Hard fought victory over Scotland

England lined up their strongest side to face a motivated Scotland Team on Saturday night in Auckland. The Scottish backup by thousand of supporters started the game fiercely, playing penalties quickly to try to destabilized this methodical English squad.

Scotland proved better at the set pieces and a penalized scrum enabled Chris Paterson to score the first point for the Scottish. The same Paterson added another 3 points after England was penalised (once again) at a breakdown.

On the other side of the pitch, Johnny Wilkinson was struggling with his kicking putting through only one penalty out of 4. Scotland closed the first half with a drop goal from Parks and was definitely the strongest side after 40 minutes.

England came back on the field and took the upper hand on the set pieces, stealing a few balls in the lineouts and pushing back the Scottish in the scrums. Wilkinson still struggled with his kicking but managed to close the gap to 3 points.

And at the 78th minutes, following on from a move from a lineout, Chris Ashton scored a try in the corner enabling all the English Supporters to breath. The kick was converted by Tobby Flood and England finished the game with a margin of 4 points.

Springboks hard fought victory over Samoa 13-5

What a game!! What a atmosphere!! What a night!!

This must have been one of the best rugby games so far at the World Cup and we were there to witness every moment of it...

All the elements were in place for a truly unforgetable night of rugby. The weather was at it's best. The Samoans supporters were at their creative and vocal best as was the thousands of Springbok supporters who made it all the way to North Harbour stadium to support their beloved team as they played a very aggressive and emotional Samoan outfit. 

We were lucky to have great seats that allowed us to not only hear the loud crunching impacts of Samoans and South African bodies colliding but also to feel the tension and passion that both these teams played with.

South Africa started the game strongly and dominated the Samoan scrums and line outs while matching their physical approach. It was their good discipline that keep them ahead in the game with great kicking by both Steyn's. A well worked try finished by Bryan Habana in the first half capped off some fine backline display lead by Jacque Fourie making a decisive pass to the winger before feeling the pain of a Samoan shoulder in his ribs.

In the second half the Samoans fought back hard and decided to run the ball at all costs...and it worked! There was a wonderful display of running rugby that got the crowd wild. Sadly a poor call from the Referee and Touch judge lead to the red carding of their full back Paul Williams and shortly after a yellow card to John Smit. 

The game ended as did the Samoan World Cup campaign. On the streets of Auckland after the game it felt as if the Samoans had won the game as hundreds of Samoans poured the streets in jubilation waving their flags around. The Springboks may have won the game but the Samoans surely must have won their World cup and all the supporters in Auckland and the world.   



Spingboks - Samoa (11.30 Mauritian Time)

South African supporters have arrived in masses in Auckland to backup their team for a fierce encounter coming up tonight against the Samoan.

The Samona have come off a confortable victory against Fiji and are ready to put up a physical game against the Springboks.

Although South Africa have won their last 3 games and are nearly sure to be qualified for the next round, they will not leave anything to chance and are putting their strongest side on the field.

The good weather combined with the excellent technical skills of these 2 teams promises a very exciting Rugby game.

Prognostics:

Thierry - Springboks by 20 points
Tiden - Samoan by 5 

Photos as far at the RWC

Samoan Victory

Great result for the Samoans who were too clinical for an unorganized Fijian side. The rain hampered a running rugby spectacle which is the foot print of these pacific islander teams, however we were entertained by a very physical encounter and more so by a highly motivated and vocal crowd that packed Eden Park stadium. There was a real party atmosphere in and around the grounds as the two 'local' teams fought battle.
This result puts Samoa in with a chance to proceed to the quarter finals with a victory over South Africa. This game promises to be a brutal affair and we will be there live to bring all you the coverage! 

Argentina V/S Scotland Sunday at 15H30 (Mauritian Time)

Argentina needs a win in order to continue their campaign in this World Cup. They have surprised everyone 4 years ago in finishing 3rd at the World Cup in France. However Scotland will prove a strong opponent and will be hard to beat today.

To note that Euan Murray the experienced Scot prop is not playing today due to religious belief (Sunday is praying day and nothing else!) Lets hope that he prays for his team mates as I am sure that they will need it!

Prognostics:
Thierry - Argentina by 5
Tiden - Scotland by 12
Amechalak - Argentina by 9
Mathias El Bebeto - Scotland by 9
Marie Helene - Argentina by 10
Dr Cock (La Belle Blonde) - Argentina by 15

Ireland V/S Russia Sunday at 13H00 (Mauritian Time)

Even though Ireland is resting their top players, it should be a walk in the park for this experienced Irish Team. Let's hope that Russia will be able to repeat their performance against USA.

