France 25 - Ireland 3, September 21st, 2007

The chorus of "Allez les Bleus" was more a sign of relief than excitement, and the team played down in the trenches rather than in the open fields, but a win is a win...
Both teams looked like viable contenders as the clock ticked down to this tournament. Laporte had gone through his combinations during the 6 Nations, tinkering in that scholarly fashion of his with back row combinations, half backs, back threes. He had enviable strength in depth (could ANY of the Home Nations afford to keep an athelete like Nyanga on the bench ?) and the team was able to play in a variety of ways.
Then came the opening match, where they were mauled by the Pumas. In truth, I suspect, Graham Henry had already holed them below the waterline in the "warm up" matches. A point (or 50) had been made, and the French were rocked on their heels. So when the Puma forwards tore in to them, disrupting the flow of possession, then put up a stream of up and unders to break up the game, the frayed French nerves snapped.
Similarly, the Irish played nervously. Their form had been poor going in to last night's game. Again, here was a team coached with this tournament in mind. Unlike Laporte, Sullivan had a settled side, a balanced team of artists and artisans. But last night they played tetchy, error strewn rugby. perhaps the reports in L'Equipe had led to a loss of focus - those intense blue eyes of O'Gara lacked the usual steely glint. Perhaps too much red mist. He certainly looked incapable of striking the ball with anything approaching his usual accuracy.
And one last thought.
I think it's a shame that much of the commentary and post match analysis revolved around Chris White, the referee. Folks might say that professional rugby players shouldn't need "sympathetic" refereeing, but surely the whistle shouldn't be allowed to drown out the combined voices of all those good people trying to belt out choruses of "La Marsailleise" and "Alive Alive Oh!" ?

England 0 - South Africa 36

The Springboks rarely out of second gear against an England side that lacked belief and showed an alarmingly poor level of basic skill.
Josh Lewsey, in the Sunday Times, analysed it thus :
"The squad has been seriously affected over the past couple of years due to injury, changes and form, but no more so over the past week." Fair comment, thinks the RuckandRoller. But then...
"In the absence of a settled society, history has shown that law and order break down, the social hierarchy constantly changes, organization disintegrates and eventually the tribe fragments..."
Quite so, Josh. And thank God you're not writing for the News of the World...
And "1790's France and 1920's Russia spring to mind"
Yeah. Smack on. Any hapless England fan at the Stade de France on Friday night must have been thinking the same...
So - a message to all the "Swing Low" brigade.
To the Barricades, mes amis. It is time to make a new world. A world where England full backs' hamstrings will not spontaneously combust at the sight of an open field in front of them. A world where journalists will stop grilling poor battered Martin Corry, and will instead pat him on the shoulder and point him towards the showers. "It's fine, Martin, old pal, your rugby did all the talking".

Wales 20- Australia 32

Millenium Stadium, Cardiff, September 15th, 2007

"Jeez, mate. Folks at home told us it rained all the fuckin' time in this neck of the woods. Will ya look at it - blue sky, I've got the shades on, it's just like Brisbane."

Quite.

Except in Brisbane they may have had the courage to open the roof...

A good game that came pretty close to being a great one. Enough what ifs to make us Welsh believe that we may still leave an imprint on this World Cup. Perhaps it is the heart saying that. The head might reply that, as in 2003, the imprint may be that of a team playing attractive rugby, exciting, bums-out-of-seats rugby, but ultimately we will be overpowered by the big boys.