So, the tournament marches on. And unless you’ve been living
under a rock for the last week, you’ll be aware that, contrary to most people’s
predictions (including mine), England aren’t in it. But Wales are still flying
the Home Nations flag, and tomorrow they’ll have a chance to reach their first
ever World Cup final. I’ll admit I was wrong in three out of my four
predictions, but that’s part of what makes rugby so exciting. And hey, you can’t
win them all.
First things first – painful as it might be, let’s start
with England. Their quarter-final display against France was disappointing at
best, shambolic at worst. Even the most blinkered England fan would probably
admit they never looked like matching a rejuvenated French outfit. Les Bleus
have taken a lot of criticism for their performance in the pool stages, much of
it well-deserved. But if there’s anything likely to unite a French side, it’s
the prospect of facing England. They pulled themselves together while England
fell spectacularly to pieces. The inquest’s already well underway, with Martin
Johnson’s job under serious threat. Meanwhile, all France’s previous problems
will be forgotten if they can string a couple of good performances together.
The other northern hemisphere clash may have been broadcast
at silly o’clock, but it was well worth getting up for. Ireland defence coach
Les Kiss predicted a “ding-dong battle”, and he wasn’t wrong. It was a big
physical encounter, but unlike the England game, it was also fast-paced and
expansive. It was a real clash of rugby cultures, with a young Welsh side
taking on an Ireland team full of seasoned operators. Along with the majority,
I thought that Ireland’s experience would triumph over Wales’s exuberance. In
this case, I’m happy to have been proved wrong. Heroic defence combined with
incisive attack saw the Welsh through to their first semi-final since 1987.
They’ll face the French on Saturday, and hopes will be high that they can go
one better.
Now for a quick brain-teaser: how do you win a rugby match
with only 24% possession? No, I don’t know either, but apparently Australia do.
Despite looking second-best for much of the game, they somehow edged a tight
contest. This is all the more remarkable when you consider that Australia’s
backs largely failed to fire. Quade Cooper has a lot to answer for in that
respect. Dubbed New Zealand’s Public Enemy Number One, he probably didn’t have
many fans in Australia either by the end of the game. How he stayed on the
pitch for 80 minutes baffles me. And yet Australia are through, and that’s
thanks in large part to the efforts of the talismanic David Pocock. Yes, some
of the open side’s burgling at the breakdown may have been distinctly suspect.
But let’s not pretend every other back row player isn’t trying to do the same. Knowing
how far you can push the boundaries is a big part of rugby, and Pocock and
Australia just judged it better.
There was result I managed to get right, but I don’t think
many seriously expected Argentina to upset the hosts. I was impressed with the
challenge they presented though, especially given the absence of the hugely
influential Ignacio Fernandez Lobbe. The final scoreline makes it look like a
comfortable victory, but the All Blacks had to work hard for it. And they didn’t
come through unscathed. After the much-publicised demise of Dan Carter, New
Zealand found themselves short of another fly-half when Colin Slade limped off with
a groin injury. These things can sometimes be a blessing in disguise, though,
and Slade’s withdrawal provided an opportunity for Aaron Cruden to step in and
make his mark. He took it with aplomb, marshalling his backs and controlling
the game with a calmness that belied his inexperience. More serious is Richie McCaw’s nagging foot
injury, since the All Blacks look dangerously short of back row cover. With
David Pocock in great form, McCaw will have to be at his sharpest when the two
teams meet on Sunday.
So, given my (ahem) sparkling form so far, I’ll have a stab
at predicting the results of the semi-finals. I’ll go with Wales to beat
France, because the Welsh have looked more impressive with every game whereas
France’s notorious inconsistency still plagues them. True, they overcame
England to get here, but that says more about how poor England were than anything
else. Having said that, they might produce the performance of the tournament –
you really never know. In the clash of the southern hemisphere giants, I’d
expect New Zealand to have too much for an Australian side that’s disappointed
so far. A lot will depend on McCaw’s fitness – we all saw what happened when
Springbok Heinrich Brussow had to go off last weekend. But unless the Wallabies
can quickly rediscover their Tri-Nations form, I expect the hosts to make it to
their second final.
As ever, of course, only time and 160 minutes of hard rugby
will tell who makes it through. I’ll be watching all the action, and I hope you
will too. And we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief that, just for a
change, both of the matches are on at a sensible time.
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