Rugby World Cup 2023

[didds]

Thing is, whether England (WR ranking 6th) finish 1st or 2nd in the group (assumption for these purposes is that they will) they will then face in the QF one of

aus (WR #8)
fifi (WR #9)
wales (WR #10)
georgia (WR #11)

and then whichever "side" of the QF draw they fall on, if successful, in their SF they will face one of

Ire (WR #1)
NZ (WR #2)
SA (WR #3)
FR (WR #4)

i cant see being 1st or 2nd in their group significantly alters their hopes at either QF or SF stage

[elkay]

fifi (WR #9)

They probably have a preference for Fifi in the QF

[didds]

fifi (WR #9)

They probably have a preference for Fifi in the QF

because 9th ranked is so much easier than 10th ranked you mean?

[didds]

aus (WR #8)
fifi (WR #9)
wales (WR #10)
georgia (WR #11)

DOH! apologies all.

fiJi obviouslY!

[BigB]

aus (WR #8)
fifi (WR #9)
wales (WR #10)
georgia (WR #11)

DOH! apologies all.

fiJi obviouslY!

I'm not convinced England would beat Fifi currently!

[simoan]

aus (WR #8)
fifi (WR #9)
wales (WR #10)
georgia (WR #11)

DOH! apologies all.

fiJi obviouslY!

Don't worry, even the Sunday Times couldn't spell Fiji correctly this weekend. My copy had a sports headline about "FJII". Personally, I liked your variant better

[terminal7]

Some weekend of rugby. Most of the minnows taking a hiding - France dominant over the All Blacks - South Africa rarely out of third gear to beat Scotland - England find a general (Ford) and surely don't need OF - Wales have luck and the referee on their side.

Conclusions: the Boks fav just ahead of France.

T7

[simoan]

Some weekend of rugby. Most of the minnows taking a hiding - France dominant over the All Blacks - South Africa rarely out of third gear to beat Scotland - England find a general (Ford) and surely don't need OF - Wales have luck and the referee on their side.

Conclusions: the Boks fav just ahead of France.

T7

If the Boks had a decent kicker, I'd agree. I think it will cost them at some point. They left 11 very kickable points on the pitch yesterday. I'm not sure they can get away with that against France or Ireland.

All the best, Si

[terminal7]

You are leading 56-0 halftime against Namibia - your star captain, possible best in world scrum half and integral cog to winning the RWC is playing a blinder - what do you do? Well bring on the sub scrum half for some game time just in case of injury to Dupont during the later stages of the competition? Of course not - 6 mins into second half Dupont sustains fractured cheek and now out until at least semis at best. This could be a game changer at RWC.

T7

[formoverfunction]

I am planning a trip to the pub at 4.30 tomorrow, there I will dine on a cheese cob from behind the bar, a giant bag of space raiders, pickled onion of course, and several pints of gut flora affirming beer!

As I am not a total idiot, I will also be having a pint of cider for the vitamin C.

I hope the game is as splendid as the dining experience....local boozer. £2,80 a pint

[mike]

You are leading 56-0 halftime against Namibia - your star captain, possible best in world scrum half and integral cog to winning the RWC is playing a blinder - what do you do? Well bring on the sub scrum half for some game time just in case of injury to Dupont during the later stages of the competition? Of course not - 6 mins into second half Dupont sustains fractured cheek and now out until at least semis at best. This could be a game changer at RWC.

T7

May be sooner, they won't know for 48/72 hours. Best case, 7-10 days out, worst case several weeks

Here you go, practice your French !

Dupont devra ainsi attendre l'avis d'un spécialiste, à Toulouse, et que l'hématome se résorbe, pour déterminer la nature et la gravité exacte de la blessure. L'attente devrait se prolonger quarante-huit à soixante-douze heures.

Très inquiet depuis jeudi soir, le groupe France a repris un peu d'espoir et sa présence lors de la phase finale n'est pas encore écartée. En effet, les premières constatations laissent imaginer que Dupont puisse jouer avec une protection.

Pour ce genre de blessure, un médecin de club pro assure qu'un joueur peut rejouer, dans le meilleur des cas, entre 7 et 10 jours après la fracture. Dans des cas plus embêtants, si la fracture est mal placée, déplacée, ou qu'il y a des lésions musculaires ou de l'orbite oculaire associées, le blessé peut être arrêté plusieurs semaines

https://www.lequipe.fr/Rugby/Actualites/Fracture-pour-antoine-dupont-dont-la-presence-en-phases-finales-n-est-pas-encore-ecartee/1421174

But totally agree with the sentiment of your post. They'd lost N'tmack before the tournament and now possibly Dupont.