Prognostics:
Thierry - Ireland by 40
Tiden - Ireland by 75
Amechalak - Ireland by 21
Mathias El Bebeto - Russia by 1

Fiji V/S Samoa Sunday at 10H30 (Mauritian Time)

This clash between these 2 Pacific Islands promises to a brutal affair. Samoa have shown that they can lift up their game in important encounters and be very physical. However the Fijians play an expansive game and are also known to be hard tacklers.

Samoa should have the upper hand on their close neighbour and will have a strong support here in Auckland, Samoan jerseys have been sold out but luckily Thierry manage to get his hand on one.

Prognostics:

Thierry - Samoa by 20
Tiden - Samoa by 12
Ameloche - Samoa by 28
Mathias El Bebeto - Fiji by 64

New Zealand 37 - France 17

France started strongly for the first 7 mins with a drop goal attempt on the post which nearly ended up as a try.

You could feel the tense atmosphere reigning in Eden Park until New Zealand scored their first try on the left wing. After that it was a one way game with the All Blacks continually hammering the French try line scoring another 4 tries.

The French managed to score 2 tries using their "French Flair", one interception and a penalty quickly played.

The All Blacks were definitely one class above with an excellent performance of Dan Carter who directed everything in attack and was very strong in defense. To note that Richie McCaw achieve an amazing milestone with his 100th Test Cap.

Your 2 consultants were proudly waving the Mauritian Flag trying to attract the spotlight on them, this proved unsuccessful but keep an eye up for them as I am sure they have many tricks up their sleeves.

We wish to welcome 2 new experts from Land Down Under: Mathias El Bebeto and Ameloche

England 67 - Romania 3

England thrashed Romania by 64 points moving a step closer to the quarter finals. A strong performance of England's Backline with Tulagi, Cueto and Ashton scoring 8 tries. 

New Zealand V/S France Saturday at 12H30 (Mauritian Time)

So here we are, only a few hours from the game that New Zealand has been waiting for the last 4 years.

New Zealand will put their strongest side with the return of Richie McCaw and Dan Carter against a so called B Team from France who is starting with Morgan Parra at Fly-half who usually play scrum-half.

We had the chance to meet with Denis and Jason who have happily agreed to share their thoughts on the MauriNewZealand Rugby World Tour Blog:  

It is going to be really hard to beat New Zealand on their home ground but France has done it several times in the past and you cannot write them off completely.

Prognostics:

Thierry - New Zealand by 20 points

Tiden - New Zealand by 17 points

Emilie - New Zealand by 10 points

Rodrigo- New Zealand by 15 points

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome Rodrigo & Emilie who have joined us in our Headquartes in Auckland!!

Preview of Auckland

England V/S Romania Saturday at 12H00 (Mauritian Time)

The England Rose take on the Romania today in Dunedin. This match should be a stroll in the park for the English especially since the Romanians has made 11 changes from their previous game in what seems to be a strategic move by their coach of keeping their top players fresh and rested for their all important clash with the Georgians.

It is noted that Jonny Wilkinson is back in the starting line up. He will look to improve on his goal kicking following an uncharacteristic poor display against the Argentinians two weeks ago. This match should be a great display of running rugby and expect a lot of tries to be scored.

Prognostics

Thierry - England by 80
Tiden - England by 47

Australia 67 - USA 5

As predicted the USA could only sustain the Wallabies for one half when they were only trailing by 17 points 22 - 5 after 40 minutes.

The Australian Backline has shown us once again their great skills to take Australia to an 11 tries win. To note also a strong performance of Nathan Sharpe, the second rower of Australia who was back in the starting line up.

However we would like to point out the poor performance of Quade Cooper which leave a big question mark for the coming crucial games.

T&T WE ARE HERE!!!

New Zealand!

Your favorite correspondents have finaly arrived in this land far far away.
First impression: It s cold!
We ll update you tomorrow on the actual news and athmosphere in New Zealand after a good shower and a well deserved night's rest.

Australia V/S USA Friday at 12H30 (Mauritian Time)

Will Genia will lead the Wallabies against a B line up American side. Let's see what our Aussie consultant Dave Ackers has to say about the performance of Australia so far and their upcoming match:

So we are expecting an easy win for Australia over a depleted American side

Prognostics:

Thierry (The first T in T&T) - Australia by 40
Tiden (The second....) - Australia by 49

Ps: so far 100% for our consultants!!

