rehearsals on the first day. Coincidentally, they were the founding nations: Scotland and England. The Caledonians fell to a South Africa that slowly cooked their victory (18-3) in the most demanding and sober match of the day. The goats They matured their victory without errors and attacking the Scottish deficiencies. Russell suffered a chase from the South African third and the ‘Bomb Squad’ unstitched the Europeans at the start of the second half. The other was England. He didn’t need to pose for rehearsals. His 28 points came with his foot, to be more specific, George Ford’s right foot. Five hits and three drops, unearthing this old luck that modern rugby has forgotten. The first two, very long, stabbed like daggers into the side of some Pumas whose Argentinianity torn them between euphoria and catastrophism. Subdued up front, with a hinge adrift, devastated in the ‘breakdown’ and in the aerial game, Argentina comes out of the match affected with Cheika highly questioned for his approach.
Looking at the ‘bunker’
“In rugby we don’t talk about the referee.” In reality, what is not done is to blame him for a defeat or use him as an alibi to explain it. Because you can make mistakes, as players do, and it is assumed as something natural. But not holding him responsible for a result does not prevent us from making observations about his performance. On this first day of the World Cup we are seeing an oscillating criterion in similar plays that are judged differently according to the referee in question. And here two variables come into play: its origin (southern or northern hemisphere) and the weight of the shirt that is the protagonist of the play.
In the match between England and Argentina the Frenchman Mathie Raynal showed the yellow card to the Englishman Curry, after colliding with his head with that of the Argentine Juan Cruz Maílla, who landed on top of him when he picked up a ball in the air. However, South African Marius Jonker, who was in the ‘bunker’, dyed the card red because of the danger of the play. The next day, in the South Africa-Scotland, the bucks Jesse Kriel stopped Scotsman Jack Dempsey with a percussion and headbutt that neither the Englishman Angus Gardner nor his countryman in the ‘bunker’ Ben Whitehouse admonished with a card. AND in Chile-Japan, Matsushima picked up a split ball and ended up colliding, head to head, with the condor Martín Singrena play that the Englishmen Nick Berry and Tom Foley, in the ‘bunker’, sanctioned with yellow. Same plays (head clashes), different refereeing criteria: from the red for the South African ‘bunker’ Jonker to the yellow that Raynal and Berry showed or Gardner’s ‘go on, go on’ in South Africa-Scotland.
Another striking decision was to see to the Englishman Matthew Carley warning the captain of Wales in the 77th minute, and after 16 hits committed defending in his line of five, that “you will be reprimanded if you continue committing hits.” Concession that he did not make to Fiji, whom he reprimanded without thinking and without prior warning for collapsing a maul despite committing only 9 indiscipline. Welsh won by suffering, who tackled so much that he set a World Cup record with 248 tackles against a Fiji team, which saw many of its charges cut short due to the Dragons’ indiscipline (17 marked blows) and the referee’s permissiveness, which also ignored how the heeler The Welshman went in to tackle without closing his arms on his line to flagrantly avoid a Fijian try, an image that the entire stadium saw on the screens. Carley’s performance was described online by British journalists as “a typical English arbitration”, and by the French jokingly as a performance “with British manners”. Damn the grace he gave to the islanders, including the 7’s guru, Ben Ryan. Double standards that can leave the Fijians out of the quarterfinals.
Georgia competes, Chile excites and Fiji amuses
Georgia stretched the spine of the Australian forward, to whom she nailed two tries and was about to give two more. The Lelos have mutated their carpetovetonic rugby into a competitive forward proposal, but when their rivals add continuity they are diluted. Without the ball they suffer, but when they have the upper hand, taking it away is an ordeal. Very tough players in contact and devastating in the scrum.
Another interesting performance was that of Chile, which was making its debut in the World Cup. The Cóndors presented themselves against Japan without complexes, and although the physical punishment took its toll on them in the final stretch, They competed with exciting bravery. Aggressive in attack with a dynamic and enthusiastic game that became an enormously supportive display in defense. The final (42-12) does not reflect the entertaining nature of the clash against a Japan that was patient to defeat the Chileans. “We are a family, we tackle for our teammate. We defend our country, our shirt. That’s what we are a team. Chile showed that it wants to play other World Cups. That is the message we left after our debut,” concluded his coach, Pablo Lemoine, after the debut.
And Fiji was the first to get us out of our seats. 174 runs and 652 meters gained with the ball in his hands to score four tries, die inches from the Welsh try line and lose by six. The stampedes of Nayacalevu, Radradra and Tuisova dazzled the public and discomposed the Welsh. But heThe injury to their fly-half Caleb Muntz was heavy, because the performance of the former Getxo player, Teti Tela, was not up to par with the match. Lomani also did not display his best game and that, together with the referee’s permissiveness with the Welsh indiscipline, ended up condemning them. Now they have a tender Australia to deal with. This World Cup owes them one.
The 2nd day
In this second day that begins tomorrow We will see the debut of Uruguay, Portugal and the reinforced Tonga and Samoa, island nations that arrive reinforced by the presence of the All Blacks who return to their original countries. The maneuver is explained because the vote of these nations was decisive for Bill Beaumont to remain as president of World Rugby against the strong alternative of Agustín Pichot. In exchange for his votes, the president allowed them to recover their ‘all blacks’. That makes them more dangerous rivals and we will see if it is enough for them to get into the quarterfinals. The most attractive matches, a priori, are scheduled on Sunday, with Australia-Fiji and England-Japan, which is joined on Saturday to close the day by Ireland-Tonga. In addition, very large scores are looming in more unbalanced matches such as those in Uruguay, Namibia, Portugal and Romania.
2023-09-13 12:18:18
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