[Tedx]

Off topic, but related (I guess)...

Andrew Cotter hits the golf course with his dugs.

https://youtu.be/sTh7hKDmDME?si=t_95XF9XNngO07cH

[BigB]

You are leading 56-0 halftime against Namibia - your star captain, possible best in world scrum half and integral cog to winning the RWC is playing a blinder - what do you do? Well bring on the sub scrum half for some game time just in case of injury to Dupont during the later stages of the competition? Of course not - 6 mins into second half Dupont sustains fractured cheek and now out until at least semis at best. This could be a game changer at RWC.

T7

I've seen several posts on twitter echoing this sentiment, but actually Ibanez says he wanted them to play, they have to play. Playing will always carry some risk of injury.

To be fair, I think Ibanez wanted as much time for his 9/10/12/13 to play together as much possible before their big QF (with seeding, likely against world #1 or #2). He'd already lost Ntamack, then Danty, so this would have been a chance to have Dupont/Jalibert/Danty/Fickou playing together a little before tough games against Italy then big QF.

The reaction to the Dupont injury is incredible - I think he might be the 2nd biggest/best star ever, behind only Lomu (at the moment).

Ireland did the same with Sexton when he came back and played most of the game - he could easily have got injured in an 'easy' game.

I also saw a marked silence on twitter from the "it was accidental" crowd - 95 or more times out of 100, those heads up accidental tackles don't cause broken cheekbones. But they are still reckless and can obviously do serious damage immediately, but they also will have some unmeasured impact of continuous bangs to the head (Steve Thompson issue?). I think there is a realisation that tackles like those, not dissimilar to Curry's, can have dramatic consequences and being accidental is not hugely relevant.

I'm guessing the lights might have gone on for a few of the more old school players/pundits, and maybe there will be an acknowledgement that lower tackle heights do have a purpose and a future.

[terminal7]

Ireland did the same with Sexton when he came back and played most of the game - he could easily have got injured in an 'easy' game.

With respect BigB only partially accurate. Sexton was out for some months and needed to get fit - hence as much game time as possible. This is not the case with Dupont.

T7

[BigB]

Sexton has been back fit for some time. This was his return from the ban when he misspoke to the refs at the HC final.

But yes he needed game time for both familiarity and match sharpness.

Dupont playing wasn't so much about just him playing imo, but him playing with Jalibert and Danty, this was Dantys first game back.

[simoan]

If the Boks had a decent kicker, I'd agree. I think it will cost them at some point. They left 11 very kickable points on the pitch yesterday. I'm not sure they can get away with that against France or Ireland.

All the best, Si

Told you! Decent kicker and Boks win instead of 13-8 loss to Ireland. Wouldn’t have deserved it though! Great match.

[terminal7]

Brilliant match - looks like they could meet in the Final - my money on South Africa - though speaking through my pocket.

If Wales - please please - vanquish the Ozzies tonight - a welcome swing to the Northern Hemisphere.

T7

[terminal7]

Not sure the likes of Chile, Namibia and Romania are adding anything to the RWC. The competition should revert back to 16 teams - would also shorten the tournament - 7 weeks plus is just too long.

T7

[terminal7]

Wales 40 Oz 6

Taffies - savour.

T7

[BigB]

If the Boks had a decent kicker, I'd agree. I think it will cost them at some point. They left 11 very kickable points on the pitch yesterday. I'm not sure they can get away with that against France or Ireland.

All the best, Si

Told you! Decent kicker and Boks win instead of 13-8 loss to Ireland. Wouldn’t have deserved it though! Great match.

Very fine margins, there could have been no complaints if the Boks had won, I think. Ireland also had a very close win over SA last Autumn, arguably with a friendly ref!

I do think SA will be the best equipped of any team to challenge France if they meet in the QF (Sco v Ire outcome still pending), with or without Dupont.

Great for NZ that everyone has written them off and stopped talking about them. Both England and Wales will fancy their QFs and that they won't face each other at that stage. Only Argentina (or other pool C team) have looked very disappointing as likely QF team.

Warming up nicely, if slowly...