The Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals provided some entertainment and surprise. Surprisingly, much of the entertainment came from the Northern hemisphere teams, whilst the Southern hemisphere teams played out the drab ‘Northern-style’ rugby!
The atmosphere in Wellington over the weekend was nothing short of sensational. To have four world class teams in town meant the place was abuzz. The Irish sea of green was complemented by a fair splash of gold, a good dose of red and a darker, more African shade of green. We had springboks, wallabies, leeks and shamrocks. There were hymns and arias, cockles and mussels and even Matilda was waltzing.
We had the privilege of going into town to soak up the atmosphere just prior to the Wales v Ireland game. It was fun, as fans of all teams mingled awaiting the big game. All four of us wore our Ireland shirts, and Sam and Josh (in their pushchair) used the Ulster flag as their blanket.
Walking around, we just happened to arrive outside the Irish team hotel as they were boarding their bus. A crowd of several hundred was singing, cheering and yo-ho-ing (a good Ulster word). It was one of those memorable occasions. We got to wave ourflag, and encourage the boys as they drove past us en route to the ‘Cake Tin’. It saddened me that even in NZ, we had several disparaging remarks about an Ulster flag, even being told “There’s no need for that.” Surely the Irish RFU needs to actively embrace the fact they represent “the four proud provinces of Ireland”, and do all it can to combat bigotry and prejudice. As an ‘outsider’ looking in, it does seem that Ulster boys seem under-represented in the Irish set-up. I recognise it’s not uncomplicated, but for the team to be truly an 'all-island' team, steps forward still need to be made.
On to the rugby…
Sadly, the Irish team who beat the Aussies were nowhere to be seen. The decision (3 times) to go for tries rather than the 3 points on offer came back to haunt them. A lesson learned is that points on the board can really swing momentum in a game. The Welsh, were superb. Their discipline off-field and on-field has been outstanding. Warburton, who I’d not heard much about pre-tournament has been an excellent leader. And the discipline they’ve shown off-field means they deserve to be in the Semis.
What to say about the English?! I watched them play live in three of their games. In all three, they were poor. The Quarter Final was nothing short of awful. Serious questions need to be asked of the management and leadership when players can’t survive 6 weeks or more without a drink. Some of the behaviour and attitudes shown exemplify the deep rooted problems in the RFU. It seems I, along with most others, are happy that the English were knocked out. Manu Tuilagi proved to be the best English player of the tournament, but even he jumped ship the day after their exit. If only some more of the English squad would follow suit.
From Sacre Bleu to Allez les Bleus went the French, in a way that only the French could. South Africa can only blame themselves, though they are making a good fist of blaming the ref, Bryce Lawrence. Sure, Australia didn’t deserve to win, but then neither did the Springboks against the Welsh or Samoans. Cup rugby is all about taking your chances and the final score is what counts.
And then we have the All Blacks…a seriously underwhelming performance cost them dearly. Slade is now gone – surely making Graham Henry’s job easier and less costly for his ego. Although, calling up Stephen Donald would have hurt Henry, he had no choice. I feel for Donald, and although we’ll start with Cruden, I hope Donald gets some time to prove some people wrong. You have to feel for the likes of Carter, Muliaina and Slade, who have experienced the highs, but now face a fairly major low.
Which all leaves us with the question of who will go through to the final?
Personally, I think and hope that the Welsh manage it. For all their irrational dislike and hatred of the English, I had a happy 3 years there and I wish them well. As folks here have frequently said “The French only have one good performance per tournament and they’ve used it up.”
And what of the Wallabies or All Blacks? On form, it’ll be pretty close. But, thankfully games aren’t played on form alone. One would have to say the All Blacks have the better team and should make it through. I predict they will, but it’ll be a close game, even if the scoreline doesn’t fully reflect it.
All that remains to be said is there are 4 teams left, 3 of which are coached by Kiwis. These boys know their rugby, and I still believe in 2 weeks’ time, it’ll be a Kiwi coach whose team are champions. See you Wales in the final and 'go the All Blacks!'
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