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8 matches down, just 40 to go. The hosts get upset, the big bullying Tri-Nations boys all flex their muscles, and the Cup holders are made to look like fools. And 2 genuine minnows unlikely to make the next reduced World Cup, USA and Namibia gave their professional opponents a fright. About the only thing running to plan is that Japan are still rubbish. Best Match so far For sheer drama, you can’t go past the opening match. All that home-town expectation prior to the match, and the French inside backs froze in the headlights. Quite what Laporte was thinking picking Skrela at #10, but that was as bad a disply as we’re likely to see. The gin shot when trying to clear the ball under little pressure adding comedy value. Haymans at fullback had a night under the high-ball reminiscent of Colin Farrell, meaning that Argentina never once needed to reconsider their sole game-plan of sending up bombs. The defining moment was just after half-time. France won a line-out and drove 30 metres to the Pumas’ line; roared on by 80,000 fans. They then made 10 charges at the line but were somehow kept out before eventually giving away a penalty. After that the French lost all confidence, and the crowd stopped cheering them on; preferring to whistle at the ref instead. In the end it was the Pumas who finished the stronger, and Laporte looked on with his best Nazi Mad Scientist glare. All the best laid plans go under. France were seeded to play every big match at Stade de France. Now they may not make it through the Group of Death, if they do progress they are likely to be awarded a trip to Wales for a Quarter Final date with the All Blacks. Tournament organisers are likely to be only marginally less worried than Laporte.
England, worst World Cup holders in any sport, ever, get dragged down to the same level as … USA. Despite the luck running their way throughout (Vickey’s unpunished foot trip being the major refereeing clanger to date) England bumbled around in a staggeringly unconvincing fashion, beating the yanks by fewer points than Canada normally does. Backs literally falling over each other, dropped passes galore, even the trusted plan of keeping it in the forwards didn’t come off. The final humiliation came when Dallalio got marched for resorting to a professional foul. Best Player Easy. Agustín Pichot put in a totally dominating performance for Argentina; smooth passing, accurate kicking, and the sniping runs early on played a large part in the destruction of the French inside backs. How refreshing it is to see a top quality half-back. Best Try so far Jerry Collins’s chip-and-chase effort towards the end of the Italy match was a try Jeff Wilson would have been proud of. No need to try that again though Jerry. Honourable mentions to both Namibian tries; largely on account of the genuine glee in the celebrations. Novel Management Approach Mark Gerrard gets injured late on in the game against Japan. So what do the Wallaby management do? They call for a replacement! Staggering stuff. Performance of the Round There a few to chose from. Argentina’s upset, the Tri-nations teams looking equally ominous, and spirited performances from the North American sides. But the real stars of the opening round have been Namibia. Smashed 142-0 by Australia last time around, and playing for their international future with the tournament likely to be cut to 16 teams, they put on a spirited performance against the much-hyped Irish, running in 2 second half tries and genuinely rattling their fancied opponents. That Group of Death is proving to be a lot of fun.
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