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