Land Down Under

After a long flight from Reunion we finally arrived at Sydney. Unfortunately our producer (Tiden) thought that New Zealand was part of Australia and directed our tour all the way to the Domestic Airport.... Furthermore he managed to go up and down George Street 5 times before finally being able to locate a Sport Shop to gear up for the games. But we finally made it and we are currently waiting for our flight to Auckland!!

At Sydney we added 2 experts in our consulting team with the arrival of Denis (La belle blonde) and Marie Helene (the fanatic NewZealand supporter) all the way from Black River!

We also had the privilege to share a meal and several jugs with our guests from Australia Dave and Jeanine who have given their insight on the performance of Australia and the pending match versus the USA.

T&T tired but still on their way....

THE WORLD IN UNION

What a Rugby World Cup it has been so far! The so called ‘2^nd tier rugby nations or minnows’ have been causing quite a few surprises. Notably Romania coming very close to toppling Scotland or Japan who stood up to France for a good 60 minutes.

This World Cup has shown that these smaller rugby nations have improved considerably in the last 4 years and that they are continuing to do so. Despite having less days of rest and recovery between each game than the bigger rugby nations, these teams have come to New Zealand to perform and give their best before returning back home to their day jobs. It goes to show that with a lot of determination and will to succeed anything is possible in rugby and in sport in general…

So far we have witnessed a new brand of rugby that is being played during this world cup – Running rugby. The IRB have promised that this tournament would be different than the previous ones and so far it has lived up to its expectations. With the evolution of the rules, teams are encouraged to hold on to the ball instead of kicking away possession. This element along with the introduction of offensive and defensive bonus points leads to more tries being scored. Let’s hope that this will carry on into the knock out stages when the pressure is greater and throwing the ball around becomes a very risky game plan… If the All Blacks can take this pressure then they will certainly be the team to beat in the final.

Australia on the other hand have failed the pressure test against Ireland and with no plan B they are left licking their wounds in anticipation of what now looks like a South Africa v Australia quarter final.

The defending champions South Africa have raised the tempo of their game with two well balanced games versus Fidji and Namibia. They have shown that they too can play an expansive running game while maintaining their solid scrums, line outs and tactical kicking game. Definitely a team to watch very closely in the race to the finals…

Speaking about the race to the finals, this Saturday we see the most anticipated game of the World Cup so far. A game that has been four years in the making... The mighty All Blacks versus the French flair. France eliminated a shell shocked New Zealand side in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter finals. This time around it seems that the All Blacks playing at home against a so called ‘B’ French side will have no trouble overcoming their painful past and record a comfortable victory. Unless of course if the French ‘click’ on the day and do the impossible once again…  One thing is for sure is that this game will be a clash of the titans and the atmosphere at the stadium and around Auckland will be incredible. I will have the chance to be in the stadium with my fellow compatriots and we will be dressed in our national rugby jerseys flying high the flag of Mauritius!

Enjoy the games!
Thierry

Springbok 87 - Namibia 0

South Africa has yet again put in a memorizing performance against a second tier team. The Namibians had no answer to the sheer class and finishing of the Springboks' backline. To note that Habana is now the top South African Try Scorer of all Time, surpassing Joost van der Westhuizen's record of 36 tries.

The upcoming game of the South African against Samoa should be a brutal affair as was the case in the 2007 World Cup. Of course your dedicated correspondents will be in the Stadium cheering up for their close Neighbour and giving you a taste of the action on and off the field.

T&T still on their way to New Zealand...

Springbok V/S Namibia Thursday at 12H00 (Mauritian Time)

The Springboks have picked up during their last game and are lining up their strongest side versus a spirited Namibian side who had a long recovery after their physical encounter against Samoa. Unfortunately even a highly motivated and rested Namibian side will certainly not be able to match the sheer power of the defending World Cup Champions.

As we say in French "Les Sud Africains ne feront qu'une bouchee de Biltong des Namibiens"

Prognostics:

Thierry - South Africa by 45 points

Tiden - South Africa by 62 points

Welcome to the MauriNewZealand Rugby World Cup Tour!!!

Kia Ora all Rugby Fans!!

This idea emerged during our long travel to go all the way to New Zealand to attend the Rugby World Cup 2011. We were thinking about all those people who were stuck far far away who would not have the chance to feel the passion and atmosphere that we will taste in a few hours so we decided to create this blog to share this amazing experience with you.

Let's get started then and introduce to your 2 new Consultants: Thierry our special reporter who is joining us after a short career at Radio One and Tiden our producer whose career I am sure will be short and sweet.

T & T on their way to the Land of The Long White Cloud